This should be mandatory reading, period. People of Lie was first introduced to me as a way of making sense of the malevolent yet pervasive narcissism unconsciously handed down throughout genetic lines. It is at once horrifying and hopeful, in that if one is willing to read it and genuflect on what M. Scott Peck is richly offering, lives can be altered for the better.

I have read this book. Very interesting on the way evil is so much around us. As people of good nature we need to be able to see the evil in man kind. A great book to read. It is a psychologist kind of book. I would like to see people trying to defeat evil minds. Knowing evil is everywhere we turn. A+ on this book. M. Scott Peck, M.D. did a a great job with hi writing style of the book as well.

Dated and terrible. Equating mental illness or personality disorders with evil is disheartening. Jibberish about neurosis start with traumatic toilet training. I read three chapters and could not go on. These days, Peck’s style of speaking to his patients would be considered unprofessional.

Očekivao sam više od knjige, ali je za klasu (ako ne i dve) ispod knjige "Put kojim se ređe ide". Između ostalog, autor na svakih deset strana navodi rečenicu rečenicu: "Kao što sam napisao u knjizi "Put kojim se ređe ide". U trenucima je knjiga odlična, naročito kada konkretno objašnjava neke pojmove iz psihoterapije. Ostatak knjige je nekako suvoparan i često se ponavljaju određene rečenice i misli. U svakom slučaju, knjiga je poslužila boljem razumevanju termina laži i zla, za koje se može reći da su i više nego sveprisutni u društvu.

So, I'm definitely uncomfortable saying that I believe in "evil" exactly, but everything that Peck says makes sense. It's just hard for me to wrap my head around the concept as something different from other personality disorders. It might just be that the word "evil" has been so manipulated and co-opted for misaligned purposes that it has lost its true meaning.

This is an easy book to read (as far as reading about evil goes), and I really enjoyed reading each of the case studies that Peck presents. For sure, it's a controversial book, but I think the importance lies in the fact that Peck does not use "evil" as a way of dehumanizing a person in the same way that people often do with truly evil people. For example, we often call people "crazy" or "monsters," and, in doing so, I think we divorce off from the reality from which that cruelty grew. The danger lies in seeing "evil" as an outlying phenomenon, as if it is something extraordinary instead of being common and far more ordinary than we would like to admit.

Here are three of my favorite quotes from the book:

"The words 'image,' 'appearance,' and 'outwardly' are crucial to understanding the morality of the evil. While they seem to lack any motivation to BE good, they intensely desire to appear good. Their 'goodness' is all on a level of pretense. It is, in effect, a lie. This is why they are the 'people of the lie.'" (p. 75)

"...there are a sufficient number of men and women in all culture and at all times who have achieved in their full adulthood a kind of gracefulness of existence so that we can generally say of them: 'They have become truly human.' By which we mean their lives seem almost to touch on the divine." (p. 125)

"If one ever has the good fortune to meet a living saint, one will have then met someone absolutely unique. Though their visions may be remarkably similar, the personhood of saints is remarkably different. This is because they have become utterly themselves. God creates each soul differently, so that when all the mud is finally cleared away, His light will shine through it in a beautiful, colorful, totally new pattern. Keats described this world as 'the vale of soul-making,' and whether they know it or not, when they help their patients clean away the mud, psychotherapists are engaged in the activity of saint-making. Certainly psychotherapists know it is their task routinely to free their patients to be themselves." (p. 264)

This is my first book by M. Scott Peck. I'm guaranteed to read more. In his words Peck defines People of the Lie to be,"Utterly dedicated to preserving their self-image of perfection, they are unceasingly engaged in the effort to maintain the appearance of moral purity...the lie is designed not so much to deceive others as to deceive themselves. They cannot or will not tolerate the pain of self-reproach." (p. 75)

And evil itself he defines as, "The use of political power to destroy others for the purpose of defending or preserving the integrity of one's sick self." (p. 240) This definition he applies to individuals as well as, at times, a nation.

While many of society considers evil people to be those that maim and murder, Peck's experience as a psychiatrist and Christian have lead him to believe evil exists all around us by those we consider highly functioning and socially acceptable neighbors. He gives insights to the destructive behavior, the motivations, how it manifests and its effects on the family. So very interesting, the reader must self-examine in order to continue turning the pages. It's a subject that will stick with me for some time.

This book started out interesting, talking about the author's definition of evil as it applies to his therapy caseload, but I have to say it went downhill fast. It degenerates into a religious tract about the need for evil people to embrace Christ in order to be healed. Give me a break! He even talks about obvious cases of repression and obsessive-compulsive disorder in terms of demonic possession, as if he had learned about them in Jesuit school instead of in an accredited psychology program.

Darker and more difficult than The Road Less Traveled, but also a very valuable book - Peck introduces another vital concept, this time that the fundamental root of evil is laziness, the willingness to subordinate the needs or well-being of others to take the easy way to get what we want or spare ourselves sacrifice or disappointment. In the last part of the book he lost me when he started talking about demonic possession and exorcisms, but the first part was well worth the reading.

Read Scott Peck Numerous Books, But "People Of The Lie" IS UNIQUE A TIMELESS EXCELLENT PERCEPTION Subject EVIL! I Have Recommended Numerous people To Read, And Afterwards People Taking My Advise Appreciate Scott Peck MASTERPIECE "People Of The Lie"! My View ONE OF A KIND Book In How Paints Picture Evilness!
Author Martha Stout Book:
The Sociopathic Next Door: The Ruthless Verses The Rest Of Us: Is Often A Book Recommend People Read Express Thankfulness!
Certainly These TWO Books Are Of VAST VALUE!

Understanding why some people do what they do in personal relationships is fascinating. This book was recommended to me to help me find a new way to understand these people, some of whom are and were close to me. I learned so much from this book that I bought it for my local public library in an effort to help others dealing with what is essentially evil - in the form of human behaviors. It is not a fast nor an easy read but all the while worth the effort.

Ever person who was raised to "turn the other cheek" when faced with evil, should READ THIS BOOK. An eye-opener for me, who was raised in a middle-class suburb and told to be nice to everyone. Even Jesus told the Sadducees and Pharisees that he just didn't have time to waste on them - it's okay to not engage Evil - and to run when you sense it is near.

I'm not sure if I can contribute significantly to what has already been said about this book. What I can say is that regardless of how much you agree or disagree with what Peck is saying here, your perspective will be altered at least somewhat or you will find much that will validate your own experiences or understanding in regard to human and demonic evil. It is captivating and a very quick read packed with references to several religious and philosophical writings. My copy is quite marked up and underlined. I recommend it!