Published by Pan, 2014, softcover, 302 pages, condition: new. As M.E. Thomas says of her fellow sociopaths, we are your neighbors, co-workers, and quite possibly the people closest to you: lovers, family, friends. Our risk-seeking behavior and general fearlessness are thrilling, our glibness and charm alluring. Our often quick wit and outside-the-box thinking make us appear intelligenteven brilliant. We climb the corporate ladder faster than the rest, and appear to have limitless self-confidence. Who are we? We are highly successful, non-criminal sociopaths and we comprise 4% of the American population (thats 1 in 25 people!).
Confessions of a Sociopath takes readers on a journey into the mind of a sociopath, revealing what makes the tick and what that means for the rest of humanity. Written from the point of view of a diagnosed sociopath, it unveils these men and women who are hiding in plain sight for the very first time.
Confessions of a Sociopath is part confessional memoir, part primer for the wary. Drawn from Thomas own experiences; her popular blog, Sociopathworld. com; and current and historical scientific literature, it reveals just how different and yet often very similar - sociopaths are from the rest of the world. The book confirms suspicions and debunks myths about sociopathy and is both the memoir of a high-functioning, law-abiding (well, mostly) sociopath and a roadmap right from the source - for dealing with the sociopath in your life, be it a boss, sibling, parent, spouse, child, neighbor, colleague or friend.
As Thomas argues, while sociopaths aren't like everyone else, and its true some of them are incredibly dangerous, they are not inherently evil. In fact, theyre potentially more productive and useful to society than neurotypicals or empaths, as they fondly like to call normal people. Confessions of a Sociopath demystifyies sociopathic behavior and provide readers with greater insight on how to respond or react to protect themselves, live among sociopaths without becoming victims, and even beat sociopaths at their own game, through a bit of empathetic cunning and manipulation.
>This book is getting bashed across the internet and in user ratings here because they find the author irritating, self-absorbed, narcisstic, or otherwise unpleasant. If this is a disappointment to readers, I suggest they read the titles of the books they purchase more carefully before beginning to read.
"This book does in fact provide an extremely incisive look into the mind of sociopath in a throughly engaging and well-written narrative. While much of the book is troubling ... particularly realizing how much of the world (lawyers, politicians, famous celebrities) acts in the manners she describes in the book. If anything, she could modify the book slightly and retitle it How to Succeed In Modern America. My guess is that is the real reason why people act like they hated this book -- for people who prefer their own idealization of the world rather than dealing in practical reality, this book is an unpleasant crack in the fundaments."
