<p>From the book, <em>Thinking Fast and Slow</em> (Kahneman, 2011):</p>
<blockquote>
<p>You will from time to time meet a patient who shares a disturbing tale of multiple mistakes in his previous treatment. He has been seen by several clinicians, and all failed him. The patient can lucidly describe how his therapists misunderstood him, but he has quickly perceived that you are different. You share the same feeling, are convinced that you understand him, and will able to help. [...] Do not ever <em>think</em> of taking on this patient! Throw him out of the office! He is most likely a psychopath and you will not be able to help him.</p>
</blockquote>
<p>Is it true, and if so, why, is such a person 'most likely a psychopath'?</p>
<h2>References</h2>
<p>Kahneman, D. (2011). <em>Thinking, Fast and Slow</em>. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-02-14T03:06:25.767Z
Welcome to psych.SE.  I'm confused about why you would quote this out of context, since the surrounding text answers your question at least partially.  If you are interested in more detailed information - such as whether this has actually been tested in a controlled study - then why not ask a more specific question?
Arnon Weinberg
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2020-02-14T05:16:15.327Z
I agree with @ArnonWeinberg now that I checked the text available in the Google Books preview. If you are not looking for whether it has actually been tested in a controlled study, are you looking for further clarification on what Kahneman said here? If so, a larger blockquote will be needed to provide contextual information or a link to the text online, or if that is not available, information on what page the text is in the book.
Chris Rogers
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2020-02-14T06:51:40.563Z
@ChrisRogers I am asking whether or not such a thing is true, and if so, why. The preceding and proceeding paragraphs do not explain why such a person is a psychopath. In fact, Kahneman just uses this example to illustrate a cognitive bias.
Nico Damascus
<clinical-psychology><therapy>
Why does Daniel Kahneman describe these group of therapy-seeking individuals as psychopaths?
Nico Damascus
# Why does Daniel Kahneman describe these group of therapy-seeking individuals as psychopaths?

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-01-25)

From the book, *Thinking Fast and Slow* (Kahneman, 2011):

> You will from time to time meet a patient who shares a disturbing tale of multiple mistakes in his previous treatment. He has been seen by several clinicians, and all failed him. The patient can lucidly describe how his therapists misunderstood him, but he has quickly perceived that you are different. You share the same feeling, are convinced that you understand him, and will able to help. [...] Do not ever *think* of taking on this patient! Throw him out of the office! He is most likely a psychopath and you will not be able to help him.

Is it true, and if so, why, is such a person 'most likely a psychopath'?

## References

Kahneman, D. (2011). *Thinking, Fast and Slow*. New York: Farrar, Straus and Giroux

**Tags:** clinical-psychology, therapy

> **Comments:**
> **username_1**: Welcome to psych.SE.  I'm confused about why you would quote this out of context, since the surrounding text answers your question at least partially.  If you are interested in more detailed information - such as whether this has actually been tested in a controlled study - then why not ask a more specific question?  
> **username_2**: I agree with @ArnonWeinberg now that I checked the text available in the Google Books preview. If you are not looking for whether it has actually been tested in a controlled study, are you looking for further clarification on what Kahneman said here? If so, a larger blockquote will be needed to provide contextual information or a link to the text online, or if that is not available, information on what page the text is in the book.  
> **username_0**: @ChrisRogers I am asking whether or not such a thing is true, and if so, why. The preceding and proceeding paragraphs do not explain why such a person is a psychopath. In fact, Kahneman just uses this example to illustrate a cognitive bias.  

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## 0 answers

