The Psychopath Test A Journey Through the Madness Industry

by Ronson, Jon

• ISBN13: 9781594485756
• ISBN10: 1594485755
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-05-01
• Publisher: Riverhead Trade

Summary

They say one out of every hundred people is a psychopath. You probably passed one on the street today. These are people who have no empathy, who are manipulative, deceitful, charming, seductive, and delusional. The Psychopath Test is the New York Times bestselling exploration of their world and the madness industry. When Jon Ronson is drawn into an elaborate hoax played on some of the world's top scientists, his investigation leads him, unexpectedly, to psychopaths. He meets an influential psychologist who is convinced that many important business leaders and politicians are in fact high-flying, high-functioning psychopaths, and teaches Ronson how to spot them. Armed with these new abilities, Ronson meets a patient inside an asylum for the criminally insane who insists that he's sane, a mere run-of-the-mill troubled youth, not a psychopath-a claim that might be only manipulation, and a sign of his psychopathy. He spends time with a death-squad leader institutionalized for mortgage fraud, and with a legendary CEO who took joy in shutting down factories and firing people. He delves into the fascinating history of psychopathy diagnosis and treatments, from LSD-fueled days-long naked therapy sessions in prisons to attempts to understand serial killers. Along the way, Ronson discovers that relatively ordinary people are, more and more, defined by their most insane edges. The Psychopath Test is a fascinating adventure through the minds of madness.

Author Biography

Jon Ronson’s works include The Amazing Adventures of Phoenix Jones, and Them: Adventures with Extremists and The Men Who Stare at Goats—both international bestsellers. The Men Who Stare at Goats was as a major motion picture, released in 2009 and starring George Clooney. Ronson lives in London.

Table of Contents

The Missing Part of the Puzzle Revealed	p. 1
The Man Who Faked Madness	p. 33
Psychopaths Dream in Black-and-White	p. 65
The Psychopath Test	p. 89
Toto	p. 119
Night of the Living Dead	p. 139
The Right Sort of Madness	p. 169
The Madness of David Shayler	p. 179
Aiming a Bit High	p. 212
The Avoidable Death of Rebecca Riley	p. 230
Good Luck	p. 253
Notes/Sources/Bibliography/Acknowledgments	p. 273
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