Are psychopaths ‘evil’ and untreatable, or do they suffer from a form of mental illness comparable to schizophrenia? Do they have free will? Do we?

In this at once terrifying and exhilarating account, neuroscientist Kent Kiehl guides us through the dark world of a psychopath’s mind, a disconnected place where emotion is dead and guilt is absent. Drawing on groundbreaking research, including personality surveys and brain imaging scans of thousands of criminals, Kiehl pinpoints the biological machinery of psychopathy and offers a radical new perspective on identifying and treating the psychopaths in our midst.

Kent Kiehl

Dr Kent Kiehl is Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience and Law at the University of New Mexico. The author of more than 100 scientific articles published in peer-reviewed journals, he has also been featured in media ranging from The New Yorker to Nature. He is also Executive Science Officer at the non-profit Mind Research Network, which explores the use of imaging (fMRI) in understanding mental illnesses. He lives in Albuquerque.