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Taming Toxic People

The Science of Identifying and Dealing with Psychopaths at Work & at Home

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Taming Toxic People

By: David Gillespie
Narrated by: Sam Haft
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About this listen

Psychopaths are everywhere. They are your toxic boss, controlling boyfriend, lazy colleague, annoying mother-in-law and negligent friend - the person who gets away with bad behaviour time and time again. While often superficially charming, they are also rude, aggressive, manipulative, duplicitous and dishonest.

Five per cent of the population is psychopathic, which means they are missing the critical human ingredient of empathy. Because they are programmed to put themselves first, these people routinely disrupt and even destroy relationships and organisations, seemingly without consequence.

Drawing on the latest science, bestselling author David Gillespie offers a detailed and practical guide to identifying the psychopath in your midst, then managing the behaviour to minimise the effect on your family, workplace, friendship group or community organisation.

©2018 David Gillespie (P)2018 Macmillan Australia Audio
Mental Health Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Health

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All stars
Most relevant
Brilliant book, I learned so much, brilliantly written by David Gillespie and wonderfully narrated by Sam Haft !!!

Brilliant from beginning to end !!!

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You have to bear in mind this book is an amateurs view of psychopaths and not that of a psychologist. A better presentation would have been that the book is about toxic people, without labeling them all as psychopaths because not everyone who is toxic or lacks empathy, is a psychopath. The author seems to think they are, which is not correct. Lack of empathy is one of about 14 characteristics that form the psychopathic mind.

That aside it was an interesting book about toxic people but I didn't find the chapter on dealing with toxic family members informative enough, as I have a family member who lacks empathy and is toxic (but isn't a psychopath), and dealing with them is much more complex than the tips provided. Nevertheless I found the part about these people being unsocialized, with the temperament of toddlers and a developmental stage they haven't grown out of informative and relevant.

I'd also critize the authors suggestion that communal societies are worse places for psychopaths. He cites South America and Indonesia where I live but these societies have weak judicial systems which facilitate corruption on a grand scale, and thus the psychopath. But the authors observation that they thrive in the Corporate world in the West I'd agree with.

The next book I'll read about psychopaths I'll make sure is written by a psychologist as I found it disconcerting listening to facts about psychopaths made up by the author and used too generally to describe anyone who is simply toxic, unempathetic and difficult.

Interesting in places but not scientific

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I think this book will make the world a better place. Thank you David Gillespie.

Exceptional

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