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183 reviews for:
The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain
James Fallon
3.26 AVERAGE
183 reviews for:
The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain
James Fallon
3.26 AVERAGE
This book was written by a doctor that was clearly very experienced in his profession regarding the studies of the brain. The author is very personable, and relatable as he shares experiences from this childhood that pertain to the studies the book is based upon. Unfortunately, the complexity of the medical terminology used, and the amount of medical terminology used was too difficult to follow for someone who has not had medical training.
I liked it and found it fascinating. I think his narcissism just highlights the points of his test findings. This also makes me wonder about my own brain and what these tests would look like if I were the subject.
James Fallon is a neuroscientist, a professor of psychiatry at the School of Medicine at University of California, Irvine. He is an active researcher in brain structure. He discovered telltale attributes of brain scans (PET, fMRI) that indicate that a person is a psychopath.
So, it was with shock and some degree of disbelief, when he found that his own brain scan showed that he, himself is a psychopath! And then, additional evidence came in that he is a psychopath. First, a relative did a genealogy of his father's ancestors. It showed that seven of his ancestors were murderers! They had murdered their close relatives, never outsiders. The famous case of Lizzie Borden is among his ancestors!
And then, James Fallon asked his friends and relatives to comment on his personality--the whole truth, no holds barred. And he got the truth; Fallon is a fun guy to be around, but totally untrustworthy. As an example, he took his own brother on a trip to a particular cave in Kenya, where he new that Marburg disease (related to Ebola!) is actively infectious. When his brother learned that Fallon knowingly took him to this dangerous place, he realized just how untrustwothy he is. Fallon does not want to harm anybody; he is not a violent man, he is married and has children, and never committed a violent act. But he has no empathy for other people. He can fake empathy, but does not really feel it in his gut.
But nevertheless, he is a distinguished scientist, and has made many contributions to neuroscience. This is a fascinating book; about two percent of the world's population are psychopaths. They are not all violent; they have learned to cope, and many probably do not even understand what "empathy" is all about. How can you know you lack a feeling, if you have never felt it yourself?
So, it was with shock and some degree of disbelief, when he found that his own brain scan showed that he, himself is a psychopath! And then, additional evidence came in that he is a psychopath. First, a relative did a genealogy of his father's ancestors. It showed that seven of his ancestors were murderers! They had murdered their close relatives, never outsiders. The famous case of Lizzie Borden is among his ancestors!
And then, James Fallon asked his friends and relatives to comment on his personality--the whole truth, no holds barred. And he got the truth; Fallon is a fun guy to be around, but totally untrustworthy. As an example, he took his own brother on a trip to a particular cave in Kenya, where he new that Marburg disease (related to Ebola!) is actively infectious. When his brother learned that Fallon knowingly took him to this dangerous place, he realized just how untrustwothy he is. Fallon does not want to harm anybody; he is not a violent man, he is married and has children, and never committed a violent act. But he has no empathy for other people. He can fake empathy, but does not really feel it in his gut.
But nevertheless, he is a distinguished scientist, and has made many contributions to neuroscience. This is a fascinating book; about two percent of the world's population are psychopaths. They are not all violent; they have learned to cope, and many probably do not even understand what "empathy" is all about. How can you know you lack a feeling, if you have never felt it yourself?
The science part is awesome! The memoir part reminded me too much of an ex that I could never tell if he was lying when he name-dropped (though, with editors being involved here, I'd assume there were no lies in this book- just really, the feeling of not being told everything) or spoke of himself.
Then again, both have NPD traits, so there is probably the connection.
I found myself skimming a lot of what was not scientific because I really did not like or connect to the author on the personal level needed for a memoir to be enjoyable.
2.5/rounded up to three.
Then again, both have NPD traits, so there is probably the connection.
I found myself skimming a lot of what was not scientific because I really did not like or connect to the author on the personal level needed for a memoir to be enjoyable.
2.5/rounded up to three.
I am DNFing this book. I got 12% in and I just can't. So far, all this book has been is the author telling us how amazing he is even though his brain is similar to a psychopath's. I've listened to 34 minutes and 30 of those minutes have just been him listing all of the wonderful things about himself. No thank you...
I just loved this book. At first it took me a while to make sense of and enjoy the scientific side of his discoveries, as this book is both a personal account (which is my favourite aspect) as well as a neurological breakdown of psychopathy and the brain.
Because of this, I can actually walk away from this book knowing more about the brain than I did before (which, to a neuroscientist, is probably not a great deal, but to me is A LOT!
A few reviews have mentioned his narcissistic elements in the writing. For me, this only proves his point further. He is a self-confessed pro-social psychopath after all, so expect some self-involved perceptions. I found these personal insights only highlighted my understanding of psychopathic traits further.
A throughly fascinating book, which I recommend!
Because of this, I can actually walk away from this book knowing more about the brain than I did before (which, to a neuroscientist, is probably not a great deal, but to me is A LOT!
A few reviews have mentioned his narcissistic elements in the writing. For me, this only proves his point further. He is a self-confessed pro-social psychopath after all, so expect some self-involved perceptions. I found these personal insights only highlighted my understanding of psychopathic traits further.
A throughly fascinating book, which I recommend!
Wow. At the very least, James Fallon has a serious personality disorder. The pages seem to be dripping with his narcissistic viewpoint on the world. From start to finish, Fallon seems to revel in his possible psychopathy and brags about the "strength" of the genetic markers that point toward his instability.
What I found most disturbing about this book was the way he talked about his family. Brushing aside legitimate concerns his family had brought up to him, dismissing the significant role his wife plays in his day-to-day life, and the flippant hints toward multiple affairs leave a bad taste in my mouth.
All in all, I was disappointed with this book, and frankly feel a bit dirty after finishing it. I do recommend this book to anyone wanting to delve into the mind of a narcissist - as long as they can stomach Fallon's huge ego.
What I found most disturbing about this book was the way he talked about his family. Brushing aside legitimate concerns his family had brought up to him, dismissing the significant role his wife plays in his day-to-day life, and the flippant hints toward multiple affairs leave a bad taste in my mouth.
All in all, I was disappointed with this book, and frankly feel a bit dirty after finishing it. I do recommend this book to anyone wanting to delve into the mind of a narcissist - as long as they can stomach Fallon's huge ego.
The notion that psychopaths could be walking among us is quite horrifying.
The way Fallon explains the genetics of it all makes sense.
The way Fallon explains the genetics of it all makes sense.
Interesting read- while studying brain scans for 2 different research projects, a neuroscientist discovers he has the brain scan pattern of a psychopath. The overview behind the science isn't too technical for the average reader. It started to drag a bit for me in the middle, as he got a bit bogged down in the personal stories, but it was a quick read overall.