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    People of the Lie Vol. 1: Toward a Psychology of Evil
    People of the Lie Vol. 1: Toward a Psychology of Evil
    People of the Lie Vol. 1: Toward a Psychology of Evil
    Audiobook (abridged)1 hour

    People of the Lie Vol. 1: Toward a Psychology of Evil

    Written by M. Scott Peck

    Narrated by M. Scott Peck

    4.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    Dr. M. Scott Peck has inspired millions by combining the deepest insights of psychiatry with those of religion. In this first of a three volume audio series based on his bestselling book People of the Lie, Dr. Peck once again integrates religious teaching with the science of psychology as he offers hope for healing one of society's most persistent failings -- human evil.

    In his characteristic warm and accessible style, Dr. Peck explains that while the notion of evil has been present in religious thought for centuries , the concept has not been fully addressed by the psychiatric community. Dr. Peck links the two to show us how truly evil people are not necessarily criminals but those among us who appear as upstanding members of society. Using individual case studies to present vivid incidents of human evil, Dr. Peck describes how these "People of the Lie" hide behind the façade of normalcy as they continue to plague our lives.

    A groundbreaking and compelling audio program that explores the essence of evil, People of the Lie sets us on a path toward understanding and coping with this age-old program.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherSimon & Schuster Audio
    Release dateMay 1, 1992
    ISBN9780743541688
    People of the Lie Vol. 1: Toward a Psychology of Evil
    Author

    M. Scott Peck

    M. Scott Peck, M.D. is the author of the New York Times best-seller The Road Less Traveled, with six million copies in print. His other books include Further Along the Road Less Traveled, The Road Less Traveled and Beyond, Meditations from the Road and Golf and the Spirit.

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    Reviews for People of the Lie Vol. 1

    4.5/5

    129 ratings15 reviews

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    • 4/5
      A fascinating and riveting work on human evil. I was most interested in the case studies that formed the bulk of the first half of the book, and far less interested in the theoretical application of group psychology that formed the last half. The case studies in the book could well describe someone you know. I appreciated the honesty of Peck regarding his feelings about his patients. I could well relate to his frustration and revulsion, it gave his accounts more verisimilitude.I remain unconvinced of Peck's identification of evil with a specific form of personality disorder. While the people he describes certainly were evil, albeit of a mundane, domestic variety, I found the definition flat and truncated. It just seemed to be missing something. I found it very interesting that Peck thinks that Augustine's idea of evil as an absence of good has been discarded, when in fact it remains a part of Aristotelian philosophy and Thomistic philosophy and theology in this day. It is even more surprising given that his attempt to define evil as disease is a subset of the idea that evil is a privation.The attempt to explain the group psychology behind the MyLai massacre was ultimately unconvincing, but it did remind me of the mimetic theory of Rene Girard, specifically the necessity of a scapegoat for group cohesion. However, on the terms of Peck's argument, what I found remarkable was that so few massacres occured. His analysis made the events seem inevitable, so the real question becomes not why MyLai happened, but why there weren't hundreds more MyLais.Overall a very interesting read. One of the most notable insights of this book is nicely summed up by the reviewer who brought my attention to this book, John J. Reilly. "The people whose cases Peck describes were seriously sick and hated their sickness, but they could not get better because in some fundamental sense they had chosen to be that way." A psychological insight with shades of Dante.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Wow. Read it and you realize, "My god, I know these type people!" Very helpful and instructive. A classic.

