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The Psychopath Test
- Narrated by: Jon Ronson
- Length: 7 hrs and 33 mins
- Unabridged Audiobook
- Categories: Biographies & Memoirs, Professionals & Academics
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Editorial Reviews
Publisher's Summary
Shortlisted for: Popular Non-Fiction Book of the Year – Specsavers National Book Awards 2012
This is a story about madness. It all starts when journalist Jon Ronson is contacted by a leading neurologist. She and several colleagues have recently received a cryptically puzzling book in the mail, and Jon is challenged to solve the mystery behind it. As he searches for the answer, Jon soon finds himself, unexpectedly, on an utterly compelling and often unbelievable adventure into the world of madness.
Jon meets a Broadmoor inmate who swears he faked a mental disorder to get a lighter sentence but is now stuck there, with nobody believing he’s sane. He meets some of the people who catalogue mental illness, and those who vehemently oppose them. He meets the influential psychologist who developed the industry standard Psychopath Test and who is convinced that many important CEOs and politicians are in fact psychopaths.
Jon learns from him how to ferret out these high-flying psychopaths and, armed with his new psychopath-spotting abilities, heads into the corridors of power...Combining Jon’s trademark humour, charm and investigative incision, The Psychopath Test is a deeply honest book unearthing dangerous truths and asking serious questions about how we define normality in a world where we are increasingly judged by our maddest edges.
Critic Reviews
What listeners say about The Psychopath Test
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- C.J.R Flanagan
- 03-02-2014
Could easily have been condensed.
I found The Psychopath Test to be fairly entertaining and informative. I'd suggest to any potential reader that it would be well worth reading Dr Robert Hare's "Without Conscience" (also available on Audible) before or along with TPT. Ronson regularly references Dr hare's work regarding the study of Psychopathy.
The Psychopath test is filled with plenty of interesting stories which serve well to get the information across without presenting it in a dry or boring manner. I found it to be particularly informative in regards to the process used to identify the various forms of mental disorders over the last few decades, and the impact this has had on the medical and pharmaceutical industry. I believe most readers will find this aspect to be quite interesting.
I definitely found that the book inspired curiosity and raised many questions in areas which I had not expected to be considering when I started reading the book. This is a definite positive.
I did find Ronson's narration to be rather bland and slightly tiresome, and found my attention waning and wandering on a number of occasions throughout the book as a result. A number of times I also often found myself questioning where a story or recounting of events was headed, and what relevance it had to the overall topic. This often gave parts of the book a 'padded out' kind of feeling. I think TPT could have been condensed somewhat and that a few of the stories could have been culled in order to change the pace of the book for the better.
I enjoyed The Psychopath Test for the information it contained and the questions it raises within the reader on a number of topics. However I would not recommend a potential listener to do so while driving, especially on a long trip.
11 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 07-03-2017
Good, but perhaps slightly overstays its welcome?
Is there anything you would change about this book?
This is a decent book, and one of Ronsons most famous works. That said, for my moeny it is one of the less entertaining ones. The central focus of the work leads to less levity, less breadth of scope, and overall less fun than (for instance) Men Who Stare At Goats, his compendiums of random stories, or even the online shaming book (can't recall the title).
What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?
This is, much like Louis Theroux, ego-journalism. As such, the only character you walk away with any real sense of is Ronson, as he involves himself deeply in the story rather than standing back and trying to be transparent. This isnt a bad thing per se, he has a likeable style and persona.
What three words best describe Jon Ronson’s performance?
playful, neurotic, curious.
Did The Psychopath Test inspire you to do anything?
It inspired me to avoid ending up in a mental hospital, and certainly not to travel back to the past and be hospitalised (although this was never high on my bucket list, i must admit)
Any additional comments?
Ronson is a gifted writer and likeable journalist-nerd-author, and while this book is full of interesting observations on mentla health and humanity, i missed the sense of fun and breadth of subject matter contained in his other books. For my money, his more general collections of essays are the best listens purely for the variety and episodic nature (that lends itself better to listening over multiple sittings without losing track of complex narrative arcs).
3 people found this helpful
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- Bec Booton
- 10-11-2015
Amazing!
Any additional comments?
Can’t speak highly enough about this book. This was the first book by Jon Ronson that I listened to and still definitely my favourite. It’s non-fiction, but reads sort of as though it’s fiction. Amazing. 5 stars!
