The Psychopath Test by Jon Ronson (2011)

“I wondered if sometimes the difference between a psychopath in Broadmoor and a psychopath on Wall Street was the luck of being born into a stable, rich family.”

Jon Ronson is an investigative journalist who shot to fame when his first book 'The Men Who Stare at Goats' became not only a best-seller, but also a major Hollywood film starring George Clooney, Jeff Bridges, Ewan McGregor and Kevin Spacey. Quite the cast. Here he turns his microscope to what it means to be considered a psychopath, within both society and the mental health industry itself. 

The central thesis at the heart of this book is that of one Robert D. Hare. Hare is a revered criminal psychologist who, in his works dealing with anti-social personalities, became frustrated at the lack of clarity around what constitutes an actual psychopath and, as a result, came up with the Hare Psychopath Test. This test is a fairly simple list of 20 personality traits. All you have to do is list whether they are absent, likely present, or clearly present. The max score is 40 and, obviously, the higher your score the higher the likelihood that you have a personality disorder. If you are interested in taking the test itself, click this link. 

Ronson's research centers around whether A) this test is accurate and can be used as a whittling tool for society and B) what are the implications of such rigid definitions around a wide-ranging and endlessly complex subject. So he delves into meetings with people from varying walks of life, social stratas, and backgrounds to try and find some answers. In doing so he ends up hanging out with a smiling and friendly leader of a Haitian Death Squad, a corporate barbarian and a man stuck in Broadmoor because, after claiming to be criminally insane, he now can't convince anyone he's not a psychopath. 

What is keenly explored here is the idea of where personality ends and personality disorder begins. Can we ever really spot these people in advance? Do we even need to? After all, not all psychopaths are murderers (evidenced here with his encounters with Albert J. Dunlap, a corporate shark of the highest calibre who laughs off each trait listed on the test with comments along the lines of "that's just good business"). But, more importantly, is the world run by these types of people? Do you shoot up the societal ladder of a dog-eat-dog world by simply having a complete lack of empathy? Through various interviews and findings, Ronson comes up with the conclusion that, worryingly, yes, that might indeed be true. You are, it seems far more likely to find this type of personality defect in those higher up in the world, than the bottom. With US election night a mere 2 nights away from this time of writing, it's hard to argue against this theory (no matter which side you're on). 

“Suddenly, madness was everywhere, and I was determined to learn about the impact it had on the way society evolves. I've always believed society to be a fundamentally rational thing, but what if it isn't? What if it is built on insanity?”

The other side of psychopath hunting is also explored via the case of Rachel Nickell. If you're unfamiliar, she was stabbed a staggering 49 times on Wimbledon Common in front of her 2 year old son. One of the worse crimes England had ever known at the time, the police were under tremendous pressure to solve it and solve it quick. They brought in Paul Britton, a criminal profiler in the vein of Mindhunter (Britton was actually the inspiration for Robbie Coltrane's character in the series 'Cracker'). Britton quickly zoned in on local oddball Colin Stagg and declared the chances that it wasn't Mr. Stagg as "in the millions to one". Turns out he was wrong and Stagg was exonerated of all charges, despite spending 13 months in prison, the real killer being allowed to remain free and murder at least 2 more people while the police focused their attention elsewhere. 

And therein lies the problem with categorizing these things in the first place. It seems humans are just too complex to pigeonhole into too small of a box. But cast the net wide enough and you just end up generalizing so that everyone fits the bill. Tis a conundrum of a pickle and Ronson's journey into the abyss is a thoroughly entertaining and thought-provoking one. What makes his works such great reads is that, while this subject matter is some pretty heavy stuff, his everyman-trying-to-make-sense-of-the-madness-of-the-world style is a pleasure to read. Nothing comes across as judgmental, or with an angle. He reports everything with a blank canvas approach and a genuine interest. He is just a bloke, trying to find answers to subjects that interest him. As a result, his interview subjects are met on their terms and with no hidden agenda. He just wants to get to the truth of them, no matter who it is. 

Ronson manages to navigate this subject with a lightness of touch that elevates the subject for us amateur sleuths. His natural state is somewhere between fear, confusion and amusement but never wavers from genuine regard. He's been unfairly accused of treating such matters too lightly but I'm personally not sure that is true. The tone is both respectful, insightful and, accessible. Not an easy trick to pull off. And while a lot of people may buy this book because they have a friend, or a family member, or an ex, who they always suspected of being nuts and are now looking for a definitive answer, that is missing the point. This book isn't about answers, it is about the questions and there are plenty to keep the conversation going, probably indefinitely. 

★★★★☆

JB