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Psychopathic Cultures and Toxic Empires Paperback – May 1, 2015

by Will Black (Author)

4.6 171 ratings

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Estimates of the percentage of psychopaths and sociopaths in society range from 1% to 4%. The proportion of those with psychopathic traits is greater in certain professions, including banking, law and the media. This is not surprising as psychopaths are attracted to environments where they can maximise their influence and rewards. Many people imagine psychopaths to be like serial killers in films. While it is true that some killers are psychopathic, it is also true that many more people in 'respectable' jobs have psychopathic qualities. Indicators include self esteem being derived from personal gain, power and pleasure, lack of concern for feelings, needs and suffering of others and a tendency to exploit, deceive and coerce. They may appear charming but this is superficial and used to manipulate as, ultimately, other people are prey. There has been greater focus in recent years on psychopaths who avoid being imprisoned or diagnosed and who gain positions of power. These are particularly dangerous because - as well as having a detrimental impact on those around them - they are are in a position to shape society and create what I term 'psychopathic cultures'. Pathological cultures can be found in families and small networks, larger institutions, global corporations and governments. Once a pathological culture has been established, it can expand and infect healthy cultures - whether directly led by psychopaths or not. Long after a psychopath who infected an institution has moved on, the culture may remain toxic - which is harmful to those working within in. Because the need to conform is so strong, decent people can end up emulating psychopathic traits if they find themselves within a pathological culture. A range of environments are discussed in this book, using the terms psychopathic, pathological and toxic cultures. The mention of individuals linked to particular organisations does not imply that those people are being defined as psychopathic

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Frontline Noir (May 1, 2015)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 234 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1904684718
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1904684718
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 7.4 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.12 x 0.55 x 7.8 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #5,991,864 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #8,999 in Popular Psychology Pathologies

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4.6 171 ratings

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Will Black

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Will Black has a background in social anthropology, working in specialist psychiatric services and journalism. His 2015 book, Psychopathic Cultures, drew on clinical experience and an anthropological perspective. Beyond the End of the World was based on postgraduate research into apocalyptic movements and goes beyond religion to examine how apocalyptic ideas and the charisma seen in cult leaders is embedded in politics and other areas of life.

Veneer of Civilisation (2018) brings together conflict studies, anthropology, politics and psychology to examine ways in which human civilisation can be eroded or violently torn away. It includes topical areas, such as the rise of Donald Trump and resurgence of the far-right, Daesh, the use of plundered data to manipulate voters, hybrid warfare and popular uprisings, as well as perspectives from the history of anthropology and psychiatry that help explain how we got to where we are.

He lives in Cambridge, England, and can be found on Twitter as @WillBlackWriter

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JP Hood

Now, more than ever...

Reviewed in the United States on November 30, 2016

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...this book is relevant and essential reading for our modem society.

The terms "psycho" and "nutjob" are so over-used that any impact is blunted by the casual conversational tone, but this book isn't addressing a pop-culture use of terminology.

In order to understand our current cultures, especially in the west, we need to have an understanding of how certain types of people, certain institutions that seem implausible gain and hold power. Everyone has felt that strange frisson when an action by a coworker or partner seems just too far off. It's not surprising to find you have been manipulated personally, or professionally and then to later wonder how it even happened. It's a shock, sometimes, too see that "the bad guy" in the office is the most successful and yet it is hard to figure out why.

Without varnish and using accessible language, the author lays bare the Skelton of a pathological individual, and systems. His experience both clinically and as a keen observer communicates clearly what a toxic system is, and how to address it.

This is not, however, a self-help book. This is a thoughtful, nuanced presentation of one of the last remaining taboo subjects in professional discourse. No one wants to admit their colleague, company, friend or spouse could be lacking in what might be generally described as basic humanity, but the reality is different.

In topics ranging from business, economics and work to relationships, celebrity culture and "rotten pillars of society" the author deftly describes the cultures and people that are actively harming, or at least hindering, society as a whole.

