“Compelling, essential reading for understanding the underpinnings of psychopathy.” — M. E. Thomas, author of Confessions of a SociopathFor his first fifty-eight years, James Fallon was by all appearances a normal guy. A successful neuroscientist and professor, he’d been raised in a loving family, married his high school sweetheart, and had three kids and lots of friends. Then he learned a … Then he learned a shocking truth that would not only disrupt his personal and professional life, but would lead him to question the very nature of his own identity.
While researching serial killers, he uncovered a pattern in their brain scans that helped explain their cold and violent behavior. Astonishingly, his own scan matched that pattern. And a few months later he learned that he was descended from a long line of murderers. Fallon set out to reconcile the truth about his own brain with everything he knew as a scientist about the mind, behavior, and personality.
more
What would you do if you discovered you were a psychopath? On most days, I’m immersed in fiction, but this book by neuroscientist James Fallon is well worth the read. A deep dive into the psychopathic brain–gray matter, symptoms, etc–and a personal tale of discovery. Any mystery lover will adore this non-fiction read.
A Neuroscientist finds that he has the brain of a psychopath This is a mixture of the science of the brain and genes, stories from Mr.Fallon’s past and how those around him view him. A fascinating read that might hit a little close to home for some.
I purchased this following a recommendation interview with the author I heard on NPR. In my opinion, that was commercial and misleading. I managed to force myself to the effort to stay with this for two-thirds of the book before giving up. My reason is admittedly pretty shallow. I find the author to be for me a very dislikable person; and one who has the narcissism to delude himself into believing he is very widely, if not universally, liked. I believe he was more accurately endured by those he considers his friends. This is shallow on my part because I don’t believe I should blame him for having a personality he has no power to change, and for my learning that, I thank the author. I do admire his intelligence, intellect, and accomplishment. But he also attributes those characteristics to things beyond his control, so maybe that is misplaced admiration.
Quite interesting. I’d like to tell you more than that, but I don’t want to take away anything from the book. oh maybe this, the MRIs to study brains … that was a kick.
James Fallon is a neuroscientist who has spent decades studying patterns of brain activity when he discovered that the activity and structures of his own brain were highly similar to the patterns of the psychopathic brains he’d been analyzing. In a quest to understand how and where his hypotheses might be wrong – after all, he’d believed these particular patterns to be the domain of murderous madmen – he began to delve deeper into the genetics that determine so much of our thoughts, feelings, actions, and emotions.
On the whole, I thought The Psychopath Inside was a fascinating look into brains and the intersection between nature and nurture. It certainly made me want to learn more about my own brain activity and genetics. Fallon occasionally got a bit too deep into the weeds and as a result it sometimes felt more like I was reading a neuroscience text. On the whole, though, the book is highly readable and extremely interesting.
(This review was originally published at http://www.thisyearinbooks.com/2018/10/the-psychopath-inside-neuroscientists.html)
A book about the science underlying psychopathology written by a doctor who made some unnerving observations about the similarities between his own brain scans and those of psychopaths.
A lot of interesting information presented in a easily understandable way.