Post by cuckoo4cocopuffs on Mar 4, 2012 12:05:06 GMT -6
Written by Bob Hare, who devised the psychopath test currently in vogue and another author. The focus of the book is the impact of psychos on the organizations they "infiltrate". There is a distinction between sociopaths and psychos, which Ronson glosses over (then again he is not exactly an apologist for the psychiatrists and psychologists). Also there are a couple other syndromes that resemble psychopathy, referred to by Hare et al as Narcissistic and Machiavellian types. True psychos can be difficult to ferret out, as they are masters of deception and manipulation. Although the book examines psychos in corporations, the same patterns will hold true in governments and religious institutions. They are so good at their "game" that they can become firmly entrenched in an organization and difficult to expel even when their victims call them out to authorities in the power structure. We usually think of the Hollywood stereotype of the serial killer psycho, which is very accurate by the way, but there are plenty of them that are dangerous in other ways, leaving unsuspecting persons in their wake of destruction. A word of caution though: Being quick to label someone as a psycho is not a good idea, as it takes a highly skilled and trained person to accurately make such determinations, and even experts can be fooled by the most adept psychos.