The Sociopath Next Door
by Martha Stout · first published 2005
17mentions
10recommended by
16HN commenters
2008–2026first – last mentioned
63% recommend38% neutral
Why HN recommends it
A readable popular introduction to sociopathy from a psychologist's perspective, exploring how sociopaths function in everyday jobs and families. Suited to readers new to the topic.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
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There is an excellent book by psychologist Martha Stout called "The Sociopath Next Door" which examines this subject. The author claims as many as 1 in 25 Americans is a sociopath. http://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Door-Martha-Stout/dp/07... Indeed, this book changed my perception of…
on “Psychopaths among us” ↗I can recommend "The Sociopath Next Door": http://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Door-Martha-Stout/dp/07...
on “How to spot a psychopath at work” ↗For more on sociopathy, check out "The Sociopath Next Door": http://www.amazon.com/Sociopath-Next-Door-Martha-Stout/dp/07...
on “Martin Shkreli Arrested on Securities Fraud Charges” ↗…a sociopath. It's my (admittedly uneducated) understanding that a psychopath cannot maintain trait #1 (superficial charm & charisma). I got this from having read Martha Stout's excellent book The Sociopath Next Door, which is an incredible eye-opener. It is estimated that 1 in 25 are missing the brain mechanism known as "conscience", which Stout describes as "an intervening sense of obligation based in our emotional…
I found the book, _The_Sociopath_Next_Door_[1], to be an interesting read. The premise of that text is that 4% of the population has no conscience. Moral obligations probably can't be explained unless you go to the meta-level and talk about…
on “Government Secrets and the Need for Whistle-blowers” ↗For those curious about how sama got to where he got and stayed on top for so long, I recommend you read the book: The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout. I am fairly confident when I say this -- sama is a sociopath. I don't know how anyone with solid intuition could even come to any other conclusion than the guy is deeply weird and off-putting.…
on “Sam Altman May Control Our Future – Can He Be Trusted?” ↗…few months. Your founder sounds like a sociopath, someone who lacks a conscience and will say anything they think they can get away with manipulate people into doing what they want. Read the book The Sociopath Next Door, it's a decent intro (skip the bunk "origins of conscience" chapter) - until you realize they literally can't be like a normal person, you'll keep thinking they'll make good on their promises and the…
on “Are these founders trying to screw me?” ↗The "Sociopath Next Door" (excellent book) makes a very good point - it is not clear that being a sociopath is a disorder or an illness in that it doesn't appear to have negative effects on the person with this behavior. Indeed…
on “Psychopaths among us” ↗Great book on the topic. Talks a lot about how they do function in society (great business man-jerk of a boss, Provides well for family-controlling husband/father, etc). The book 'Sociopath Next Door' also goes further on how to deal with them.
on “The Neuroscientist Who Discovered He Was a Psychopath” ↗Check out the book The Sociopath Next Door - it talks about how there are so many sociopathic people today because societies used to conveniently do away with them. I'd guess this is similar to what the person is referring to.
on “Drug Goes from $13.50 a Tablet to $750, Overnight” ↗…is useful for understanding how to look at root causes of teams that become dysfunctional, can be depressing when you recognize your own team in its pages :-). And not a management book per se but "The Sociopath Next Door" was a useful read because it better helped me understand and identify people who were very different than I am in terms of their emotional investment in things.
on “Ask HN: Best book / resources on leadership, especially for tech teams?” ↗…large proportions among those who worked their way to wealth - ruthlessness and a willingness to exploit is highly lucrative in our private culture that has no accountability. Dr. Martha Stout in The Sociopath Next Door gives the example of a sociopath who lied and blackmailed her way into a position as a clinical psychologist in a mental hospital despite having no qualifications. Colleagues and patients became aware…
on “Nice guys finish first. Eventually.” ↗Actually there are studies and books on this: Book: The sociopath next door - Martha Stout Study from Bond university finding 21% of CEOs exhibit psychopathic behavior. [1] Also it's not about seeking power... Another misconception. It's about not having empathy and if you…
on “Both geniuses and madmen pay attention to what others ignore” ↗…barely-explained rules. Some of them end up concluding it's all a cynical manipulative scam, and everybody else is the same as themselves except absurdly dedicated to keeping up the fiction. [0] "The Sociopath Next Door" by Martha Stout
on “Embezzlers Are Nice People (2017)” ↗…behaviors, but it could also hinder them, and in any event I would think a sufficiently intelligent and experienced psychologist could more than compensate for that particular deficit. The book "The Sociopath Next Door", written by a clinical psychologist, describes a real-life story of a [presumed] sociopath who fraudulently worked as a clinical psychologist. Unfortunately, their habits tended to the more malevolent…
on “He Married a Sociopath: Me” ↗