3 people found this helpful
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- Neal Byrne
- 15-08-2019
worth a listen
got pretty obsessed for first 3/4 of book but got a bit distracted towards the end.
2 people found this helpful
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- britt
- 27-06-2015
Facinating
Wow scarey interesting stuff! I was greatly disturbed and entertained by the contents of this text.
2 people found this helpful
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- Ben Jones
- 15-07-2014
Very interesting, but quite disturbing
What did you like most about The Psychopath Test?
Learning about the very dodgy history of psychiatry. Man.. Talk about the cure being worse than the disease.
What did you like best about this story?
Learning how to identify the crazy people to avoid!
What does Jon Ronson bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
He has a delivery that keeps you entertained even when the experiences mentioned are incredibly harrowing
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
Don't take your kids
Any additional comments?
Good book, not for the faint of heart.
2 people found this helpful
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- Amazon Customer
- 16-06-2016
absolute fascinating
loved every minute of this book. wonderful insight and extensive research. you cant help but wonder where you are on the checklist. well done Jon! also lovely narration......could not stop listening
1 person found this helpful
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- Sean
- 08-06-2016
Excellent as usual!
This is the second book of Jon Ronson's that I've listened to so far and both have been fantastic! He's a great writer- highly entertaining and very informative :)
1 person found this helpful
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- Renae
- 09-02-2016
Fantastic!
Loved it. Fascinating. Jon Ronson's voice is lovely, so easy to listen to. Time to catch up on his other work now!
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 28-02-2022
Wonderful Listening
I could listen to Jon Ronson all day. As it turns out I did, and still want more. He is perceptive , insightful, understated, honest and very funny.
Those interested in mental health will find this interesting but not all encompassing. It’s a very entertaining way to explore, somewhat, the fault lines in psychiatric assessment and the limits of such a simplistic measurement of madness. He acknowledges in the end that we are all a little psychotic from time to time. It was just missing the word ‘spectrum’.
I loved it with all its imperfections and wisdom.
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- Erin
- 15-02-2013
Couldn't stop listening!
Ronson has a very unique speaking style and I was absolutely transfixed by it! He has an ability to make serious, frightening and sometimes disturbing topics somehow hilarious. At times I was surprised to find myself so amused and entertained by a book about psychopathic behaviour. As some others have mentioned, this book is not a serious review of the "Madness Industry" but instead a collection of fascinating interviews and bizarre stories that the author discovers along his journey. The way Ronson describes himself as a bit quirky, introverted and anxiety-prone makes him seem like an unlikely interviewer for his many subjects, which I think makes his encounters with these individuals all the more entertaining! A really great listen. I plan to listen to more books written and/or narrated by Ronson!
3 people found this helpful
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- Peter
- 26-03-2013
i failed.. twas a relief
i do not envy poor Ronson for having to spend so much time with some of these people.. however i am glad that he endured.. to bring such a wonderful insight into the thoughts socio-elite.. they lurk around every corner.. hide in all the crevices.. or just stand there.. out in the open.. saying "hey,look at me".. but seriously.. fascinating stuff
2 people found this helpful
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- William G Kewley
- 06-08-2018
Well read and highly entertaining
This was one of the first audiobooks I've enjoyed and powered through it in no time at all. Very well read and highly entertaining. My only criticism would be that the work's structure lacks some of the usually impeccable of Ronson's other work, and can feel like it's jumping around a bit. Still, this is a minor criticism of an entertaining and illuminating read. Highly recommend.
1 person found this helpful
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- Jesse Sweed
- 23-11-2016
captivating
It had me engaged throughout the entire book. The mind is a fascinating thing to study and Jon Ronson has a style that's easy to listen to and constantly curious. I've learned a lot listening to this book and I'm going to study more.
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- Neil Taylor
- 06-11-2015
Fascinating and compelling
Jon Ronson is one of the most consistently interesting journalists working. While plenty of people have tried writing about madness, media and the mental health industry, many writers tend to play up the scary side for drama. But Ronson carefully avoids glamorisation, but still manages to deliver a compelling and enthralling story.
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- Anonymous User
- 28-11-2021
Hugely entertaining and very disturbing
I loved every minute of it. And especially to listen to it read by the author!
