-BOOK REVIEW-
SNAKES IN SUITS:
When Psychopaths Go to Work
by Paul Babiak, Ph.D. and Robert D. Hare, Ph.D.
Regan Books/HarperCollins, 2006

While professionals who study or deal with psychopaths will find little new in this book, it is a valuable resource for lay readers who may find themselves working with, or for, "white collar psychopaths."
In Snakes in Suits, coauthors Paul Babiak, an industrial and organizational psychologist, and Robert Hare-an international authority on psychopathy and the developer of the most widely recognized test for identifying psychopaths, the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R)-describe how the superficial charms, manipulativeness, and ruthless "leadership skills" of psychopaths often enable them to obtain and abuse positions of power and authority. Worse, as Babiak and Hare point out, psychopaths can be extremely difficult to dislodge once they gain a foothold in a corporation. The authors note as well that today's fast-paced, change-oriented corporate world is a particularly friendly environment for the white-collar psychopath.

While Babiak and Hare do not focus extensively on the causes of psychopathy, saying that more research is needed on the topic, they do offer lay readers a good overview of some of the most intriguing biological findings regarding psychopathy. They also make it clear that current "talk therapy" approaches to treating psychopathy are useless at best.

Professionals with a good understanding of psychopathy can skip this book, and lay readers seeking general information about psychopaths may find Hare's earlier book, Without Conscience, more valuable. However, Snakes in Suits would be a worthwhile addition to the bookshelf of any corporate hiring manager.

Additional information about Robert Hare's work is available at www.hare.org.