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Reddit mentions of The Sociopath Next Door
Sentiment score: 4
Reddit mentions: 20
We found 20 Reddit mentions of The Sociopath Next Door. Here are the top ones.
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Specs:
| Height | 9.52 Inches |
| Length | 6.36 Inches |
| Number of items | 1 |
| Release date | February 2005 |
| Weight | 1.08 Pounds |
| Width | 0.86 Inches |
"Although research conducted by psychiatrist Lee Robins found that the vast majority of sociopathic adults had shown sociopathic behaviors in childhood, it also found that about 50 percent of children who showed those behaviors did not grow up to become sociopathic."
At a coin flip, labeling too early may really destroy half of the children's lives.
EDIT: If you're interested in the topic, here is a highly reviewed (and recommended) book:
http://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Door-Martha-Stout/dp/076791581X
The movies premise is stupid because it implies that "laws" actually prevent people from visiting violence upon one another.
I can't speak for any of you, but I don't wake up every morning and say to myself, "Gosh darnit, I'd sure like to murder and steal from my neighbors, but there are laws against that so I can't."
Here's a news flash: most human beings are cooperative creatures who dislike violence and injustice, laws do not make them "virtuous" because people are already so by nature.
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The 1-4% of the sociopathic elements of the human population are the exception to that norm and supposedly the laws are meant to deter them; but they are not deterred. Worse yet, the sociopaths gain political power and use violence to achieve their ends under the cover of "law".
From Political Ponerology: A Science on The Nature of Evil adjusted for Political Purposes:
>Imagine - if you can - not having a conscience, none at all, no feelings of guilt or remorse no matter what you do, no limiting sense of concern for the well-being of strangers, friends, or even family members. Imagine no struggles with shame, not a single one in your whole life, no matter what kind of selfish, lazy, harmful, or immoral action you had taken.
>And pretend that the concept of responsibility is unknown to you, except as a burden others seem to accept without question, like gullible fools.
Now add to this strange fantasy the ability to conceal from other people that your psychological makeup is radically different from theirs. Since everyone simply assumes that conscience is universal among human beings, hiding the fact that you are conscience-free is nearly effortless.
>You are not held back from any of your desires by guilt or shame, and you are never confronted by others for your cold-bloodedness. The ice water in your veins is so bizarre, so completely outside of their personal experience, that they seldom even guess at your condition.
>In other words, you are completely free of internal restraints, and your unhampered liberty to do just as you please, with no pangs of conscience, is conveniently invisible to the world.
>You can do anything at all, and still your strange advantage over the majority of people, who are kept in line by their consciences will most likely remain undiscovered.
>How will you live your life?
>What will you do with your huge and secret advantage, and with the corresponding handicap of other people (conscience)?
>The answer will depend largely on just what your desires happen to be, because people are not all the same. Even the profoundly unscrupulous are not all the same. Some people - whether they have a conscience or not - favor the ease of inertia, while others are filled with dreams and wild ambitions. Some human beings are brilliant and talented, some are dull-witted, and most, conscience or not, are somewhere in between. There are violent people and nonviolent ones, individuals who are motivated by blood lust and those who have no such appetites. [...]
>Provided you are not forcibly stopped, you can do anything at all.
>If you are born at the right time, with some access to family fortune, and you have a special talent for whipping up other people's hatred and sense of deprivation, you can arrange to kill large numbers of unsuspecting people. With enough money, you can accomplish this from far away, and you can sit back safely and watch in satisfaction. [...]
>Crazy and frightening - and real, in about 4 percent of the population....
>The prevalence rate for anorexic eating disorders is estimated a 3.43 percent, deemed to be nearly epidemic, and yet this figure is a fraction lower than the rate for antisocial personality. The high-profile disorders classed as schizophrenia occur in only about 1 percent of [the population] - a mere quarter of the rate of antisocial personality - and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say that the rate of colon cancer in the United States, considered "alarmingly high," is about 40 per 100,000 - one hundred times lower than the rate of antisocial personality.
