Strange Answers To The Psychopath Test, By Jon Ronson

Strange Answers to the Psychopath Test “He’s a gray area in a world that doesn’t like gray areas. But gray areas are where you find the complexity. It’s where you find the humanity, and it’s where you find the truth” (Ronson). Jon Ronson, author of The Psychopath Test, displays the gray areas between the sane and the deranged in his speech given at a 2012 TED conference. His listeners consisted of the audience members who were at the official conference as well as the individuals viewing the presentation online. Moreover, Ronson is an author and documentary filmmaker who became so submerged in his work that his work started to become him. Jon Ronson uses his knowledge and personal experiences to exhibit an alternate to the stereotype of the term psychopath. Ronson applies his knowledge of journalism and psychopaths in attempts to convey to his audience a new definition of the term “Psychopath”. With a solid background in writing, journalism, as well as filmmaking Ronson interviews two formerly

In his interviews, he uses the psychopath test and compares the traits found on that checklist to the identifiable traits found in the psychopaths. “Mr. Ronson wonders whether he will have psychopaths for readers. According to the second characteristic on the 20-item Hare Psychopathy Checklist (from which this book takes its title), some of them will. “Grandiose sense of self-worth” is one of their notable traits” (Maslin). The various facts and statistics that are strewn throughout this speech further supports Ronson’s overall presentation. By using statistics to reinforce his opinions, it persuades the audience to agree with Ronson’s perspective on psychopathy. The perspective that mental disorders such as psychopathy, are not always black and white. Often times, there are gray areas that cannot always be thoroughly defined and put into a neat little