Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: A Forensic Psychiatrist Illuminates the Darker Side of Human Behavior [Paperback]

Robert I. Simon (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0880489952 | ISBN-13: 978-0880489959 | Publication Date: January 1996 | Edition: 1

Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: A Forensic Psychiatrist Illuminates the Darker Side of Human Behavior provides insights into the minds of rapists, stalkers, serial killers, psychopaths, professional exploiters, and other individuals whose behavior both frightens and fascinates us. The book also works to break down the false separation between Âgood and Âbad peopleÂpointing out that this dark side is an essential component of our humanity. Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream cracks open the door to the dark side and gives readers a look inside. Sometimes frightening, always fascinating, this book will captivate readers from beginning to end.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Dr. Robert Simon has written a comprehensive and spell-binding book on a topic that is sure to be interesting to most people, whether they are lay readers or seasoned experts in human behavior. "Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream" should be required reading... [for] all health care clinicians and anyone thinking of entering into a close relationship with a relative stranger. It is informative, interesting, thought provoking, comprehensive and scholarly. Most important of all, this book contains a convincing growth-promoting message that is likely to enlighten and kindle the heart of many readers."- "Washington Psychiatry"

About the Author

Robert I. Simon, M.D., is Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Director, Program in Psychiatry and Law, at Georgetown University School of Medicine in Washington, DC. He has been a practicing psychiatrist and forensic psychiatrist for over 30 years. Dr. Simon has authored or edited 10 other books for psychiatrists and other mental health professionals on topics in psychiatry and the law. He has also published numerous papers on civil and criminal matters, including a study of 33 murderers. Dr. Simon is board certified by both the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Forensic Psychiatry. In 1993, he received the Manfred S. Guttmacher Award from the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law honoring outstanding contributions to the literature on forensic psychiatry. He was also the recipient of the 1994 American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Seymour Pollack Award in recognition of distinguished contributions to the teaching and educational functions of forensic psychiatry.

Product Details

• Paperback: 362 pages
• Publisher: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.; 1 edition (January 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0880489952
• ISBN-13: 978-0880489959
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.8 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,967,452 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bad men do what good men dream, September 14, 2000

By 

Liza H. Gold MD (McLean, VA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: A Forensic Psychiatrist Illuminates the Darker Side of Human Behavior (Hardcover)

Dr. Robert I Simon's book Bad Med Do What Good Men Dream is an erudite and readable treatment of one of the knottiest questions in the history of humanity: what separates good men from bad men? Dr. Simon has applied his vast experience in clinical and forensic psychiatry to illuminate the similarities and differences between those who demonstrate remarkable psychopathology and "normal" people. He has explored the spectrum of violent and horrifying behavior, from killer cults to serial murderers to workplace violence, and provided a thoughtful discussion of the difficulties of identifying the good and evil inside us and around us. As a forensic psychiatrist, I found this book enlightening, thought provoking and well written. I highly recommend it to any professional or lay student of human nature.

30 of 36 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Pass on this one, August 15, 2000

By 

Robert Irving, Ph.D. (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: A Forensic Psychiatrist Illuminates the Darker Side of Human Behavior (Hardcover)

...[T]his book has four or five chapters of differing criminal
behaviors (the serial murderer, the sexual deviant) told in
sensational stories with little serious discussion of the the
psychological basis or reasoning of why bad men do what good men
dream. In fact, the question of why bad men DO what good men dream is
never seriously examined. In fact, there is little, if any,
illuination of the causes or understanding of psychopathic behavior.
If this is a topic that interests you, you're much better off with
Charles Patrick Ewing's work or Henry Steadman.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the struggle between good and evil, August 26, 2000

By 

lise van susteren (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream: A Forensic Psychiatrist Illuminates the Darker Side of Human Behavior (Paperback)

Bad Men Do What Good Men Dream is a fascinating and well researched account of mankind's capacity for evil. Written by a forensic psychiatrist with years of clinical experience examining the human mind, the book not only provides the theoretical underpinnings of the subject, it provides the seasoned observer's inside account of what makes us "tick". In the humanist's tradition, it recognizes that dark thoughts are latent in all of us. Dr. Simon has produced a highly educational and riveting read without ever lapsing into the usual pomposity or sensationalism often found in writings on this topic. Readers will enjoy the many thought provoking discussions not only about why we do the things we do, but about what separates "good" people from "bad".