The high incidence of sociopathy in human society has a profound effect on the rest of us who must live on this planet, too, even those of us who have not been clinically traumatized. The individuals who constitute this 4 percent drain our relationships, our bank accounts, our accomplishments, our self-esteem, our very peace on earth.
>Yet surprisingly, many people know nothing about this disorder, or if they do, they think only in terms of violent psychopathy - murderers, serial killers, mass murderers - people who have conspicuously broken the law many times over, and who, if caught, will be imprisoned, maybe even put to death by our legal system.
>We are not commonly aware of, nor do we usually identify, the larger number of nonviolent sociopaths among us, people who often are not blatant lawbreakers, and against whom our formal legal system provides little defense.
>Most of us would not imagine any correspondence between conceiving an ethnic genocide and, say, guiltlessly lying to one's boss about a coworker. But the psychological correspondence is not only there; it is chilling. Simple and profound, the link is the absence of the inner mechanism that beats up on us, emotionally speaking, when we make a choice we view as immoral, unethical, neglectful, or selfish.
>Most of us feel mildly guilty if we eat the last piece of cake in the kitchen, let alone what we would feel if we intentionally and methodically set about to hurt another person.
Those who have no conscience at all are a group unto themselves, whether they be homicidal tyrants or merely ruthless social snipers.
The presence or absence of conscience is a deep human division, arguably more significant than intelligence, race, or even gender.
>What differentiates a sociopath who lives off the labors of others from one who occasionally robs convenience stores, or from one who is a contemporary robber baron - or what makes the difference between an ordinary bully and a sociopathic murderer - is nothing more than social status, drive, intellect, blood lust, or simple opportunity.
>What distinguishes all of these people from the rest of us is an utterly empty hole in the psyche, where there should be the most evolved of all humanizing functions.
-Martha Stout The Sociopath Next Door
I've worked in a couple of Wall St. banks. Ponzi schemes and other, far more dirty tricks are symptomatic of the sort of people who rise through the ranks in an environment of huge monetary rewards and sexual benefits. Its a massive ego trip.
Sociopaths (and worse) rise to the top in such an environment because their behaviour is rewarded and encouraged. Its a well documented phenomenon:
> It might seem like I'm just being dumb but after you've seen enough stuff like that from the same person you start to wonder if the barn door is properly closed.
Oh, no -- I agree with you. That guy just isn't right in the head. And sociopath might be just the thing that explains him.
Recommendation: Read the sociopath next door.
Unfortunately, the answer, in the end, is to stay away from her as much as possible. Which means either she needs to move out or you do.
I highly recommend the book, The Sociopath Next Door. Learning how to spot these people, even through their fakeness, will serve you well in life.
It's good that you've developed a sixth sense for people like that. They're very, very good at what they are and do, and most people are totally swept away by them. You are absolutely right-in dealing with sociopaths, get away from them, far away. It's all a game to them. I read this book a few years ago, full of great information, but very scary.
http://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Door-Martha-Stout/dp/076791581X
One of things that this book (http://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Door-Martha-Stout/dp/076791581X) taught me is that a sociopath will do or say anything to get the things they want and 'win'. And whenever they get caught and called on their shit, they turn to moral indignation and self pity.
I'm not really sure WTF that Fox thing was that I saw (I don't live in the US) but I do know that if you assembled the finest writers, directors and actors in the world and paid them handsomely to portray a dystopian world ruled by such a person, they would struggle to achieve the same level of creepyness.
I believe your statistic is incorrect as that would be 10% of the population. As I linked to another person, you can read this book for statistics on it: (good book by the way)
http://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Door-Martha-Stout/dp/076791581X
Also, you are correct that sociopaths don't necessarily want to kill anyone but they lack the ability for empathy so those who do want to kill don't have the nagging voice in the back of their head telling them they're wrong when they do it.
