Title: Omgiven av Psykopater (Surrounded by Psychopaths)
Author: Thomas Erikson
Series: –
Genre: Nonfiction
Length: 8 hours 39 minutes
Published: 2017, Bonnier Audio
My Grade: 4 out of 5

GOODREADS’ DESCRIPTION

Charming, charismatic, and delightful or manipulative, self-serving, and cunning? Psychopaths are both and that’s exactly what makes them dangerous. Bestselling author of the international phenomenon Surrounded by Idiots, Thomas Erikson reveals how to identify the psychopaths in your life and combat their efforts to control and manipulate.

Using the same simple four-color system of behavior classification that made Surrounded by Idiots so popular, Surrounded by Psychopaths teaches readers how to deal with psychopaths in their lives by becoming aware of their own behavior and their weaknesses. Vivid example stories illustrate ways that psychopaths can take advantage of various behavior types, helping readers identify their own weaknesses and be proactive about protecting themselves. Erikson outlines some of the most common forms of manipulation used by psychopaths—and others—to influence those around them. Since manipulation can often be a feature of ordinary, non-psychopathic relationships, the book also includes practical methods and techniques to help readers confront controlling people and rehabilitate negative relationships into mutually respectful ones.

By understanding your behavior as well as the tendencies and strategies of psychopaths, Surrounded by Psychopaths will teach you to protect yourself from manipulative influence in your workplace, social life, and family.

MY REVIEW

First of all, they reader was much better in this book than Surrounded by Idiots, which made it so much easier to follow. But I had other difficulties following this one compared to his previous book. It may be because I didn’t really recognize any of the traits Erikson described. I don’t think I have any psychopaths around me. Which makes me very glad, but I might be more oblivious if there ever will be one.

He didn’t just bring up how to respond to a psychopath’s different manipulation techniques, but also how to handle the different colors’ way of trying to get their will through. He also discussed the different colors’ weaknesses and really put weight on that each and everyone of us need to be fully aware and honest about our weaknesses so we are prepared on how they can be exploited.

Since it’s easier for me to read something, I will buy this book and have it in case I ever need to get back to this information quickly. Audiobooks are great, but so much easier to look things up, for example the list at the end on how to tell a psychopath that you recognize what he or she is doing and that it’s not going to work and the different steps in that.

I’m also glad that I’m mostly blue, which is the colors that is the hardest to manipulate. I’m also green though, so I guess I need to be careful there.

Overall, almost as interesting as Surrounded by Idiots, but for me it felt a bit more off since I don’t see the relevance to anything in my life right now. But for future encounters, I’m glad to have read it. It therefore gets a four out of a possible five.