The Sociopath's Playbook

Book excerpt: Sociopaths-who are they? What do they want? How long have we known about them? How many are out there? And what can you do when around them? Welcome to The Sociopath's Playbook. Delve deep into the mind-sets of abusive individuals and immerse in strategies to counter them. Designed around the latest diagnostic manuals from the World Health Organization and the American Psychiatric Association, The Sociopath's Playbook weaves together the most up-to-date clinical analyses available to provide a detailed look into the mind of a sociopath. Feeling lied to, cheated, or stolen from? Look no further. The Sociopath's Playbook provides fifty action plans for a variety of real-life situations to address abusers in their tracks. Conlon tackles the bullying, intimidation, callousness, and manipulation, offering genuinely inspirational and uplifting messages-all while refusing to blame others for how they might have been born. "Part of antisocial personality disorder deals with an individual's potential incapacity. In other words, when others have made you to feel as if you have no value, now you know, others simply lacked the ability to value you and your abilities. Let your self-esteem soak that in. Hang in there-life can get better." All this and more-fresh perspectives on pressing questions like do people choose what they feel? What does the word antisocial really mean? Do experts agree that sociopaths and psychopaths are the same? Does every human being experience empathy similarly? Can sociopaths change? At what age should they be diagnosed? Is sociopathy a learned or inherited condition? Are women or men more likely to be sociopaths? Are sociopaths truly smarter than others? Are they truly fearless? What strategies help potential victims in identifying them? And what courses of action can victims take to empower themselves?