Quotes from Martha Stout

Understanding sociopathy can teach us that, at those times when we focus only on ourselves and our group and ignore our intrinsic ties to others—when we turn a blind eye to the importance of everyone's well-being—even those of us who do have conscience begin to lose our way, and the shadow of evil looms closer. Goodness lies in sensing our bonds with others; evil happens when, for whatever reasons, those feelings are numbed.

Pity … should be reserved for innocent people who are in genuine pain or who have fallen on misfortune. If you find yourself often pitying someone who consistently hurts you or other people, and who actively campaigns for your sympathy, the chances are close to 100 percent that you are dealing with a sociopath.

How does one kill fear, I wonder? How do you shoot a spectre through the heart, slash off its spectral head, take it by the spectral throat? —Joseph Conrad         We

Seeing the pattern, understanding the true nature of sociopathy, and, most crucially, possessing effective methods to thwart the sociopath's agenda will allow you to identify sociopathy confidently and respond with wise and powerful action when life absolutely requires you to take a stand.

The person who suffers from a severe trauma disorder must decide between surviving in a barely sublethal misery of numbness and frustration, and taking a chance that may well bring her a better life, but that feels like stupidly issuing an open invitation to the unspeakable horror that waits to consume her alive. And in the manner of the true hero, she must choose to take the risk. For

There is simply no known way to create a conscience in an individual who does not have one.

Minds differ still more than faces.

we know that repeated practice changes the brain

Surprisingly, even twenty-first-century society relies rather heavily on the honor system, and when we encounter an individual who simply is not bound by honor, conscience, or connection, we may find ourselves in big trouble.

With our thoughts, we make the world. —Buddha

cares nothing for others

strong characters are often specially targeted by sociopaths.

sociopathic opponent is utterly stuck in his conviction that winning by dominating is all-important. He is helpless to change his objective. If you are able to change yours, you will have a powerful advantage.

you are rewarding and encouraging him each and every time you allow him to see your anger, your confusion, or your hurt.

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. —Thomas Jefferson

Serene silence about your intentions can be incredibly powerful when you are speaking with someone who is trying to control you.

in many situations where the narcissist would be clueless, unresponsive, and perhaps annoyed, the sociopath will be responsive, often charmingly so, creating a better disguise than the narcissist has.

A substantial proportion of people will do what they are told to do, irrespective of the content of the act and without limitations of conscience, so long as they perceive that the command comes from a legitimate authority." Milgram believed that authority could put conscience to sleep because the obedient person makes an "adjustment of thought," which is to see himself as not responsible for his own actions.

Ordinary people may simply be acting appropriately in their organizational role, just doing what is expected of them while participating in what a critical observer (usually well after the fact) would call evil. Under conditions of what we term moral inversion, ordinary people can engage in acts of administrative evil while believing that what they are doing is not only procedurally correct but, in fact, good.

The sociopath sees all laws and expectations as games to be played.

Albert Einstein once said, "The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it.

Once a child is born with this limiting neurological glitch, what are the environmental factors that determine whether or not he will go on to display the full-fledged symptoms of sociopathy? And at present, we simply do not know.

I would like to suggest that the overriding belief systems of certain cultures encourage born sociopaths to compensate cognitively for what they are missing emotionally. In contrast with our extreme emphasis on individualism and personal control, certain cultures, many in East Asia, dwell theologically on the interrelatedness of all living things. Interestingly, this value is also the basis of conscience, which is an intervening sense of obligation rooted in a sense of connectedness.

To defeat a sociopath, you must understand the nature of "human predators.