The Emptied Soul: On the Nature of the Psychopath (Classics in Archetypal Psychology) Paperback – October 1, 1999

I was more than a bit surprised at the glowing reviews for this book. The awkward writing will tip you off that this is a translated book. And the absence of references or a bibliography reveals a lack of scholarly rigor. I was first struck by a statement on page 68, made with a degree of certainty that is neither warranted nor substantiated by research. Citing the work of Manfred Bleuler, he writes "They do not become psychopaths because their mothers reject them but the other way around." This `they were born defective' theory appears to be derived from his ex post facto observations done at the Burghölzli asylum in Zurich. It is significant to note that his theory dovetails nicely with the work of his father, Eugen Bleuler, a proponent of eugenics in Nazi Germany. (see International Journal of Risk and Safety in Medicine, 4 (1993) 133-148) Contrast this with the results of several psychological studies ("Becoming Attached", Robert Karen, pg 60)[...] Levy writing about adopted children who were deceitful and eerily detached; Bender reporting on psychopathic-like children who had been in a series of foster care and adoptive homes; Bakwin, Goldfarb, and Spitz warning about the psychiatric damage done to institutionalized babies [...] they unanimously found the same symptoms in children deprived of their mothers I did find some value in the later chapters, where Guggenbuhl-Craig details the symptoms and includes references to the "compensated psychopath." It was in the final chapters, though, where he discusses the Jungian concept of the "shadow" and how there is a bit of psychopath in all of us, that I found most compelling. Finally, I would caution that certainty in the field of psychological research will only come about when we can know the *complete* experience of a human being. Right now, most research (necessarily) relies heavily on the hearsay of caretakers. To claim objectivity from this group ignores the vested interest that they have in portraying themselves as loving and blameless.

This book is interesting. Not as good as I thought it would be from the recommendation. I like The Dark of the Soul by Liz Greene much better in explaining the nature of Psychopathology/Sociopaths. The very first chapter is detailed 10-12 signs of this behavior which are all highly visible in our current POTUS of 2017.

This was one of three books recommended by a Psychologist who helped me to understand my wife. This was also recommended by others during that time. She had every secondary trait, almost as if she was the subject of this book. It sure as heck helped me protect myself. Highly recommended.

Any belief system seems opaque to outsiders. Psychoanalysis was a very important step towards understanding and treating psychological problems but we have mostly left it behind, like Aristotelian physics. Without a basic sympathy for psychoanalysis this book becomes a series of unrelated assertions with the odd piercing insight; (the skewering of health bores is very amusing). Relatively low in ideas per page I'd say it is of mainly historical interest now. The awkward expression mentioned in an earlier review is certainly a problem. This shouldn't be in the first five books you read about this subject.

This book presents a distinctly different look at the questions posed about the nature of psychopathy, and society's response to it. One achieves both greater understanding, and insight into the importance of individual responsibility and free will, even in the alternate universe of the sociopath.

A very impressive and wonderful book about psycopathy

Provides a clear view into the world of the sociopath/psychopath... a great read for anyone interested in human behavior.

Great book, thank you!

Others said difficult to read for a lay person, I didn't find this was the case.I found it well written, easy to understand and informative. Even though out of date now, still important.

If this were to be the only book on Psychopathy you read, you would end up with a rather inadequate understanding of the subject. However, if you've already read the likes of Hervey Cleckley, Robert Hare and Martha Stout, this book does provide a few different angles. It's well written and he has some interesting things to say but as an introduction to the subject it's pretty useless.

This book is TINY (barely a hundred pages) and it is written in the jargon of psychoanalysis. It's littered with terms like analysand, superego, persona/shadow, Jungian archetype, etc. I wouldn't have understood it if I hadn't taken a class on psychoanalysis. As it is, however, I found it insightful and provocative to an almost shocking degree. The author argues that we aren't as different from psychopaths as we would like to think; in some way we are all psychopaths. He also theorizes that psychopaths feel a chronic sadness, a kind of depression unique to them, because on some level they are aware of the meaninglessness of a life without love. This wasn't the case with the psychopaths I have known. Additionally, the translation from German could have been better, and a bibliography would have been appreciated.Like many psychoanalysts, Guggenbühl-Craig has got guts. His writing is controversial and not for the easily offended.