Bringing together the countless e-mails, phone calls, and letters that she has collected from readers since the publication of The Sociopath Next Door, Martha Stout mines these accounts for their inherent instruction and fascination, and makes the issue of conscience, or the lack thereof, riveting and relevant to a wide audience.

Organized around the intersection of sociopathy and subjects such as destructive narcissism, physicians and other professionals, politicians and the military, nonprosecuted violent crimes, and our neighbors, each chapter contains representative stories from "everyday people," as well as Stout's detailed explanation and commentary on how best to react in these situations. Uniting these categories is Stout's discussion of changing psychological theories of personality and sociopathy and the enduring triumph of conscience over those who operate without empathy or concern for others.

With Conquering the Sociopath Next Door, Stout aims to help readers navigate their interactions with the ruthless people in their personal lives and to inform society's broader interest in character and conceptions of normality.