The release date for the English version of 'The Sociopath Next Door' by
Martha Stout is Mar 2006. If you enjoy this novel, it is available for buy as a paperback from Barnes & Noble or Indigo, as an ebook on the Amazon Kindle store, or as an audiobook on Audible.
Who is the known devil?
Is it your erroneous, deceitful former spouse?
Your cruel gym instructor in high school?
Who likes to make people feel uncomfortable in meetings, your boss?
The coworker who claimed credit for your idea after stealing it?
You will discover that your ex was not only misinterpreted as you turn the pages of The Sociopath Next Door. His name is Sociopath. And your instructor, employer, and coworker? They too could be sociopaths.
Although we typically associate sociopaths with violent crimes, Harvard psychologist Martha Stout reveals in The Sociopath Next Door that 4% of the general population—one in twenty-five—has an often-undiagnosed mental illness, the main symptom of which is that they have no conscience. He or she has no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse. Therefore, one in twenty-five average Americans is in secret a psychopath. They may be your neighbor, coworker, or even relative. They also have no shame at all and are capable of doing anything.
How do we identify the heartless? One of their main traits is a charisma or shine that makes sociopaths seem more intriguing or appealing than those around them. They're difficult to spot and readily sway us because they're more passionate, complicated, spontaneous, or just hotter than everyone else. Sociopaths are unique in that they are inherently incapable of loving. Early on, sociopaths learn to seem to be sensitive, but on the inside, they have no empathy for the pain of others. Their passion is dominance and winning.
The truth is that it's quite likely that we have all previously encountered one or more sociopaths. The instant we realize someone we know—someone we worked for, were associated with, or voted for—is a sociopath is part of the urgency of reading The Sociopath Next Door. However, how can we use that knowledge? Dr. Stout gives us advice on how to spot a pity party, doubt authoritative figures, and question flattery in order to protect ourselves against sociopaths. Above all, she adds, avoid the game when a psychopath is tempting.
The Sociopath Next Door will teach you how to identify and vanquish the devil you know in a conflict pitting the merciless against the rest of us.