Without Conscience the Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among US Book Review

Conscience - the Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us

Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths among Us

In his book Without Conscience: The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us, Robert D. Hare (1999) focuses on not only the famous psychopaths and the criminals who have made the news, but the people who walk among "normal" society every day - at the grocery store, the bank, and everywhere else. Many of these people are very low key. They are not physically violent, but they are emotionally and financially devastating to a large number of people because they have the ability to manipulate people much more easily than the average person could do - largely because they do not have any kind of conscience holding them back from the choices that they make (Hare, 1999). Without any conscience, they do not see right and wrong the same way others do.

Often, they do not really see right and wrong at all, or even understand the concept or the differences between the two areas. They only see what they want and need, and what they must do to get it. Still, they understand (in most cases) the need to operate within the law. If they fail to do that, they can end up in legal trouble and that will not get them what they want. Learning to spot psychopaths and understand how they operate is very important, and this is something that Hare (1999) addresses. The book is fascinating, but it is also very informative and can provide people with a lot of great information about how to avoid psychopaths and not get "sucked in" when they try to get too close or manipulate a person with their lies and deception.It is vital that a person who encounters a psychopath understands that he or she is not dealing with a "normal" person who may feel bad about manipulating someone else. Instead, the psychopath will feel nothing at all.

According to Hare (1999), one people in 25 is a psychopath. There is a very good chance that almost any person knows someone who may fall into this category and has come face-to-face with that person on at least one occasion. Unfortunately, not everyone knows how to recognize these types of people. Because they do not know how to recognize them, they end up falling for their con games and allowing themselves to be manipulated. Often, psychopaths are wonderful storytellers. They are mesmerizing people who are well-liked in their community. Only the extreme fringes of the psychopathic mindset are people like Charles Manson and Jeffrey Dahmer. Many psychopaths do not commit illegal acts or end up in prison. If they do, however, there will be no remorse shown (Hare, 1999). They are simply not wired to have a conscience about their actions.

Because Hare (1999) has dealt with psychopaths so much in his career, he is able to provide information on literally hundreds of cases that can help people learn to spot psychopaths and determine what they should do in order to avoid getting involved with them. Many times, perfectly normal lives are ruined because individuals did not see the danger until it was….....