Entitled The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry, the book was written by a Welsh journalist, Jon Ronson. It was published by Riverhead Books on May 12, 2011 and is comprised of 316 pages. Ronson was born on May 10, 1967 and is notable for his other works including best-selling The Men Who Stare at Goats, So You’ve Been Publicly Shamed, and Them: Adventures with Extremists. In The Psychopath Test: A Journey Through the Madness Industry, Ronson goes through a series of encounters in the field of Psychopathy and Psychology and evaluates behaviors in different industries. The story takes place in a coffee shop in Bloomsbury, an area of Central London, and involves a variety of characters partaking a role in the realm of psychology.
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As we have learned, the amygdala is an essential portion of the brain that allows us to express the emotions of anger and fear. Much of the patients involved lacked empathy and showed no emotion. In the instance they were presented an image of someone brutally beaten, they were intrigued as opposed to disgusted or remorseful. This damage of their amygdalae affects the central nervous system and consequently does not help in feeling. In analysis of the behavior of psychopaths, we may note that they are often self-absorbed and do not care about their victims’ feelings. Instead, they draw pleasure and curiosity from the pain of others (i.e. the man mentioned who killed just to know how it felt. Later on, he killed again after being released because it had been years since he had done so; he wanted to relive the moment.) Psychopaths also think highly of themselves but low of others. Some may be victims of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or may not have experienced the care they should have as children. This leaves a gap for that experience and they do not know anything regarding it. For example, in Chapter 7 of our psychology textbook, we might note pseudo-forgetting was a result of this particular course of action. They never learned something, so they cannot recall or learn it. Psychologists study a great amount of behavior in individuals. They …show more content…
I presumed it would involve one main suspect who had been a psychopath. As I went on in my reading, I was able to grasp something else. Jon Ronson uses a variety of fictional patients to defend his idea that psychiatrists may be misdiagnosing certain individuals and that traits of psychopathy are inherent in just about every person out there. It is just not as apparent. Ronson uses Tony to show that he was, in fact, a sane man who simply possessed qualities that may have linked to the behavior of a psychopath. Again, it was the false judgement of a psychiatrist that led to this conclusion. Ronson branches out and exposes himself to the different behaviors and type of psychopaths out in the world. In conclusion, Ronson poses questions concerning psychiatry’s falsities and investigates the realm of
As we have learned, the amygdala is an essential portion of the brain that allows us to express the emotions of anger and fear. Much of the patients involved lacked empathy and showed no emotion. In the instance they were presented an image of someone brutally beaten, they were intrigued as opposed to disgusted or remorseful. This damage of their amygdalae affects the central nervous system and consequently does not help in feeling. In analysis of the behavior of psychopaths, we may note that they are often self-absorbed and do not care about their victims’ feelings. Instead, they draw pleasure and curiosity from the pain of others (i.e. the man mentioned who killed just to know how it felt. Later on, he killed again after being released because it had been years since he had done so; he wanted to relive the moment.) Psychopaths also think highly of themselves but low of others. Some may be victims of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or may not have experienced the care they should have as children. This leaves a gap for that experience and they do not know anything regarding it. For example, in Chapter 7 of our psychology textbook, we might note pseudo-forgetting was a result of this particular course of action. They never learned something, so they cannot recall or learn it. Psychologists study a great amount of behavior in individuals. They …show more content…
I presumed it would involve one main suspect who had been a psychopath. As I went on in my reading, I was able to grasp something else. Jon Ronson uses a variety of fictional patients to defend his idea that psychiatrists may be misdiagnosing certain individuals and that traits of psychopathy are inherent in just about every person out there. It is just not as apparent. Ronson uses Tony to show that he was, in fact, a sane man who simply possessed qualities that may have linked to the behavior of a psychopath. Again, it was the false judgement of a psychiatrist that led to this conclusion. Ronson branches out and exposes himself to the different behaviors and type of psychopaths out in the world. In conclusion, Ronson poses questions concerning psychiatry’s falsities and investigates the realm of