Rating: 
Summary: I highly recommend
Review: ... I absolutely loved this book; it was truly awesome. It introduced me to many new and unconventional perceptions regarding evil and how it relates to psychology. The author makes an extremely good argument by describing many of his own case studies in depth, and integrating that information with information from numerous other sources as well. This book was well-researched, informative, touching, and well-written. He is a good story-teller, and many of the stories made me quite upset, and in some cases, very sad. However, it is one of those books that you can't quite seem to put down until finished.
Fabulous. If you like psychology, get this book.
Rating:
Summary: Unlike any book I've read.
Review: "People of the Lie" could be a life changing source of insight into human nature for some. It was for the naïve person that I was in 1990. However, I suspect that a mature person will already have those insights.The majority of the book consists of several case studies. The main point of each case seems to be that some people are willing to go to the extreme of sacrificing the people they supposedly care about most rather than admit to certain flaws in themselves, and that such people usually manage to avoid detection of their true values by deceiving themselves and others through a variety of means such as avoiding scrutiny, avoiding evidence, destroying evidence, scapegoating, and claiming a noble and plausible sounding alternative motive. Such people are said to be recognizable because they tend to give you a repulsive feeling for no apparent reason. I'm a little dubious of that last point. I think that people often develop feelings about others based on values they have projected onto others rather than on the actual values of others. The last part of the book takes an unusual turn and describes Mr. Peck's observations of exorcisms. He speculates that demonic possession could be the cause of the particular character flaw that makes a person one of the "people of the lie". I don't believe he is correct, but that part did send chills down my spine.
Rating: 
Summary: Unusuall approach to a universal subject
Review: I thought Peck took a big chance to step out of his doctors shoes and call these kinds of behaviours'evil'. But anyone who's been the victim of such things, and fails the vocabulary, and is completely unsatisfied with a clinical vocabulary, will find heart in this book, without having to take on any religeous mantel. IT is saidd, that naming the demons takes their power away. . .
Rating:
Summary: A book of hope...
Review: This is a Christian perspective on evil,which the author,a psychologist proposes to be classified as a disease.It is a very illuminating and insightful book,dealing with a 'twilight zone'in psychology/psychoterapy,namely the problem of evil.According to Peck,the two pillars of personal and societal evil are narcissism and laziness,and he makes a convincing argument for this in dealing with the My Lai massacre from 1968 and those involved.Also his case studies are very well presented and researched with many references to authors such as Erich Fromm and others which are a fascinating source of further reading and understanding.The novelty of Peck's approach consists in in blurring the boundaries between psychology and religion,all in the name of deepening our knowledge of the darker corners of the human soul with the hope and possibility of healing.The book closes on a note of beauty,the author suggesting that the only possible cure for human evil is love and compassion.
Rating:
Summary: Hope, Hope, Hope/"Fearful Symmitry"
Review: This is more of a testimonial than a review. This is also a very hard thing to write, since as a child you are powerless and ignorant (mental powerlessness). You do have a moral sense, and can feel when something is right and wrong, but you just don't know why, and you can't do anything about it. I grew up going in and out of psychologist offices, and never knew why. I hated being with my family and never knew why. I did some twisted things in my early teens, and never knew why. I had a lethal combination of HSP (highly sensitive personality) and being the bottom rung in my family, with "evil olders." So a normal person may have been able to tolerate this evil for 18 years and move on, but since I was highly sensitive, the evil cut me harder and deeper that it would a normal person I was the least powerful in my family, and as the evil scratched across my soul, I never knew why I bled. I read "People of the Lie" several years ago and the tumblers are STILL clicking in my mind. One concept that Dr. Peck mentions in passing is that of the "identified patient" versus the "real patient." Have since learned that it was others in my family who were evil, and being the most powerless and the most ignorant, I didn't know what to do and couldn't do anything about it. I am not quite free from my past, but at least I understand it better, and I am heading in the right direction. God bless Dr. Peck for making sense of my life! You wonder about evil, especially when it is disemboweling you. Yes, there are biological disorder than can be cured various ways, but what of the people like in my family where were 90% normal, but were unchained hell with the other 10%? What if they are too proud to admit they need medication or therapy? I have always wondered about that young Austrian with the soul of an artist who eventually turned into an incarnate devil and the Artist of Auschwitz. Hitler is an exaggeration, but I think in studying the Worst Case Scenario, we can understand out less intense examples. Hitler may have had a brain disorder of some sort, but all of his generals and marshals too? And the other leaders in Germany? What about the "loud minority" of the German people? Come on! THE THIRD REICH WASN'T A PASSING BOUT OF COLLECTIVE MADNESS TO BE CURED WITH A PILL; IT WAS INTELLIGENTLY PLANNED OUT EVIL! As Dr. Peck points out, evil oven garbs itself as respectability, and comes out in small sorties. That sums up my youth-90% normal, with a sulphuric 10%. The subtitle is "Hope for Healing Human Evil." This is hopeful book as we can if not change others, at least change ourselves.. Dr. Peck's religion is Christianity, which has repentance as a core doctrine-remember al the "Repent ye, repent ye, repent ye"-ing in the Bible? That is what it is all about: Change for the better!