      2 people found this helpful

    • 3/5
      I liked the book for the fact that it talked about evil in human societies. It?s not a topic you see very often in this kind of detail. I liked the honesty that Peck gives. I don?t agree that we can only explain evil with spiritual dimensions however. So there were times were Peck and I disagreed. His Christian views were also very pervasive in the book. He warns the reader in the beginning they would because they color his interpretations. So the best way to take the book is to realize Peck is just giving us an interpretation. He never says it is the correct one. I do think however that the reader could potentially misunderstand that that is what he is saying. I?ll admit that I have some mind blocks against religion and because of this there were a few points where I had to put the book down take a break and then pick it up again. I really liked all of the case studies. They made the book read like a novel half the time instead of a non-fiction book. Without them the book would have been harder to read. Besides the fact that they were fascinating to read about. And I liked the main subject matter. It?s not a book about what is evil and what is not and how we deal with it. It is a book about an interpretation of what evil is. This book will make you sit down and think. I wish there are more books written on the matter. I?m going to look for some. With everything that?s happened in the three decades since this book was written many people could argue that our world has gotten even more violent and evil. I don?t know if I agree, but I would like to see more interpretations on the whole idea of ?evil?. If you?re looking for a scientific approach, this isn?t the book to read. There have been some arguments against the book that the individuals in the novel were not evil as he labels them, just ?troubled?. I can?t say for sure what I believe about the word ?evil?. Which is partly why I?d like to read more on the subject. Anyways the book was interesting and succeeded in making me more interested in the topic.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 4/5
      I've been fascinated by the question of evil ever since learning about the Nazis and the Holocaust as a child. I've never lost the part of me that wonders, "Why?" and that was only reinforced post-9/11. This approaches the question of evil from a psychological point of view--for Peck is a practicing psychiatrist--but also a Christian point of view--for Peck is a believing Christian. A blurb from the Wall Street Journal on the back cover says the "long-overdue discussion between psychology and religion has begun, and nowhere does that beginning bear better fruit than in Dr. M. Scott Peck's People of the Lie." That does come to the fore from time to time--Peck takes the idea of demonic possession and exorcism seriously--I do not. I'm an atheist. Yet I found plenty to consider, to highlight and dog-ear and think about in this book. Certainly the case studies made for a fascinating read, though some certainly seemed to me more troubled than evil, and I wonder how effective therapy can be if that is how psychiatrists see their patients. How can they expect to help them? I'm also dubious about Peck's analysis of My Lai, which I think has more to do with his political views than his psychological expertise. But there's plenty in the book that doesn't require religious faith to accept as insightful:Mental health requires that the human will submit itself to something higher than itself. To function decently in this world we must submit ourselves to some principle that takes precedence over what we might want at any given moment. For the religious this principle is God... But if they are sane, even the nonreligious submit themselves, whether they know it or not, to some "higher power"--be it truth or love, the needs of others, or the demands of reality... Mental health is an ongoing process of dedication to reality at all costs.And that's why evil resides in the people of the lie. Even Ayn Rand, an atheist who many would accuse of advocating a form of narcissism, would agree with this in essentials--above all for her the first commandment would be "Thou Shalt Not Fake Reality." The rest is commentary. So all evil, from emotional manipulation to mass murder start to finish comes down to refusing to honor reality---and to change that, to face reality, is what psychology is supposed to help us to do. Although I have to say, I question just how in touch with reality is a therapist who believes in supernatural explanations for human behavior.

      1 person found this helpful

    • 5/5
      Wow, I loved vol 1, will keep going ? hopefully I can
    • 5/5
      This is a truly original work. It made me see human moral choices, including mine, in a new light. I wasn't so much interested in the exorcism sections - although they are the most sensational. It was more the author's exploration of daily decisions, his way of analyzing right and wrong, that I found so unique. I recommend this for anyone who's interested in what it means to live a moral life.
    • 2/5
      Started out with psychology and veered off into religion. Not for me.
    • 5/5
      I could try to explain the gift l have been given but words fall short. Thank You isn't enough.
    • 5/5
      Another good resource everyone should hear (narrator's also great!) or read :)
    • 4/5
      Peck reminds us of a fact naturalism does not satisfactorily explain: why is there evil? I do not mean suffering, but absolute, deliberately chosen evil, a willingness to hurt others that cannot be explained by fulfillment of any natural need such as food or sex. His case studies are eye-opening and horrifying. Like others, I found the case studies more relevant than the theory.
    • 1/5
      People of the lie is a very flawed in it's psychology, theology, and morality. This comment from a Jew who identified fully with Peck's prevous book, The Road Less travelled.In this book people with emotional issues or lack education are condemned as evil. He also goes against accepted professional standards by condoning in some circumstances sexualy contact between client and therapist.
    • 3/5
      The book was referenced in a article I read in a blog. Worth reading, especially the discussion about the Vietnam.
    • 5/5
      One of the most chilling books I've read. Real life examples of truly evil people passing as regular folk, who have come into contact with the author through his practice. The most memorable: parents of a suicide who give their remaining, and less-favored son, as a Christmas present, the rifle used in the suicide.
    • 1/5
      In think there may be a problem with the audiobook. It cuts out for 15-30 seconds at a time.
    • 5/5
      Vol. 1 is nothing, if not completely terrifying. Having been a student of abnormal psychology, Dr. Peck managed to take me on a journey down a dark and scary road that...until now...I didn't even realize existed. I am also utterly saddened at having my eyes opened and seeing the kind of evil that exists around us. I thought "Without Conscience" was a fascinating book but "People of the Lie" describes how these sick individuals operate in a society that is ill•equipped to identify, let alone treat, the sickness that is Evil ? Incarnate.