Kuldebar: ^^original ^^reddit ^^link
>I'm new to this stuff: Objectively, what are the Illuminati conspiracy theories?
A distraction. That there are sociopaths in charge, have no doubt but don't let overly elaborate theories draw you away from a far more simple conclusion: we are slaves to a system.
Nothing is gained by attempting to create a super scapegoat to affix blame when simply understanding that up to 4% of the human population are sociopaths and the use their abilities to subjugate people who can not even conceive of such things.
Sociopaths, descriptive word that fits.
They can be secretive, they socialize and share ambitions, this is true. They love rituals and other finery to dress up their efforts. Those details don't matter, we know who the are, by their deeds ye shall know them, after all:
> In other words, you are completely free of internal restraints, and your unhampered liberty to do just as you please, with no pangs of conscience, is conveniently invisible to the world.
>You can do anything at all, and still your strange advantage over the majority of people, who are kept in line by their consciences will most likely remain undiscovered.
>How will you live your life?
>What will you do with your huge and secret advantage, and with the corresponding handicap of other people (conscience)?
>The answer will depend largely on just what your desires happen to be, because people are not all the same. Even the profoundly unscrupulous are not all the same. Some people - whether they have a conscience or not - favor the ease of inertia, while others are filled with dreams and wild ambitions. Some human beings are brilliant and talented, some are dull-witted, and most, conscience or not, are somewhere in between. There are violent people and nonviolent ones, individuals who are motivated by blood lust and those who have no such appetites. -The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout
If you combine The Psychology of Authority + Political Ponerology: A Science on The Nature of Evil adjusted for Political Purposes you will arrive at exactly what the world of humanity faces today.
According to this book they (sociopaths) are not as rare as the author of this post thinks.
The Sociopath Next Door
I read this, thought of a couple craptacular people from my past and had a ding moment.
I'm sorry to scare you or make you paranoid, but animal abuse, repeating an offense after getting caught, and using manipulation to remorselessly destroy your reputation and relationship ALL sound like sociopathic tendencies to me. I've only read 1 book on the subject, but this honestly sounds like a story straight out of it. I recommend The Sociopath Next Door.
Also, read the book "The Sociopath Next Door"
I'm an extreme extrovert. Perhaps a bit of a sociopath. When I see an introvert I either ignore him or her, or I try to:
I'm perhaps a bit of a sociopath.
Introverts of reddit, I know I'm not the only one. And I'm tipping my hand because I would lie so sweetly if you ever thought I were actually doing this in person. Don't be paranoid, but I'm perhaps a bit of a sociopath.
Edit: This book claims 4% of Americans have some degree of sociopathy. I found it a useful character study in personal power.
Edit2: I see I've been downvoted. I'm sure this has been an unpleasant post to read, but I'm being frank for the benefit of introverted redditors. Hide my comment from them if you like. But not letting them know there are honestly people like me out there does not protect them. All that's happening is I'm losing karma in an account I created for this message.
I assure you, I'm not a novelty account. I'm frankly telling people that the minds of the people they meet might work in unexpected ways. Introverts are easier to spin because it is easier to control the tempo and tone of the conversation. I can and do work with extroverts, also, but it's a totally different game.
ill just leave this here
I recommend reading "The Sociopath Next Door" to anyone casually interested in what sociopathy really is.
It was one of the first books I read after I learned that my Dad was a sociopath (right after the DSM-IV entry on sociopathy. Seriously, what twelve year old makes her Mom buy her the DSM?). It's not the best book on sociopathy, but it is a beautiful introduction.
Relevant One of the most terrifying books I've ever read.
I think it has some merit
textbook sociopathic behavior. i dated somebody like this for almost a year, and believed every lie about every accident, hospital visit, death in the family... everything. it was a tough way for you to find out, but at least you did. check out the sociopath next door. it's really interesting and helps with the whole not blaming yourself thing.