Rating:
Summary: Totally confirmed my suspicians about Mr. Peck
Review: Years ago I tried to read 'The Road Less Traveled' but felt there was more to him than that book showed. In 'People of the Lie', readers will see him more clearly. Although I couldn't disagree more with his premise of labeling any human being as "evil" and especially his patients, I must admit he does give accurate accounts of how people subtly live lies and perpetuate them to the frustration of the unwitting. Other reviews have given plenty of detail on this book but I feel it necessary to add that he leads to reader into an exorcism that only serves to prove its inanity. I now see Mr. Peck as a very angry person who disguises his contempt of humanity behind quietly well-articulated dogmatism. In this book, he stands with the rules of the Catholic Church behind his contempt, and his conclusions make me question why anyone else would want to join such miserable company -- not least, in a psychiatrist!
Rating:
Summary: a book that is fully cooked.
Review: No matter what topic Scott Peck turns his attentions upon, I find that an honest and sensitive reading of him always results in a clearer understanding of myself and those around me. This book is no exception, the mirror is once again trained inwards and outwards. Here, he is focusing on the problem of EVIL... the first problem of which is a definition. In our value-free type of society, it is hard to reach a consensus on what evil exactly IS! Yet we are all aware of it when we encounter it. Peck says that it is "that force, residing either inside or outside of human beings, that seeks to kill life or liveliness." He argues (from a wealth of clinical experience and personally handled case-studies) that evil is not only a psychiatric disorder, but ought to be labelled for what it is... an ILLNESS. And as an illness, it can be cured, but not until it is recognized as such by those who deal with it within the domain of their professional responsibilities. Citing numerous real-life examples Peck illustrates that often those who most readily identify others as evil are themselves most in need of correction. They are the ones who should be the patients, and this situation exists because one of the dominant characteristics of the evil personality is consistent scapegoating behavior. The following summary (from chapter 3) of the evil personality is typical of Peck's insightful analysis and conclusions that so often cause us to re-think some of our uncooked presuppositions... He says that, "in addition to the abrogation of responsibility that characterizes all personality disorders, this one would specifically be distinguished by: a) consistent destructive, scapegoating behavior, which may often be quite subtle; b) excessive, albeit usually covert, intolerance to criticism and other forms of narcissistic injury; c) pronounced concern with a public image and self-image of respectability, contributing to a stability of life-style but also to pretensiousness and denial of hateful feelings or vengeful motives; d) intellectual deviousness, with an increased likelihood of a mild schizophrenic disturbance of thinking at times of stress." His chapter on possession and exorcism is totally fascinating. Peck's book lifts the veil on a lot of things we would all rather not look at... but I've read it a couple of times now and intend to re-read it yet again because, as the sub-title suggests, there is hope... but only in awareness.
Rating:
Summary: Not for the Faint of Heart
Review: This is not for the faint of heart. I was not surprised that this well-known author wrote good follow-up books that very few people have heard about. The book was helpful because I grew up in a household with someone who would be deemed "evil". Many other people have said the same thing over many years, so it is not my imagination. I am not a victim in the sense of "poor little me", but a victim none the less. Some things are beyond our reach, but not beyond God's (okay, those who just turned off their attention, please consider why that offended you -- it may help!).
Rating: 
Summary: Turning the world on its head
Review: Dr. Peck, though apparently sincere, has done the world a great disservice by producing this book. Every person he describes as evil is the victim, and every person he describes as the victim is the perpetrator of evil. ... Peck's understanding of history is also deranged, because he thinks Communism is not necessarily bad, though its avowed intent is to kill and destroy everything not theirs. This is especially horrifying when one realizes that they have done exactly what they said they would: Kill and destroy everything good. That's why their flag, and their name, is RED, the symbol of blood. Peck is apparently trying to put his Red ideology into psychological and religious garb and pass them it as science. One of Communism's stated tactics is to turn justice on its head, by punishing the innocent and rewarding the guilty. But it just doesn't fly for people who have their eyes open. Peck has been popular for two reasons that I can think of: He came up with something new, so the types who would admire the King's new clothing will admire this, too. Second, he justifies the evil, whose every vice and cruelty he has renamed as virtue. Don't waste your money on this one, unless you are curious about just how wrong someone can be about human nature.
Rating:
Summary: very interesting
Review: I read this book after taking an intro to psychology class, and it was refreshing. I found many of his insights useful, even though I'm not thrilled with his process theology. Nevertheless, a good read, I recommend picking up The Road Less Traveled with this. I've flipped through most of his other books, though, and they start to get strange.
| 
