The Sociopath Next Door : The Ruthless Versus the Rest of Us

The brilliant executive who always has the brightest ideas; the exciting companion who is so sexy and loving; the charismatic politician who is so sincere and inspiring. Are they too good to be true?

In fact, many of these supercharmers are false, says Martha Stout in this award-winning book--stealing the ideas of others, embezzling money, pretending to be in love, and acting as if they care for the whole world while really caring only for themselves. That's because 1 in 25 may actually be a sociopath.

What are sociopaths? How can you protect yourself from them? And how come America seems to have so many of them?

Sociopaths (people with "antisocial personality disorder") can be recognized by a group of symptoms, including a surface charm that makes them seem more exciting, spontaneous, and sexy than other people. That's why sociopaths attract friends and followers so easily. But underneath, they're unable to feel real empathy for any other living being. They have a hole inside them where a sense of shame or guilt should be.

A gifted writer, Stout draws compelling portraits of sociopathic characters, such as Skip, the rich, brilliant boy whose favorite pastime is killing frogs; Doreen, who uses her looks and skill at lying to manipulate and deceive colleagues at work; and Luke, whose vocation is lounging by the pool, sponging off women, and ignoring his own son.

Then Stout offers the "13 rules" for defending yourself against sociopaths, such as the "rule of threes." There may be good reasons for people to break one or even two promises, but if they break three, they're habitual liars and you should never give them "your money, your work, your secrets, or your affection."

But there is a brighter side to the picture. Stout demonstrates that despite having signs of material success, sociopaths lead empty, meaningless lives, devoid of joy, hope or happiness. Ultimately, living with love is better.