As changes take place in the Western World, some always purported to be impossible, this book sheds light on what is certain to be identified as a causal factor.

It's not light reading, but I'd name it necessary reading.

2 people found this helpful

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Carol Newman

Perhaps shocking to most that have lived in a bubble of trusting blindly and being sucked into the treadmill of existing the tra

Reviewed in the United States on May 10, 2016

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This book gives insight into where we are and why the world is in the state it is in. Perhaps shocking to most that have lived in a bubble of trusting blindly and being sucked into the treadmill of existing the trance of make believe. It will open ones eyes to being mindful of contributing and being active in ones community and fighting for justice for the good of all humanity. If you wake up one day and say WTF the bottom falls out.......you did not believe what Will Black shared with you. Its a wake up call you decide.

One person found this helpful

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Tommy Wright

I feel uniquely qualified to recommend this book to Awakening Zombies every where on Earth

Reviewed in the United States on January 7, 2015

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Since I've lived in a psychopathic culture and toxic empire all my life, I feel uniquely qualified to recommend this book to Awakening Zombies every where on Earth. This is a breakthrough book, and should be read by everyone who is fighting the Vampire Rats who actually think they own YOU and are therefore above the law. You owe it to yourself to become aware of what is really going on in our world by these insane beasts.

2 people found this helpful

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Ms C.

Well worth reading - especially to the end where the ...

Reviewed in the United States on February 29, 2016

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Well worth reading - especially to the end where the positive capability of ordinary people worldwide who can become aware is grounds for optimism

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Carol B.

An amazing book that explains why they world is the way ...

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2016

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An amazing book that explains why they world is the way it is today. It explains why the world is dysfunctional and who it is that is making it that way, these individuals are found in many places and harm our societies in ways that can't be rectified, ever present, these individuals have usurped the good and just in this world.

Reviewed in the United States on April 21, 2016

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Really enjoyed this book. Thought-provoking and well written.

Reviewed in the United States on June 16, 2015

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Absolutely intriguing. Couldn't put it down.

One person found this helpful

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Laurie M.

The KEY to understanding the REAL driving force behind the suffering of humanity and its cycles of unimaginable horror.

Reviewed in the United States on June 8, 2015

Mr. Blacks' book deserves a far more erudite and reasoned review, but frankly I'm just too excited about what he has written to put this off until I have more time.
For anyone trying to understand the course of human history, beyond what you have read in text books or popular literature, this book is a MUST, MUST read. Once you understand that the word "psychopath" not only applies to serial killers and sadistic murderers, but also to leading figures in organized religion, politics, business and media you will begin to peel back the curtain and reveal the "empty souls" responsible for so much suffering from the individual family to entire civilizations.
PSYCHOPATHS are NOT US.
They do not have a conscience.
They do not have empathy.
They feel no guilt.
They feel no remorse, no matter how heinous their crimes.
They cannot be "cured", but they can be "uncovered".
If you watch any of the "crime" shows like Dateline, 48 hours, American Greed, 20/20 etc., you have seen their handiwork.
And more likely than not you have had personal experience with one or more.
Have you ever had the reaction "OMG, HOW could they do such a thing. What kind of person does that? That's PURE EVIL".
If so, you are most probably describing a PSYCHOPATH.
Mr. Black not only describes the rise of infamous individual psychopaths, he also describes how their individual psychopathy was rewarded on their way to power and how it spread, infected and corrupted organizations and entire countries and how that "inhumanity" survives long after their removal or death.
He explains, sometimes in painful detail the web of their deceit and utter depravity.
Mr. Black has done a service to humanity, the scope of which I doubt he himself understands.
He has taken a great risk in writing this book in my opinion, because if it finds a wider readership it could be the start of the greatest revolution humanity has experienced since the birth of agriculture and the subsequent establishment of hierarchical civilization and religion.
Exaggeration? Not at all!
Psychopaths have always been among us, but particularly with the development of capitalism they have been provided an environment where their superficial charm, charisma, ruthlessness and mastery of the big lie have enabled them to rise to the very top of nearly every profession that promises power and unimaginable wealth.
THEY are the source of the big lies throughout history, "original sin", "there is but ONE GOD", "You're with us or you're against us", "The FREE MARKET", "There are NO LIMITS", "Its' FREE!" etc, etc., etc.
There is only one very small oversight on Mr. Black's part which can be excused because it is so widely accepted as true and that's his use of the phrase "survival of the fittest" widely attributed to Darwin and that's true of course, BY HALF.
Darwin said "survival of the fittest for a SPECIFIC ENVIRONMENT".
The lion is king of the African savanna, the alligator of the swamps, the great white shark of the oceans, but if you change their environments they are no longer the "fittest".
Psychopaths were probably not the kings of the prehistorical tribes coming out of Africa because anyone trying to amass 90% of the food for themselves would have been "disappeared" quite quickly by the tribe (this is attested to by the folklore of aboriginal tribes today). There were no "lone wolf" individualists for 100's of thousands of years of human history. They wouldn't have survived a week.
Today however we have a system designed and tailored to the "ruthless" individual. An "inhuman" system that accepts every kind of human and animal suffering and destruction of the environment that the psychopathic mind can imagine.
You can see the results all around you.

