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M. Scott Peck

People of the Lie: The Hope for Healing Human Evil Paperback – January 2, 1998

by M. Scott Peck (Author)

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In this absorbing and equally inspiring companion volume to his classic trilogy—The Road Less Traveled, Further Along the Road Less Traveled, and The Road Less Traveled and Beyond—Dr. M. Scott Peck brilliantly probes into the essence of human evil.

People who are evil attack others instead of facing their own failures. Peck demonstrates the havoc these people of the lie work in the lives of those around them. He presents, from vivid incidents encountered in his psychiatric practice, examples of evil in everyday life.

This book is by turns disturbing, fascinating, and altogether impossible to put down as it offers a strikingly original approach to the age-old problem of human evil.

Print length

272 pages
Language

English
Publication date

January 2, 1998
Dimensions

5.31 x 0.68 x 8.25 inches
ISBN-10

0684848597
ISBN-13

978-0684848594
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About the Author

M. Scott Peck, M.D. is the author of the New York Times best-seller The Road Less Traveled, with six million copies in print. His other books include Further Along the Road Less Traveled, The Road Less Traveled and Beyond, Meditations from the Road and Golf and the Spirit.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Touchstone; 2nd edition (January 2, 1998)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 272 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0684848597
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0684848594
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.5 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 5.31 x 0.68 x 8.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #14,771 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #38 in United States Executive Government
- #60 in Communication Skills
- #60 in Popular Psychology Personality Study

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M. Scott Peck

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M. Scott Peck's publishing history reflects his own evolution as a serious and widely acclaimed writer, thinker, psychiatrist, and spiritual guide. Since his groundbreaking bestseller, The Road Less Traveled, was first published in 1978, his insatiable intellectual curiosity has taken him in various new directions with virtually each new book: the subject of healing human evil in People of the Lie (1982), where he first briefly discussed exorcism and possession; the creative experience of community in The Different Drum (1987); the role of civility in personal relationships and society in A World Waiting to Be Born (1993); an examination of the complexities of life and the paradoxical nature of belief in Further Along the Road Less Traveled (1993); and an exploration of the medical, ethical, and spiritual issues of euthanasia in Denial of the Soul (1999); as well as a novel, a children's book, and other works. A graduate of both Harvard University and Case Western Reserve, Dr. Peck served in the Army Medical Corps before maintaining a private practice in psychiatry. For the last twenty years, he has devoted much of his time and financial resources to the work of the Foundation for Community Encouragement, a nonprofit organization that he helped found in 1984. Dr. Peck lives in Connecticut.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5

1,836 global ratings

5 star		75%
4 star		13%
3 star		5%
2 star		3%
1 star		3%

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Cdelsman

Great insight into narcissism

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on January 21, 2023

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Great read. So much good information on covert narcissists. The lies are very subtle and sneaky.

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Queen Esther

Evil is anything not perfect?

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 27, 2018

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I almost could not read this book after reading the opening chapter. I found the author’s argument that God is a male to be bizarre. He equates what he sees as male penetrating, dominating sexuality with God. He described the relationship between God and humanity like the relationship between the male and female. That God wants to penetrate humanity and make it give birth to Christ. I found that rape visual disturbing. Although the author understands that God could have the female qualities of nurturing and gentleness, he apparently regards them as less important. I see this as a male bias that is also the bias of Christianity which is basically a male-glorifying religion. He says he does not apologize for his Christian bias, but neither does he recognize the evil of misogyny that runs through the Bible. The degrading of women, the claiming that the female should be under the control of the male, that the female is at fault for bringing evil into the world, the persecution of witches, none of this seems to concern the author who dismisses it with nominal nod to the women’s movement. My reaction to this bias as a woman is one of revulsion, which according to the author is the natural response to evil. Since this book is about recognizing and confronting evil, I think the author should begin with the mote in the eye of Christianity. A good place to start would be to apologize for it, as did one of the popes a few years back – much to the discomfort of many unfortunately. If you are going to proudly proclaim your Christianity, then you need to acknowledge the evil therein. Especially if you are writing a book about confronting evil.
Nevertheless, since I had purchased the book I decided to plow on and see if there was anything of value, and there was much. I had to look at the date this book was written because the chapter describing malignant narcissism so perfectly described President Trump who demands “affirmation independent of all findings.” Yet, I see so many cheering Trump on and so many capitulating to his evil that it can feel hopeless. They indeed seem to have lost the ability to think. Evil contaminates those in its presence, and we see this happening to people surrounding Trump. The Republicans in Congress and the Evangelical Christians openly admit they have made a pact with the devil to gain power in order to force their ideology on others. Evil has attained an extraordinary degree of political power in this White House. Addressing this existential problem is enough reason to read “People of the Lie.” It truly is a matter of life or death for our democracy.
The case studies were fascinating, yet I am uncomfortable with labeling so many human foibles as ”evil.” It is important to recognize the ways we so damage others by thoughtless behavior. Whether that constitutes evil is debatable. I like that the author said we must dedicate ourselves to something higher than ourselves, something the malignant narcissist does not do. For the first time I realized that I had dedicated myself to the truth long ago as a child. But his claim that our goal is perfection is so predictable. What is perfection? Is it the same for everyone? That is a Christian concept that I find useless. It reveals Christianity as a dour and negative religion. Even God as presented in the Bible is imperfect.
The author lost me completely when he took exorcism seriously. I just don't see the world in terms of God and Satan - who ironically he refrains from labeling male. Not sure what higher good this author has dedicated himself to.

