Using revealing composite portraits and case studies, psychologist Martha Stout exposes what the DSM-IV defines as "antisocial personality disorder." Put simply, sociopaths walk among us and they have no conscience. Stout reveals the brazen and stunning behavior of those who comprise a not insignificant segment of the population--one in 20, according to the statistics. Placing sociopaths not in a clinical context but in the real world, Stout shows how much harm their various mind games, power trips, and seductions cause--and she points out how ordinary people of conscience have blind spots preventing them from seeing these dastardly deeds. Stout synthesizes knowledge and research on conscience from philosophy, psychology (including Milgram's famous experiments), and biology, balancing notions of conscience, morality, authority, and obedience, and shows how sociopathic tendencies have their origins in childhood. Ultimately, Stout champions the concept of conscience, and proposes ways that society can nurture prosocial behavior. Chance are we all know these sociopaths--if not next door, then across the hall or in the next cubicle. First shattering our innocence about these characters, Martha Stout arms us with the knowledge we need to be prepared.

A practicing psychotherapist takes a hard look at the sociopaths--individuals with an antisocial personality disorder who possess no conscience or sense of guilt or shame--that we encounter in everyday life, describing the characteristics of such individuals, how to recognize them for what they are, and how to protect oneself from sociopaths.

A practicing psychotherapist takes a hard look at the sociopaths--individuals with an antisocial personality disorder who possess no conscience or sense of guilt or shame--that we encounter in everyday life, describing the characteristics of such individuals, how to recognize them for what they are, and how to protect oneself from sociopaths.