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179 reviews for:
The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain
James Fallon
3.26 AVERAGE
179 reviews for:
The Psychopath Inside: A Neuroscientist's Personal Journey into the Dark Side of the Brain
James Fallon
3.26 AVERAGE
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I didn't enjoy this book as much as I thought. I thought it was going to be about the mind of a psychopath, not the ramblings of some dude who is severely narcissistic and just blah. Honestly, I couldn't put it down, but that was only because I was waiting for the inner thoughts and experiences of a psychopath. But I didn't get that :(
It's not that difficult to see that this "book" is just a really long, drawn out, repetitive essay. Or a textbook. Whichever you prefer. Although Jim lacked something in his book, I did agree with a lot of the things he said about the difference between psychopath and sociopath and that there really isn't a difference at all.
Overall it wasn't the worst thing I've read.
It's not that difficult to see that this "book" is just a really long, drawn out, repetitive essay. Or a textbook. Whichever you prefer. Although Jim lacked something in his book, I did agree with a lot of the things he said about the difference between psychopath and sociopath and that there really isn't a difference at all.
Overall it wasn't the worst thing I've read.
A very entertaining look into the structure of the brain and the realization that the author may share some traits with "psychopaths." There are sections of the book that are a bit difficult because the author speeds through the anatomy of the brain, but this is balanced by his life story and many interesting anecdotes.
challenging
informative
tense
fast-paced
emotional
funny
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
Informative, interesting. Fallon has a bad habit of starting a chapter with interesting anecdote-style information, then killing his momentum with 5-10 pages of deep neuro stuff. I wish that aspect could have been delivered a little more smoothly.
What to say about this book? Fallon’s unapologetic genetic determinism was grating a bit - he seems like a late holdover from the 90s to early 2000s brain craze. Well, we’re a couple decades out and that didn’t quite pan. On the other hand, I found his three-legged stool theory prescient. Overall, I think his callous attitude to others and his disdain for women really did take away from how much I liked this book. I also think he sort of masked just how many people had issues with him or what those issues were until the end. It was a well-written book and I admire his honesty. I did learn plenty about psychopathy. I guess he self-describes as a blowhard, so it shouldn’t be too rude to say it here, but I think generally scientists should not be quite so cocksure about unproven hypotheses.
What to say about this book? Fallon’s unapologetic genetic determinism was grating a bit - he seems like a late holdover from the 90s to early 2000s brain craze. Well, we’re a couple decades out and that didn’t quite pan. On the other hand, I found his three-legged stool theory prescient. Overall, I think his callous attitude to others and his disdain for women really did take away from how much I liked this book. I also think he sort of masked just how many people had issues with him or what those issues were until the end. It was a well-written book and I admire his honesty. I did learn plenty about psychopathy. I guess he self-describes as a blowhard, so it shouldn’t be too rude to say it here, but I think generally scientists should not be quite so cocksure about unproven hypotheses.
slow-paced
*3.5/5 stars
this book is helping me realize that neuroscience and/or psychology might be things i wanna study in college, so that’s really helpful. i agree with all the comments about Fallon being narcissistic and annoying, and i thought that he left a lot about himself out until the end which i found quite confusing and annoying. good read though
this book is helping me realize that neuroscience and/or psychology might be things i wanna study in college, so that’s really helpful. i agree with all the comments about Fallon being narcissistic and annoying, and i thought that he left a lot about himself out until the end which i found quite confusing and annoying. good read though
informative
reflective
medium-paced