Thinking About Psychopaths and Psychopathy

About the Book

This volume provides a clear and compelling introduction to a most significant topic. Compiled by members of a Harvard seminar, it directs attention to issues raised by the general public and by students of social science and criminal justice.

The frequently asked questions address:

• psychopaths and psychopathy, sociopathy, and antisocial personality disorder;
• psychological, biological, gender-related, and other theories of causation;
• psychological and other treatments and their use and effectiveness;
• media portrayals of and legal responses to psychopaths.

The case examples include:

• conventional criminals, thieves, killers, a head of state, a member of organized crime, a former college research subject, and characters in works of fiction and of nonfiction;
• nonconventional white-collar corporate executives, authors, a professor, a politician, an imposter, the corporation, a video game, and cults and their leaders.

The extensive bibliography directs students and the public interested in further material to the important world where psychology and law, morality, and public policy interact. This brief and readable book is the first place to look for what most people want to know about psychopaths and psychopathy.

About the Author

Ellsworth Lapham Fersch, J.D., Ph.D., has taught at Harvard University during the three decades since receiving his education there. A licensed clinical psychologist and member of the Massachusetts bar, he has directed The Court Clinic, practiced clinical and forensic psychology, and written about topics at the intersection of psychology and law.