
The Wisdom of Psychopaths
What Saints, Spies, and Serial Killers Can Teach Us About Success
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Narrated by:
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Erik Bergmann
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By:
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Kevin Dutton
About this listen
In this engrossing journey into the lives of psychopaths and their infamously crafty behaviors, the renowned psychologist Kevin Dutton reveals that there is a scale of "madness" along which we all sit. Incorporating the latest advances in brain scanning and neuroscience, Dutton demonstrates that the brilliant neurosurgeon who lacks empathy has more in common with a Ted Bundy who kills for pleasure than we may wish to admit, and that a mugger in a dimly lit parking lot may well, in fact, have the same nerveless poise as a titan of industry.
Dutton argues that there are indeed "functional psychopaths" among us—different from their murderous counterparts—who use their detached, unflinching, and charismatic personalities to succeed in mainstream society, and that shockingly, in some fields, the more "psychopathic" people are, the more likely they are to succeed. Dutton deconstructs this often misunderstood diagnosis through bold on-the-ground reporting and original scientific research as he mingles with the criminally insane in a high-security ward, shares a drink with one of the world's most successful con artists, and undergoes transcranial magnetic stimulation to discover firsthand exactly how it feels to see through the eyes of a psychopath.
As Dutton develops his theory that we all possess psychopathic tendencies, he puts forward the argument that society as a whole is more psychopathic than ever: after all, psychopaths tend to be fearless, confident, charming, ruthless, and focused—qualities that are tailor-made for success in the twenty-first century. Provocative at every turn, The Wisdom of Psychopaths is a riveting adventure that reveals that it's our much-maligned dark side that often conceals the trump cards of success.
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Critic reviews
“The Wisdom of Psychopaths is an engaging and enlightening look at both the positive and negative sides of the personality characteristics that make up the diagnosis of psychopathy.” —Michael Shermer, The Wall Street Journal
“Dutton spins a solid yarn, turning what could easily have been a dry survey of psych research into entertainment.” —Scott Olster, Fortune (CNN Money)
“The Wisdom of Psychopaths is a surprising, absorbing, and perceptive book. Kevin Dutton has amassed a great deal of knowledge about these charming, cold, fearless, emotionally indifferent people, who are so attractive in some ways and so appalling in others, and set it out in a briskly readable prose studded with gripping anecdotes. I found it altogether fascinating.” —Philip Pullman, author of the bestselling His Dark Materials trilogy
Featured Article: The Best Audiobooks About Psychopaths
There's no denying the allure of psychopaths. There's something disturbing but fascinating about people so ruthless and manipulative, who lack the ability to feel guilt or remorse over their actions. Stories of psychopaths abound in just about every mystery subgenre, from action-packed thrillers to nuanced psychological character studies, and also stand out in works of psychology and neuroscience. Listen to some of the most riveting books about psychopaths.
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Without Conscience
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- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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Story
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....
-
-
When I gave up on books that supposedly would...
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The Psychopath Test
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- Narrated by: Jon Ronson
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- Unabridged
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Overall
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Performance
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The Psychopath Test is a fascinating journey through the minds of madness. Jon Ronson's exploration of a potential hoax being played on the world's top neurologists takes him, unexpectedly, into the heart of the madness industry. An influential psychologist who is convinced that many important CEOs and politicians are, in fact, psychopaths teaches Ronson how to spot these high-flying individuals by looking out for little telltale verbal and nonverbal clues. And so Ronson, armed with his new psychopath-spotting abilities, enters the corridors of power.
-
-
Painfully out of dated
- By Heather Wagner on 06-24-23
By: Jon Ronson
-
The Psychopath Whisperer
- The Science of Those Without Conscience
- By: Kent A. Kiehl
- Narrated by: Kevin Pariseau
- Length: 11 hrs and 3 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
We know of psychopaths from chilling headlines and stories in the news and movies - from Ted Bundy and John Wayne Gacy to Hannibal Lecter and Dexter Morgan. As Dr. Kent Kiehl shows, psychopaths can be identified by a checklist of symptoms that includes pathological lying; lack of empathy, guilt, and remorse; grandiose sense of self-worth; manipulation; and failure to accept one’s actions. But why do psychopaths behave the way they do? Is it the result of their environment - how they were raised - or is there a genetic component to their lack of conscience?
-
-
An autobiography with splatter of neuropsychology.