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- lguinily
- 11-09-2019
I think im surrounded by psychopaths now
This book is more like a collection of experiences the author went through as he was writing this book or as he says, investigating about how or what makes a person a psychopath. Though i must say, the stories about the places he went and the people he talked to were very interesting to listen to especially about the conspiracies of psychiatrists and pharmaceutical companies in creating new disorders just to get people to buy their miracle medicines. That said, i only gave 3 stars because while it was interesting to hear about Jon's wouldbe adventures, there were stories in between that just felt like fillers. I also had to play this in 1.25-1.50x speed because the narrator was too slow, but it is an interesting read nonetheless.
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- Creatrix
- 18-07-2019
had high hopes for the book
Got this book as a recommendation and was really looking forward to listening. I'm quite a bit disappointed. The writer skates on the surface too much, changes subject too often; at times it was a bit confusing and unclear what he was talking about. A lot of loose ends, so to say. Reads more like a sum of individual blog posts rather than a comprehensive book written by a journalist about a subject. Can say that I've read shorter and more in-depth articles, so quite disappointed with the book. The narrator was so slow and dull that I had to speed it up to be able to follow what he's saying. All in all, if you're not familiar with the subject it's an ok first read but if you already know more than the writer you'll be bored to tears.
1 person found this helpful
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- Anonymous User
- 02-07-2019
Brilliant
Simply brilliant. Sheds light and casts doubt on unexpected assumptions, not only about psychopaths, but also the medical and pharmaceutical industries, and normality. This should be prescribed reading for medical, psychology, and pharmacy students. Worth every minute.
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- ruben
- 21-06-2016
Excellent
. Typical Ronson humour and insight into the human condition. Ronson`s reading is great too
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- Graeme
- 30-08-2011
It is indeed utterly compelling.
The blurb for this book says it is "utterly compelling". Those were precisely the words I wanted to use to describe this book, so I've rather had the wind taken out of my sails.
I found this book especially interesting as I and family members have experienced mental illness. I was dumbfounded by the story of how the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental health problems was put together. However, that's by no means to say that personal mental misfortune is necessary to be fascinated by The Psychopath Test.
Ronson makes the process of journalism rather more transparent than other writers and his thoughts and feelings are often to the fore. His journeys to meet people are described and his thought processes are laid out as he interviews them. I find that interesting as someone who occasionally harbours journalistic pretensions, but I think anyone would enjoy getting some insight into how journalism is carried out.
If you're already a fan of Jon Ronson then I think you will be delighted by this. I would warn that it is a fair bit darker than his other books. You may guess that to be probable from the subject matter. There's fewer quips. But it is as interesting as his other work.
If you're new to Ronson I'd probably recommend "Them: Adventures With Extremists" though I don't know if that comes in an audio version. But if you're curious about this book in particular for any reason then please do make the leap and get downloading. You won't regret it.
In the book you are given a widely used checklist of traits that are thought to be part of a psychopaths make-up. One thing that you'll almost certainly find yourself doing is asking yourself: "do I know any psychopaths?" I am pleased to say I don't think I do. But with 1% of people thought to be psychopaths (rising to 3-4% as you reach the higher echelons of income and status) you may well find that you do.
20 people found this helpful
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- Rob
- 23-06-2011
Deft storytelling, good observations
I've long been a fan of Ronson's work. He's a rare breed of journalist these days - one who will spend years researching a topic - and this commitment shows. The Psychopath Test is about his investigations into what a psychopath is and how psychopaths have been perceived. Characteristically, the investigation leads Ronson to question his own behaviour as an investigator and the integrity of journalism in general. It's a thoughtful and humane book.
My only criticism is that Ronson repeats some points several times throughout the book. My suspicion is that this might have been more necessary in print than it is in audio. It's mildly annoying in an audiobook, but hardly a dealbreaker.
Ronson isn't an actor and this is evident from his reading. I think this adds to the charm of the book: its nice to hear him describe his own anxieties in his own slightly anxious voice. That's what the book's about, after all.
13 people found this helpful
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- Matias
- 01-09-2017
Must read
Loved it. Perfect. I wouldn't add anything else but apparently you need a minimum of twelve words to submit your review so I wrote twenty-five.
