The Sociopath at the Breakfast Table

Consider the following scenarios and see if any of them sounds familiar. Fifteen-year-old James was an intelligent only child from a wealthy family. He often became bored and listless, he skipped school by faking illness, and he was adept at manipulating his parents. He targeted certain classmates and engaged in emotional abuse, smear campaigns, and other disturbing tactics. John was a handsome and charming coworker who flirted with Mary, among other women, on a regular basis. Occasionally, John drove Mary home and talked about how his boss underestimated him, was against him, and intentionally held him back out of jealousy. Regardless of what happened to John, he claimed it was never his fault, he was always the victim. Julie’s mother felt almost no affection for her daughter. Her mother felt trapped and tied down, was disgusted by all aspects of childcare, and used terms like “life sentence” to describe her experiences. She beat Julie and locked her inside closets and once shaved her head to “teach her a lesson.” When Julie left home, her mother went to great lengths to prevent Julie from contacting her father. If any of these is indeed familiar, you may have encountered a sociopath. As Jane McGregor and Tim McGregor discuss in The Sociopath at the Breakfast Table, sociopathy comes in many forms and in many types of people: parent, child bully, coworker, friend. Sociopaths typically have little to no conscience and an inability to feel empathy for other people....
Source: Psych Central - Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tags: Abuse Book Reviews Borderline Personality General Antisocial Personality Disorder breakfast table Jane McGregor Sociopath Tim McGregor Source Type: news