BUY THIS BOOK. READ IT. GIVE IT TO FRIENDS. START A MOVEMENT!
Inform yourselves. There is a growing body of research on this topic. Here are just a few good places to start:
www.hare.org, www.psychopathfree.com, www.psychopathy101.wordpress.com,

Books: Without Conscience, Dr. Robert Hare, Snakes in Suits, Drs. Robert Hare and Paul Babiak, The Sociopath Next Door, Dr. Martha Stout, Evil Genes, Dr. Barbara Oakley, Psychopathic Cultures and Toxic Empires, Dr. Will Black
www.hare.org, www.psychopathfree.com, www.psychopathy101.wordpress.com, www.chinastrategies.com

Films/Documentaries (YouTube): The Corporation, Fishhead, The Psychopath Next Door, I Psychopath, Psychopath Night BBC

And I very much recommend the interviews with Stefan Verstappen available on YouTube.

4 people found this helpful

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Stephanie D. Norris

Five Stars

Reviewed in Canada on July 4, 2016

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Well written and researched!

Daphne Miles

A riveting book for now!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 22, 2016

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'Psychopathic Cultures and Toxic Empires' by Will Black, published by Frontline Noir 2016.

This riveting book is both accessible and intellectually rigorous and absolutely relevant to our current life in the twenty-first century. We often use medical terminology loosely, but Will Black tells us that the 'psychopaths' we see in public life may indeed be just that! The successful psychopath does not get caught and the characteristics of charm and ruthlessness are valued in business, politics and the media.

A psychopathic culture was promoted by Thatcher, with its go-getting, selfish agenda and the political use of the police against the striking miners, when their primary task had always been the protection of the public. The legacy of this culture is still with us today.

What Will Black says resonates profoundly with the current desperate situation of the NHS, where the jewel in the crown of the Welfare Sate risks falling a prey to corporate greed and indifference to the needs of the vulnerable in society.

Black illustrates his thesis with vivid analyses of psychopaths we are all familiar with, such as Richard Nixon, Idi Amin and Cyril Smith. He gives deeply disturbing cover of psychopaths who infiltrate the care system, notably Dr Harold Shipman, and a chilling account of the influence of the very powerful who have protected psychopathic paedophiles, such as Jimmy Savile, for their own ends. Savile's tentacles reached into the areas of mental health and those of the powerful and moneyed, for some of whom he may have acted as procurer. Max Clifford hid his rampant abuse for many years: it can be hard for the public to accept that such a popular person has feet of clay.

There were unheeded warning of the financial gambling which led to the 2008 economic crisis: yet the taxpayer was expected to bail out the culpable financiers, who seemed largely to wriggle out of retribution.

