Surrounded by Psychopaths cover art

Surrounded by Psychopaths

Or, How to Stop Being Exploited by Others

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Surrounded by Psychopaths

By: Thomas Erikson
Narrated by: David John
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About this listen

Brought to you by Penguin.

The funny and practical guide on how to handle life’s manipulators and avoid being exploited by them, from the Sunday Times bestselling author of Surrounded by Idiots.

Some people are exceptionally manipulative. They can convince anyone about anything and lure them with their charm. They enjoy controlling others and will do anything to get what they want.

The bad news is that you can’t really escape them. But here comes the good news: you can beat them at their own game.

In his inspiring – and, at times, funny – guide, bestselling behavioural expert Thomas Erikson explains how manipulative people exploit our weaknesses and personality traits - and how to protect yourself. Using his famous four-colour model, Erikson shows you how to:

Identify the signs of manipulation early


  • Set healthy boundaries and stand your ground

  • Stay calm and confident in toxic situations

  • Reclaim your emotional energy and peace of mind

    Insightful, entertaining and empowering, Surrounded by Psychopaths will give you everything you need to handle life’s most skilled manipulators, identify the psychopaths in your life, and free yourself from their control.


    'Outstanding . . . Erikson impresses with his trademark facility for making research-based discussions accessible and entertaining' Publishers Weekly

    ‘A good resource for understanding how different personalities communicate and deal with feedback…Everyone should read [it] Business Insider

    Equal parts logical, emotionally astute, and gut-wrenchingly funny…Buy it!' Jim McPartlin, author of The Enneagram at Work

    Everyone can benefit from this bookBooklist

    © Thomas Erikson 2020 (P) Penguin Audio 2020

    ©2020 Thomas Erikson (P)2020 Penguin Audio
    Education Personal Development Personal Success Psychology Psychology & Mental Health Witty Inspiring Mental Health
    All stars
    Most relevant
    this book is very helpful and i am grateful for being able to listen to it

    its very helpful

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    Absolutely riveting. After meeting the psychopaths that have crossed through my life I have learned many things. This book has given me ALL the answers. This book is a life changing read and makes your life easy from now on. You simply do not entertain another one. You run. Thank you to the author as the words are incredibly valuable. I’m about to read Surrounded by idiots now. Yeahaaa.

    A must read for everyone

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    A must read for anyone struggling to understand some human behaviours. I must admit I bought it as some fun light reading material but I was so intrigued and a little freaked out that I read it again a second time to be able to absorb it some more. I highly recommend as a very thought provoking book. Very well narrated. Thank you to the author. I Will be looking for other books in his series.

    A very interesting/scary read about human behaviours

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    A great outlook and way of understanding the bigger picture of personality types including how to avoid being abused by them and recognising behaviours.

    Interesting

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    One of the few books I've read that simplifies response to these types - just get away from them.

    insightful

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    It was hard to keep focus on the narrator. I had to repeat some sections over and over to hear the section properly.

    They need to change the narrator

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    this is a perfect book describing my ex and everything I went through, trying to explain over and over and respect his side and even describes the breakup at the end of chapter 16. I wish I knew all these earlier

    A book about mg ex

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    I found this book tedious with too much reliance on a coloured disc personality tool that mainly relates to working styles. This book relates these working styles somewhat to social settings. Psychopathic tendencies are woven in to the different personality styles as the victim or perpetrator. Each chapter begins with a random quote without explaining anything about the person who made the quote. I think that one quote was from a fantasy writer!
    There is no mention of the DSM-5 which clinicians refer to for making a diagnosis which I find surprising (at least by the time I stopped listening). The DSM-5 came out in 2013 where Psychopathy is described as Anti-social personality disorder. This book makes mention of Borderline Personality Disorder but I heard nothing about Narcissistic Personality Disorder. I may be wrong, but I got the distinct impression that the writer is not a qualified psychologist. I much prefer reading examples of behaviours observed first hand by trained professionals . If you’re intent in understanding psychopathic behaviour, take a look at the DSM-5, and read books dedicated to the different personality disorders. For a more light hearted look at psychopaths, I found Jon Ronson’s book ‘The Psychopath Test’ very interesting and more informative.

    More like pop psychology

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    Found I just couldn’t get into it. Reader was monotonous. This one not for me.

    Not for me

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