The 10 Worst Psychopaths


Book Description

Often, the term 'psychopath' tends to be equated with violent and deranged criminality, but true psychopaths are very different from the way they are portrayed in film or on television. They are aware of the difference between right and wrong: they simply choose to ignore anything that prevents them getting what they want. Real-life psychopaths are not 'mad' but 'bad', but they appear on the surface to be entirely 'normal'. One of the pioneers of the modern research effort was Dr. Robert Hare, who developed the Psychopathy Check List Revised (PCL-R) in an attempt to describe the degree of psychopathy an individual displays. The clusters of personality traits and socially-deviant behaviours outlined in the check-list are separated into four types: interpersonal, affective, lifestyle and anti-social. The 10 Worst Psychopaths looks at history's most notorious and infamous psychopaths, and seeks to show how their life stories illustrate the classic psychopathic personality traits. Though all morally despicable, many of these individuals were charming, popular and charismatic. This is part of our enduring fascination with the psychopath: they are capable of extraordinary inhuman acts, and yet they appear on the surface to be entirely 'normal'. It is only once you know what to look for that the psychopathy beneath the cunning mask becomes obvious. Chillingly, psychopaths are usually the person you would least suspect.




The 10 Worst Serial Killers


Book Description




10 Worst Psychopaths


Book Description




The World's Worst Psychopaths


Book Description

Often, the term 'psychopath' tends to be equated with violent and deranged criminality, but true psychopaths are very different from the way they are portrayed in film or on television. They are aware of the difference between right and wrong: they simply choose to ignore anything that prevents them getting what they want. Real-life psychopaths are not 'mad' but 'bad', but they appear on the surface to be entirely 'normal'. One of the pioneers of the modern research effort was Dr. Robert Hare, who developed the Psychopathy Check List Revised (PCL-R) in an attempt to describe the degree of psychopathy an individual displays. The clusters of personality traits and socially-deviant behaviours outlined in the check-list are separated into four types: interpersonal, affective, lifestyle and anti-social. The 10 Worst Psychopaths looks at history's most notorious and infamous psychopaths, and seeks to show how their life stories illustrate the classic psychopathic personality traits. Though all morally despicable, many of these individuals were charming, popular and charismatic. This is part of our enduring fascination with the psychopath: they are capable of extraordinary inhuman acts, and yet they appear on the surface to be entirely 'normal'. It is only once you know what to look for that the psychopathy beneath the cunning mask becomes obvious. Chillingly, psychopaths are usually the person you would least suspect.




The Wisdom of Psychopaths


Book Description

Psychopath. The word conjurs up images of serial killers, rapists, suicide bombers, gangsters. But think again: you could probably benefit from being a little more psychopathic yourself. Psychologist Kevin Dutton has made a speciality of psychopathy, and is on first-name terms with many notorious killers. But unlike those incarcerated psychopaths, and all those depicted in movies and crime fiction, most are not violent, he explains. In fact, says Prof Dutton, they have a lot of good things going for them. Psychopaths are fearless, confident, charismatic and focused--qualities tailor-made for success in today's society. The Wisdom of Psychopaths is an intellectual rollercoaster ride that combines lightning-hot science with unprecedented access to secret monasteries, Special Forces training camps, and high-security hospitals. In it, you will meet serial killers, war heroes, financiers, movie stars and attorneys--and discover that beneath the hype and popular characterization, psychopaths have something to teach us. Like the knobs on a mixing deck, psychopathy is graded. And finding the right combination of psychopathic traits, sampled and mixed at carefully calibrated volumes, can put us ahead of the game.




The World's Worst Serial Killers


Book Description

A gripping analysis of the world's ten worst serial killers. They have been selected not simply because of their high 'body counts': these killers are the ones who have most terrified the communities on which they preyed, and in some cases changed the history of the nations in which they operated. This collection focuses solely on the true stories behind the very worst real-life serial killers from across the globe.




Responsibility and Psychopathy


Book Description

The discussion of whether psychopaths are morally responsible for their behaviour has long taken place in philosophy. In recent years this has moved into scientific and psychiatric investigation. Responsibility and Psychopathy discusses this subject from both the philosophical and scientific disciplines, as well as a legal perspective.




Encyclopaedia Britannica


Book Description

This eleventh edition was developed during the encyclopaedia's transition from a British to an American publication. Some of its articles were written by the best-known scholars of the time and it is considered to be a landmark encyclopaedia for scholarship and literary style.




Without Conscience


Book Description

Most people are both repelled and intrigued by the images of cold-blooded, conscienceless murderers that increasingly populate our movies, television programs, and newspaper headlines. With their flagrant criminal violation of society's rules, serial killers like Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy are among the most dramatic examples of the psychopath. Individuals with this personality disorder are fully aware of the consequences of their actions and know the difference between right and wrong, yet they are terrifyingly self-centered, remorseless, and unable to care about the feelings of others. Perhaps most frightening, they often seem completely normal to unsuspecting targets--and they do not always ply their trade by killing. Presenting a compelling portrait of these dangerous men and women based on 25 years of distinguished scientific research, Dr. Robert D. Hare vividly describes a world of con artists, hustlers, rapists, and other predators who charm, lie, and manipulate their way through life. Are psychopaths mad, or simply bad? How can they be recognized? And how can we protect ourselves? This book provides solid information and surprising insights for anyone seeking to understand this devastating condition.




The Psychopath Test


Book Description

What if society wasn't fundamentally rational, but was motivated by insanity? This thought sets Jon Ronson on an utterly compelling adventure into the world of madness. Along the way, Jon meets psychopaths, those whose lives have been touched by madness and those whose job it is to diagnose it, including the influential psychologist who developed the Psychopath Test, from whom Jon learns the art of psychopath-spotting. A skill which seemingly reveals that madness could indeed be at the heart of everything . . . Combining Jon Ronson's trademark humour, charm and investigative incision, The Psychopath Test is both entertaining and honest, unearthing dangerous truths and asking serious questions about how we define normality in a world where we are increasingly judged by our maddest edges. 'The belly laughs come thick and fast – my God, he is funny . . . provocative and interesting' – Observer