“The man who knows how to split the atom but has no love in his heart becomes a monster.” – Krishnamutri
It is estimated that one to four percent of people are sociopaths and lack a conscience. Some estimates are as high as five percent. This means one to five people out of 100 are sociopaths. Most are men.
Are you now wondering who the monster was in your high school history class?
The Sociopath Next Door by Martha Stout is a chilling portrayal of the evil that exists and walks among us. Sociopaths are found everywhere. They could be your mailman, the clerk at the pharmacy, your child’s grade school coach (yikes), or your next-door neighbor who compliments you when you walk your dog. Most of these people do not have a warning label on their foreheads. They hide in plain sight, and they cause irrevocable damage and pain. Many can maintain a facade of normalcy and success.
When most people think of sociopaths, they think of Ted Bundy or Jeffrey Dahmer. While these people were indeed the epitome of a lack of conscience and are unmistakable violent perpetrators, they are only the most extreme of sociopaths. Most sociopaths are not as violent, but are insidious, and do their damage behind the scenes. Martha Stout explains this in The Sociopath Next Door.
Stout claims that the seventh sense is conscience, and sociopaths lack this sense. She explains the types of sociopaths in society, how they become who they are, how to spot them, and what we can do to remain safe from them. Using several stories as examples, she summarizes the differences between those who have a conscience and the sociopath who lacks one. She talks about how difficult it is for conscience-bound people to understand the motives of the sociopath. In Stout’s book, you will find the traits of the sociopath: impulsivity and lack of future planning; consistent irresponsibility; aggressiveness and irritability; manipulative tactics and deceitfulness; failure to conform to social norms; and, most importantly, lack of remorse. Martha Stout also gives thirteen rules of dealing with sociopaths in everyday life.
“Practice the rule of 3 with a new relationship. If they lie three times, you have a liar, and deceit is the linchpin of the sociopath.” – Martha Stout
The best part of this book, in my opinion, is what Martha Stout claims is the common thread among all sociopaths, which shocked me and made me question some of my prior relationships. I will not reveal that thread here. You will have to read the book!
I found The Sociopath Next Door intriguing, at times shocking, and easy to read. It DOES NOT present gory details about what the worst of sociopaths do or what Ed Kemper did. This book is a must-read for everyone, so you will know how to spot these conscienceless souls and remain safe. I highly recommend this book to any student of behavioral, clinical, developmental, forensic, and social psychology, sociology, or political science (many sociopaths rise to the top).
A bit about the author, Martha Stout, Ph.D.
Martha Stout is an American clinical psychologist in private practice. In addition to The Sociopath Next Door, she has written several books, including Outsmarting the Sociopath Next Door, which I have not read. Martha has served on the faculty in the Department of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School for twenty-five years. She lives in Cape Ann, Massachusetts.
To purchase a copy of The Sociopath Next Door, visit online book stores such as WorldofBooks. Martha Stout does not have a personal website.
© Copyright Vilma G. Reynoso 2025
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