- By DORIS H. on 08-16-14
By: Kent A. Kiehl
-
Confessions of a Sociopath
- A Life Spent Hiding in Plain Sight
- By: M. E. Thomas
- Narrated by: Bernadette Sullivan
- Length: 10 hrs and 9 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As M. E. Thomas says of her fellow sociopaths, we are your neighbors, co-workers, and quite possibly the people closest to you: lovers, family, friends. Our risk-seeking behavior and general fearlessness are thrilling, our glibness and charm alluring. Our often quick wit and outside-the-box thinking make us appear intelligent - even brilliant. We climb the corporate ladder faster than the rest, and appear to have limitless self-confidence.... Who are we? We are highly successful, non-criminal sociopaths and we comprise 4% of the American population (that's 1 in 25 people!).
-
-
Not a sociopath!
- By Liesel Fischer on 09-25-15
By: M. E. Thomas
-
The Good Psychopath's Guide to Success
- By: Andy McNab, Kevin Dutton
- Narrated by: Andy McNab, Kevin Dutton
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Overall
-
Performance
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Story
The memoir of a neuroscientist whose research led him to a bizarre personal discovery, James Fallon had spent an entire career studying how our brains affect our behavior when his research suddenly turned personal. While studying brain scans of several family members, he discovered that one perfectly matched a pattern he’d found in the brains of serial killers. This meant one of two things: Either his family’s scans had been mixed up with those of felons or someone in his family was a psychopath.
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Entertaining story with some quick neuroscience
- By smarmer on 09-21-14
By: James Fallon
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Without Conscience
- The Disturbing World of the Psychopaths Among Us
- By: Robert D. Hare
- Narrated by: Paul Boehmer
- Length: 8 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
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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....
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When I gave up on books that supposedly would...
- By Douglas on 03-01-12
By: Robert D. Hare
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The Psychopath Test
- A Journey Through the Madness Industry
- By: Jon Ronson
- Narrated by: Jon Ronson
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged
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The Psychopath Test is a fascinating journey through the minds of madness. Jon Ronson's exploration of a potential hoax being played on the world's top neurologists takes him, unexpectedly, into the heart of the madness industry. An influential psychologist who is convinced that many important CEOs and politicians are, in fact, psychopaths teaches Ronson how to spot these high-flying individuals by looking out for little telltale verbal and nonverbal clues. And so Ronson, armed with his new psychopath-spotting abilities, enters the corridors of power.
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Painfully out of dated
- By Heather Wagner on 06-24-23
By: Jon Ronson
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Read People like a Book: How to Analyze, Understand, and Predict People’s Emotions, Thoughts, Intentions, and Behaviors
- How to Be More Likable and Charismatic, Book 9
- By: Patrick King
- Narrated by: Russell Newton
- Length: 4 hrs and 40 mins
- Unabridged
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Read People like a Book isn’t a normal book on body language or facial expressions. Yes, it includes all of those things, as well as new techniques on how to truly detect lies in your everyday life, but this book is more about understanding human psychology and nature. We are who we are because of our experiences and pasts, and this guides our habits and behaviors more than anything else. Parts of this book are like the most interesting and applicable psychology textbook you’ve ever used. Take a look inside yourself and others!
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Boring and Obvious
- By Frenchie Mom on 03-15-22
By: Patrick King
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The Lucifer Effect
- Understanding How Good People Turn Evil
- By: Philip Zimbardo
- Narrated by: Kevin Foley
- Length: 26 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
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What makes good people do bad things? How can moral people be seduced to act immorally? Where is the line separating good from evil, and who is in danger of crossing it? Social psychologist Philip Zimbardo has the answers. He explains how - and the myriad reasons why - we are all susceptible to the lure of "the dark side". Drawing on examples from history as well as his own trailblazing research, Zimbardo details how situational forces and group dynamics can make monsters out of decent men and women.
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Zimbardo Comes Clean...
- By Douglas on 11-21-11
By: Philip Zimbardo
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The Science of Evil
- On Empathy and the Origins of Cruelty
- By: Simon Baron-Cohen
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 4 hrs and 57 mins
- Unabridged
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Borderline personality disorder, autism, narcissism, psychosis, Asperger's: All of these syndromes have one thing in common---lack of empathy. In some cases, this absence can be dangerous, but in others it can simply mean a different way of seeing the world. In The Science of Evil, Simon Baron-Cohen, an award-winning British researcher who has investigated psychology and autism for decades, develops a new brain-based theory of human cruelty.
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What causes evil?
