People of the Lie: Hope for Healing Human Evil (New-age)

I agree with the late Dr. Peck's definition of evil as the use of power to destroy the spiritual growth of another. This use of power is an aspect of narcissism, which is synonymous with megalomania.

Evil is clearly widespread in our world. Our political leaders evidently feel that it is acceptable to start wars and our psychiatrists routinely force thier patients to take drugs with unnaceptable side-effects. Peck's pioneering work will hopefully be followed by others who can give us a psychology of war and other manifestations of the desire for power over others.

For those of us who believe in God, evil is the greatest obstcle to seeing Him as all-powerful and good. Personally I am not satisfied with the free-will explanation of evil. It may be that God is not as powerful as some would like to believe, but my own observations suggest that evil comes directly from the Source.

However I do feel, with Peck, that evil can be healed and that war and violence have no place in the future of humanity. I agree that children should be taught about evil in schools. I also think that they should be taught about narcissism, which is basically a fear-based seeking of power over others.


Until you have experianced it...dont knock it.   August 5, 2004
 22 out of 27 found this review helpful

This book was a saver. Truely. There are the confussed, self-absorbed and disturbed, then there is what Scott Peck very bravely puts into words. Prior to reading his book evil is a word which I would be very wary of useing; something which belonged in times gone by or by manner of not quite understanding. A term used to tie up the loose ends when we cant be bothered to understand. This book offered an explanation, some definiton and validation when the world around me were looking to say "your crazy". "Narcissim" on its own is not satisfactory enough should you be unfortunate to be caught on the recieving end. What I think he tries to define is a leathal concoction which if given the right conditions can kill, if not the body certainly the will to live. The subtltes of which seep in and overcome. A test from hell, and the dialouge is not unsimilar to that of a famous horror movie.

If you think you have had a "sinister" experiance, particulary in a personal relationship this book may help. It goes some way to explain the unexplainable. If you find your life being "drained away" and dont understand why, nothing tangible, and the world is falling apart without "evidence", then this book may offer some clarification. It may be an addict?

Where a chapter or two might be amiss is in what to do, how to protect yourself. It is clear but general. Also, it is a concoction, and this book says little of what the recipiants part may be, perhaps the therapy room setting of some of the case studies takes a (luckier) stand-off position.

The book is apptly called "People of the Lie". It is the Lie that kills. Fear and lack of Love are the ingredients. Dont think you can fix it on your own.

This book was my experiance. I wish I had read it sooner. And would suggest you do too save complacancy gets in and you get caught out. It explains the unexplainable. Its no joke. A very good read.


Interesting but flawed   May 9, 2004
 24 out of 29 found this review helpful

The author writes from a mainstream Christian perspective, which is certainly legitimate. He describes certain case studies where the patients suffered from extreme narcissism. I am not convinced that all the cases represent the narcissistic form of evil that Peck tries to define; some may instead be exhibiting psychopathy or types of schizophrenia. In one case, for example, the pathology exhibited itself as victimless if one exempts the patient herself from victim status.

Peck sets forth a case for a scientific study of evil and writes engagingly about mental illness and the naming of evil. He also investigates the phenomena of possession and exorcism. It becomes quite interesting when he looks at the fiction of J R R Tolkien and the work of Erich Fromm and Martin Buber and when he discusses the three major theological models of evil, i.e. the nondualism of certain Eastern faiths, the integrated dualism espoused by Buber and the traditional Christian one of diabolic dualism as he terms it.

Where the author goes wrong in a big way, is in his study of the My Lai atrocity or rather the conclusions he draws from it: his suggestion for a military draft (involuntary service) and his criticism of specialisation. Here he reveals some utopian notions that I find very questionable. A compulsory draft goes against the principles of individual freedom and besides, utopian schemes invariably turns out evil. The good doctor should know that by now. The coercion involved in society laying that sort of claim on the individual is a totalitarian concept that is by definition evil.

Another misconception that I noticed is that Dr Peck still thinks that psychotherapy is a universally good idea, notwithstanding all evidence to the contrary. In addition, he claims that most psychologists are kind, gentle people. That has not been the case in my personal experience or in the literature. It would not surprise me if narcissism were as prevalent amongst psychotherapists as it is in the general population.

In this way Dr Peck acts as an apologist for psychotherapy as he also did with his mega selling book The Road Less Travelled. No doubt this therapy has helped some people but it is not the panacea Dr Peck would like to make it. With all of the above provisos, I still recommend this book. People Of The Lie contains enough that is thought provoking and does provide some original insights while asking some provocative questions.


A Brave Book   November 30, 2003
 18 out of 19 found this review helpful

In People of the Lie Peck looks at the phenomenon of evil he has experienced with patients in psychotherapy; some of the cases where people have overcome, with the help of conventional therapy, the evil within them - most have not.

The book goes on to look at different types of evil, the definition of evil, a fascinating discussion of the author's experiences with two exorcisms, and the nature of Satan. Finally Peck looks at group evil, such as experienced during the holocaust and in Vietnam.

Interspersed with each case are the author's more general thoughts on the nature of (as he sees it) the disease of evil, and how psychiatry could be extended to be a more complete science by covering areas previously considered the realm of religion.

Although People of the Lie is a fairly academic book, it's written in a readable manner and I found it mostly very approachable as a reader with no formal background in psychiatry.


AWAKENING, thus DISTURBING   May 27, 2003
 17 out of 22 found this review helpful

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An entirely different book, from the author of the inspirational bestseller The Road Less Travelled series. This one does not seek to warm the cockles of the heart--on the contrary, it seeks to present a phenomenon which, the more convincing the argument gets, the more DISTURBING the REALISATION one is faced with.

The first thing that most readers find unconventional, if not initially incomprehensible, and/thus often protest against, is the use of the term "evil" in a NON-RELIGIOUS sense. But Dr Peck proceeds to explain what led him to the choice of term--not by picking it out AT FIRST CHANCE nor to illustrate the INTENSITY of his feelings about it (far from it!), but rather by examining all the ALTERNATIVES but finding each of them WANTING. Thus by the process of ELIMINATION, one is left no choice but to describe the phenomenon as "evil" (akin to Sherlock Holmes's methods). And just as the term is strong, care is taken to apply it only to the extreme examples where MILDER or ALTERNATIVE terms DO NOT SUFFICE.

Read especially the stories about the parents whose elder of two sons shot himself to death, leaving the younger son facing the consequences, not just of the big brother's death, but worse, of the parents' subsequent behaviour. Behaviour that evidently exceeds, thus CANNOT BE EXPLAINED AWAY by "simple stupidity", "parental incompetence", or "personality quirks". Read also about the masterful-manipulator patient.

[NEGATIVE] A less convincing case is made about co-dependency. This book's weak point, and the closest it gets to OVERSTRETCH.

What leaves one disturbed is the realisation that comes when one looks back at the REAL people one has actually come across in the past, or continue to deal with in the present . . . one finds that like the above parents, the persistence and absolute lack of remorse can only be described using the term. This is when Dr Peck's thesis starts to make an indelible impact. And it is at this point that the REALISATION for the reader is HORRIFYING.

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