The Psychopath Test - Jon Ronson

Business & Leadership Book Reviews

The Psychopath Test - Jon Ronson

What’s in it

It’s round and about 1% of the population. Except when you go check in senior management, because there it goes up to something like 5 or 6%.

I’m talking, of course, about psychopaths.

I recently did a poll on LinkedIn about psychopaths. I asked: Have you ever worked with or for a psychopath? Two thirds gave me a heartfelt ‘Yes!’ for an answer. Two thirds!

In one of the comments to that post this book came highly recommended.

It travels into the world of madness. Jon Ronson writes very engagingly about his exploration, where he gets to meet a number of psychopaths - identified with a 20 point checklist. And along the way also learns a lot about himself and people in the media.

Why I like it

This was a very easy and engaging read. Jon Ronson takes you on his journey and does so in a very descriptive and chatty way.

It’s not the first time I’ve been astounded by how the medical/psychiatric profession goes about its business and classifies people. This book really shows this up.

But what I liked best about this book? It opened my eyes up. Yes, to the fact that psychopaths are all around us. Yes, to how to define a psychopath. But mostly how come people become/are psychopaths. How NOT all people are made the same. How one small little part of your brain (the amygdala) can have SUCH an influence on how people act and behave.

THAT’s why I liked reading it.

(That - plus me being able to read it in one, rainy, afternoon. That too).