- By Cynthia on 03-10-13
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The Chimp Paradox
- The Mind Management Program to Help You Achieve Success, Confidence, and Happiness
- By: Dr. Steve Peters
- Narrated by: Tim Andres Pabon
- Length: 9 hrs and 53 mins
- Unabridged
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Dr. Steve Peters explains that we all have a being within our minds that can wreak havoc on every aspect of our lives. He calls this being "the chimp," and it can work either for you or against you. The Chimp Paradox contains an incredibly powerful mind management model that can help you be happier and healthier, increase your confidence, and become a more successful person. This audiobook will help you to recognize how your mind is working, understand and manage your emotions and thoughts, and become the person you would like to be.
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The best way to describe this book is it's an Owners Manual for People.
- By Michael on 08-14-15
By: Dr. Steve Peters
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The Sociopath Next Door
- By: Martha Stout
- Narrated by: Shelly Frasier
- Length: 7 hrs and 26 mins
- Unabridged
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We are accustomed to think of sociopaths as violent criminals, but in The Sociopath Next Door, Harvard psychologist Martha Stout reveals that a shocking 4 percent of ordinary people, one in 25, has an often undetected mental disorder, the chief symptom of which is that that person possesses no conscience. He or she has no ability whatsoever to feel shame, guilt, or remorse. One in 25 everyday Americans, therefore, is secretly a sociopath.
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Enlightening
- By Robert on 08-28-11
By: Martha Stout
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The Anatomy of Violence
- The Biological Roots of Crime
- By: Adrian Raine
- Narrated by: Jonathan Cowley
- Length: 16 hrs and 23 mins
- Unabridged
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A leading criminologist who specializes in the neuroscience behind criminal behavior, Adrian Raine introduces a wide range of new scientific research into the origins and nature of violence and criminal behavior. He explains how impairments to areas of the brain that control our ability to experience fear, make decisions, and feel empathy can make us more likely to engage in criminal behavior. He applies this new understanding of the criminal mind to some of the most well-known criminals in history. And he clearly delineates the pressing considerations this research demands.
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Interesting Book the Roots of Abnormal Behavior
- By Sires on 05-28-13
By: Adrian Raine
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The Mask of Sanity
- An Attempt to Clarify Some Issues About the So-Called Psychopathic Personality
- By: Hervey Cleckley
- Narrated by: Scott R. Pollak
- Length: 21 hrs and 21 mins
- Unabridged
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Although highly controversial, Hervey Cleckley's Mask of Sanity provides one of the most influential clinical descriptions of psychopathy in the 20th century. At the crux of his argument, Cleckley claims that many psychopathic personalities go undiagnosed because they maintain a social mask that conceals their mental disorder and enables them to blend in with society. Furthermore, many of these affected individuals appear to function normally in accordance with standard psychiatric criteria.
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Amazing!
- By john s. cassell on 03-05-21
By: Hervey Cleckley
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Inside the Criminal Mind (Newly Revised Edition)
- By: Stanton Samenow
- Narrated by: Mark Bramhall
- Length: 14 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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A brilliant, no-nonsense profile of the criminal mind, newly updated in 2022 to include the latest research, effective methods for dealing with hardened criminals, and an urgent call to rethink criminal justice from expert witness Stanton E. Samenow, Ph.D.
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Dr. Samenow explains the persistent criminal mind
- By Carrie Espinoza Villanueva on 10-10-17
By: Stanton Samenow
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Decoding Madness
- A Forensic Psychologist Explores the Criminal Mind
- By: Richard Lettieri
- Narrated by: David Mack
- Length: 11 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
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Dealing with some of the most heinous crimes imaginable, forensic neuropsychologist and psychoanalyst Dr. Richard Lettieri gives a behind-the-scenes look at criminal psychology through case studies from his over 30 years of experience as a court-appointed and privately retained psychologist.
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well presented
- By Sherise on 06-19-24
By: Richard Lettieri
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Dangerous Personalities
- An FBI Profiler Shows You How to Identify and Protect Yourself from Harmful People
- By: Joe Navarro, Toni Sciarra Poynter
- Narrated by: Stephen Hoye
- Length: 7 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
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In Dangerous Personalities, former FBI profiler Joe Navarro shows listeners how to identify the four most common "dangerous personalities", and analyze how much of a threat each one can be: the Narcissist, the Predator, the Paranoid, and the Unstable Personality. Along the way, listeners learn how to protect themselves both immediately and long-term - as well as how to recover from the trauma of being close to such a destructive force.