31 people found this helpful

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Marmaluke

Much Value Here

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 2, 2022

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What a great book that I've always loved. I had a copy of it when it came out and seem to have loaned it out. So I bought another and it's as helpful today as it was back then. Yes, we have progressed into many more diverse and effective forms of therapy. But that doesn't invalidate what's going on here.

Even if you don't agree with this treatise or it's conclusion, there is so much valuable information to ponder from real life cases. He's been criticized for being Freudian and that Freudianism has been debunked or that evil people can't be cured etc. etc. I don't think that's entirely fair. If you listen to the cases and where he lands with the patients, you'll see that he's getting to the bottom of real issues. There is hope for these people and he indicates that quite well.

I think for me, looking back at this book and then looking at today's world, it seems that Peck's idea of evil can really be seen in just about any maladaptive behavior, organic illnesses notwithstanding. Some people are just ill because they have a chemistry problem or whatever. But the people he's dealing with in this book are definitely victims of malevolence and even have their own evil at work.

So to consider this book useless and deny that he is onto something valid seems shortsighted and really missing a lot of what is being said. For anyone who didn't like it, I recommend reading it again with an open mind.

16 people found this helpful

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Daniel

Indispensable despite its flaws

Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on June 1, 2021

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I've read and referenced this book many times over the years, among others on the subject. It has major flaws, some chapters which require a shaker-full of salt, and even so, it's indispensable.

It's a product of its time, before the delineation between autism and narcissism were so resoundingly outlined by psychology and neuroscience. It's written from a religious perspective, though the author voices respect for people whether religious or secular, and recognizes loving and enlightened people from all backgrounds.

Victims of religious abuse might find his endorsement of exorcism rituals, even from a thoughtful place, really problematic, and I've personally seen such rituals conducted to further narcissistic abuse under the cover of religion, a kind of behavior Peck's own discussion about how narcissism seeks religious cover would anticipate. I withhold one star for caveats like this.

Interpreted through modern perspective, as you would any dated thinker who was ahead of their time, there's much here that holds up, and some parts are keenly relevant to our present time. He firmly speaks from a place of clinical expertise and empathy. Peck notably asserts that "people of the lie" can neither understand nor accept two things: love and science. He walks through several scenarios that definitively reveal the tipping point between common dysfunctionality and a truly insidious personality disorder that operates from truly evil place.

His reflections on how pop-psych gets these predators wrong, how institutional cover for narcissistic behavior works, and how apathy, abuse, and enabling all interoperate from spousal and child abuse all the way up into international atrocities like My Lai make connections I think we all need to make.

This book can't be the last word on the subject of malignant narcissism, at home or in society, but it's got such great insight that I still recommend it thoroughly.

12 people found this helpful

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Daniel

The book that had impacted me the most this year

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on December 21, 2019

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I came across this seemingly ‘obscure’ book thanks to the mentions in other books I’ve read in the past, authors referring to it as ‘groundbreaking’ and powerful.

After reading it through it and hundreds of notes I can say this is the most ‘impactful’ book I’ve read in a long time.
I believe there is no reason to not read this important work.

9 people found this helpful

jackie

Great book.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on February 21, 2020

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Learned a lot about narcissists from this book.

9 people found this helpful

Katie Tremlett

This Is A Pretty Powerful Story

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on May 23, 2022

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This is more of a story book than a book which is informative and broken down in diagrams or bullet points, that is what I assumed the book to be about but I read part of a chapter and it was pretty powerful writing so when I get chance I'll read it fully. It will make a good holiday book and because I love to write also it will help me with characters and dialogue

Fabulous37

One of my best reads ever

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 13, 2015

Verified Purchase

Ratings will vary from person to person based on many things. As a parent, as a therapist and having encountered so many experiences in life, this book spoke to all of this and more. It answered and raised questions I myself have pondered on at times. I have read The Road Less Travelled and it's sequel. Both were immensely enjoyed. This book is for you if you have ever contemplated why people do things you'd consider to be evil or just plain wrong. Peck's narrative on the Vietnam war is engrossing and desperately sad, I learnt much in this aspect of the book. Great read that had been on my personal wish list for many years.

12 people found this helpful

Miss Brown

Thank you Dr

Reviewed in the United Kingdom 🇬🇧 on November 24, 2021

Verified Purchase

A must read for those who have , and definitely for those who haven’t encountered People Of The Lie.

Read in one sitting. When the student is ready, the master(book) will appear.

All for love

2 people found this helpful

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