8 people found this helpful
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- Jeremy
- 08-04-2012
Quirky about Psychopaths (mostly)
Quirky is the best word I can find for this book. It opens with a mystery book, sent to various neurologists, by an anonymous sender, who Ronsen tracks down. After that, it's an enjoyable ride through psycho-land to meet Bob Hare, the leading world expert on the test for psychopathy - the Hare test, and then to meet and interview a series of gangsters, hatchet-CEOs, and other possible psychopaths to see if they fit the pattern.
However, Ronsen admits after a while that he starts seeing psychopaths everywhere... And it might be sending him a bit odd.
This is fun, with a serious message, and I liked Jon Ronsen as the self effacing narrator and author. The book contains many facts and references to other reading on this subject, while never getting boorish. I winced several times with embarrassment at his interview style, openly asking his subjects intimate details to gauge their psychopathy. The opening chapters are unusual, and have little to do with psychopathy, with references to the nerd classic "Esher, Goedel, Bach".
Overall however, i learned a lot about Psychopathy, DSM-4 and psychiatry, without seeming to. Best of all I liked Jon's self conscious admission that looking for psychopaths might just be creating non-human aliens in his own mind.
14 people found this helpful
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- jjl
- 01-10-2017
Insightful
Amazingly insightful glimpse into the world of the analysis of psychopathy. Having worked in a secure unit, I feel that John Ronson’s delicate but unromantic portrayal of the issue was excellently well positioned.
6 people found this helpful
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- Laura
- 13-06-2015
Interesting subject carries a disappointing listen
What did you like best about The Psychopath Test? What did you like least?
I thought his revelations were interesting and the science of psychology was a brilliant base for the book. However, for me the style of journalism was ramshackle, felt like a lot of padding and diluted my interest in the subject.
Would you ever listen to anything by Jon Ronson again?
Probably not, this was my first attempt and I finished it but feel like other journalists might be more my cup of tea.
How could the performance have been better?
A livelier tone.
Did The Psychopath Test inspire you to do anything?
It rekindled my long dead A Level interest in psychology.
5 people found this helpful
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- Gareth
- 29-06-2011
A joy for his radio 4 fans
A great listen and all the more so for Jon's own excitable voice reading the text. No fear here of the narrator ruining the book, it's an enhancement for sure. Anyone who is a fan of his BBC Radio 4 show will be familiar with his unique tone and here is no exception.
His journey through the book is interesting as always, as he gets to grips with the nature of pyscopathy. A joy! I did the test, I reckon I'm safe.
If only Men Who Stare At Goats was narrated by him.
5 people found this helpful
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- Elizabeth
- 25-09-2011
Very enjoyable
When I initially read the blurb for this book I thought it was a novel, as it sounds a lot like one of those books by Carlos Ruiz, with important books at the centre of a mystery, It's not a novel, although it contains plenty of material that would make a good one.
I looked forward to hearing about who he was going to talk to next, and whether they would turn out to be an actual psychopath. I would have liked to have heard more about psychopaths in industry, and whether David Icke might be onto something. It is a little bit superficial, but I wasn't looking for an academic text, I like audio books in particular with a bit of a lighter tone.
The book is about the author's encounters with people who might or might not be psychopaths, how he interacts with them, and how he feels about them. There is a a little bit of history and background, but most of the time he refrains from any exposition, relying on straightforward accounts of what happened when he met these people, and leaving you to draw your own conclusions.
There is, as another reviewer said, a certain amount of repetition. There is also an awful lot of "I said", "he said", which I think is the author's writing style, and didn't annoy me, but I did notice it. I thought it lost focus towards the end, and became more about madness in general that psychopaths in particular.
However, none of the negatives spoiled it for me, I enjoyed listening to the author read his own book, I wish more would.
If you are interested in this, look out for the Horizon program "Are you good or Evil", on BBC. It's not available at the moment, (Sept 2011), but I am sure it will be repeated.
I found the subject interesting, and the book was engagingly written and told, and I am coming to believe that the narrator can make or break an audio book.
10 people found this helpful
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- LadyHamilton
- 21-02-2018
Should have got someone else to read it...
His reading style is very monotonous and stunted but the book is fascinating and disturbing.
5 people found this helpful
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- basscadet
- 20-09-2017
Another brilliant listen from Jon Ronson.
I could listen to him talk all day. The subject matter is always interesting and he delivers it with charm, humour and warmth.
2 people found this helpful
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