The ultimate note of this book is optimistic. Whereas in the past, the psychopaths of the media held sway, today the rise of Social Media had led to the democratisation of social comment. So long as whistle blowers can be protected, they can provide us with a crucial safety valve. The smartphone empowers the many to bring down the powerful and Twitter and Facebook enable us to be more sceptical of those very dangerous people who are frequently in power.

9 people found this helpful

Tots

Riveting read

Reviewed in France on February 24, 2015

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Intriguing and chilling, this should be required reading for all who think psychopaths are uniquely the axe-wielding serial killers of crime thrillers.

As a former journalist (years ago) I was particularly interested in the section on the descent of the press into the gutter. Having also once spent an hour in the shag wagon with Savile a lot of that section was fascinating, particularly the hints at how extensive that particular rot might be within the Establishment.

It's the sort of book which can help make sense of episodes in one's own life which appeared to be illogical at the time or even to cause one to doubt one's own mental health.

CD

Insightful and timely

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 25, 2016

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This is a fascinating book, well written, entertaining and engaging. Till now psychopathy has not been well understood, and more often than not, has been regarded as belonging within the criminal and/or mental health realms. But what Black so elegantly does is make us understand just how dangerous that point of view is. He highlights how prevalent psychopaths are in every walk of what we regard as "normal" life - media, business, celebrity, politics - and how they use their charms to manipulate and seduce us, often by exploiting trusted relationships with other people who themselves may or may not be psychopaths, but become part of a culture where psychopathy is a kind of norm. The qualities we admire in them - ambition, leadership, decisiveness, magnetism - become the very things they use against us.

This quote comes from early in the book:

"The peculiar qualities of ruthlessness, sadism, charm, deceit, manipulativeness and a need for control makes it possible for psychopaths to treat victims appallingly while maintaining the trust, support and respect of others."

The book was published in 2014, and draws on very public examples of prominent psychopaths who have left damaging effects on society: Jimmy Savile, Rolf Harris, Rupert Murdoch, Max Clifford, the bankers and the heart of the financial crisis that knocked us into recession a few years ago. And indeed how many of us were hoodwinked by these people and those surrounding them, while they continued to wreak havoc on their victims. As I read, I thought just how timely Black's book is, particularly given the most recent US election, and the wave after wave of insanity unfolding in our world today, all of which occur to me to have psychopathy at their rotten core. We would collectively do well to wise up and start paying attention to the myriad ways in which we're currently being duped. And reading Black's book is a first step in that process.

6 people found this helpful

Simonb

Fascinating and insightful.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 28, 2017

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I couldn't put this book down! I applaud Will Black for his hard hitting analysis of the psychopaths that have taken leading roles in our society.

He makes it an easy read by initially, and in relatively simple terms, explaining the basics of different personalities and the effects they have on those whose lives they touch. With that as a foundation he then describes in greater detail psychopathic individuals, most of whom are well known, who have caused so much harm due to their behaviour.

More worrying to me are the references to the institutions that are led by, or/and largely staffed by, those with psychopathic traits. He clearly states the skilful manipulations that are carried out and the selfish agendas of these groups which makes for uncomfortable reading at times. No part of our society has been untouched. The greater the perceived power, the more persuasive the position, worryingly, it is obvious the more dangerous the psychopaths can become.

With the information and clarity that this book offers it is easy to see where overwhelming greed and selfishness has infiltrated our society. I consider that with the knowledge contained within his writing I will find it easier to judge the characters of those our society often place on a pedestal, those desperate to hold onto power, and those bodies whose sole purpose is to control and manipulate to satisfy their self-interests.

So many times I recognised the psychopaths that I have, unfortunately, encountered through my life. From a bully of a primary head teacher who made my life so dreadful I tried to kill myself when I was nine, to the many directors of large organisations I met throughout my career.

I highly recommend this book. I am sure that I will refer back to it many times over the years.

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