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A Bad Conscience
- By Mel on 10-29-14
By: Joe Navarro, and others
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Black-and-White Thinking
- The Burden of a Binary Brain in a Complex World
- By: Kevin Dutton
- Narrated by: Theo Solomon
- Length: 12 hrs
- Unabridged
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A groundbreaking and timely audiobook about how evolutionary biology can explain our black-and-white brains, and a lesson in how we can escape the pitfalls of binary thinking.
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Bad
- By Brandon Cashen on 08-24-23
By: Kevin Dutton
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A Killer by Design
- Murderers, Mindhunters, and My Quest to Decipher the Criminal Mind
- By: Ann Wolbert Burgess, Steven Matthew Constantine
- Narrated by: Gabra Zackman
- Length: 9 hrs and 2 mins
- Unabridged
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Lurking beneath the progressive activism and sex positivity in the 1970 to '80s, a dark undercurrent of violence rippled across the American landscape. With reported cases of sexual assault and homicide on the rise, the FBI created a specialized team - the “Mindhunters”, better known as the Behavioral Science Unit - to track down the country's most dangerous criminals. And yet narrowing down a seemingly infinite list of potential suspects seemed daunting at best and impossible at worst - until Dr. Ann Wolbert Burgess stepped on the scene.
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Best insider info of killers thought process
- By Rachael R Brown on 12-27-21
By: Ann Wolbert Burgess, and others
What listeners say about The Wisdom of Psychopaths
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- M. Hussey
- 02-26-22
Am I a Psychopath? Are You?
As I listened to this book, I couldn’t help but think about students, family members, colleagues, and friends (as well as myself) as being on the psychopath spectrum. This is a fascinating and terrifying book!
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- Clay
- 02-13-22
In-Depth and Brilliantly Written
This book is to the point and insightful. It touches on many professions, from criminals to cops… and everyone between.
The psychotic dedication it takes to become a surgeon or a serial killer makes for a captivating read.
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- Edward
- 10-12-16
One of the best books I've listened to in a while
Where does The Wisdom of Psychopaths rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
Super entertaining. Tons of interesting lessons. Inspiring (re: Tibetan monks). ABSOLUTELY FASCINATING. Highly recommended for anybody who likes business, wants to grow, or likes interesting facts and stories.
Which scene was your favorite?
Everything
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- J. C.
- 12-05-13
Shocking!
This was an excellent book, held my interest, revealed shocking things! The author takes you inside a mental institution, way to the very far reaches and he talks with psychopaths. He takes you inside elite military training. He talks with scientists who study psychopaths. This is all just so amazing and revealing. I never could have imagined that the traits of psychopaths could be positive such as "live in the moment" and not caring what others think. I read several books lately that changed my world view and this is one of them. Another one is The Righteous Mind by Jonathan Haidt. The narration is excellent. Thanks to the author Kevin Dutton for getting these ideas out there, and to all the scientists who did the studies, and even to the psychopaths in this book! Some of it reads like science fiction yet it is true. It is just mind blowing.
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- steve
- 07-22-20
Excellent book
Got very deep into the science of psychopathy which was instructional. I enjoyed his trip to Broadmoor the most though
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- dennis katsefes
- 01-29-21
Magical and Insight ful!
A must read especially after the attack DC. What we thought a psycopath is may surprise you. The old cliche, beware of the normal looking and acting individual.
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- Marc Lowe
- 01-06-21
This book could have been one chapter
The subject matter is fascinating, but the 'new' information on psychopaths could have been summarized in a much shorter format.
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- Seamus
- 06-20-19
Nice overview
Interesting read but occasionally seems to conflate Stoic/Buddhist philosophy — along with common street hustling — for true psychopathy. Little time is given to discuss environmental and social factors that influence “psychopathic” actions that many people might display, without actually being true psychopaths. Some time spent on elite military members being psychopaths without discussing their training or the dehumanization of their enemies, which may equally explain some of their behaviors and beliefs.
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- Serdar
- 08-27-19
Great book with extraordinary information!
Lovely performance by the narrator. Not a single dull or boring moment throughout the book. A lot of science backed information, experiments along with the author's explanations. Truly amazing to understand how psychopaths think, behave and comprehend life. I definitely recommend this book to anyone who is into behaviour science.
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- Francisco Carlos De Villa Soto
- 12-19-19
Una nueva perspectiva sobre los psicópatas
Este libro no es lo que esperaba con respecto a la descripción de un psicópata, en realidad vino a derrumbar preconceptos y lo que sabía de ellos.
Es más, creo que varios puntos del libro son muy benéficos para el día a día. El único problema es que el libro no los dice explícitamente, hay que deducirlos
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