Out of Character Book Summary - Out of Character Book explained in key points
Listen to the Intro
00:00

Out of Character summary

David DeSteno and Piercarlo Valdesolo

Surprising Truths about the Liar, Cheat, Sinner (and Saint) Lurking in All of Us

4.1 (36 ratings)
17 mins

What is Out of Character about?

Out of Character (2011), introduces a more flexible idea about character that goes beyond the classic dichotomy of the saint and the sinner. These blinks use psychological experiments to demonstrate how many of the traits we consider fixed are prone to influence by outside events, often in surprising ways.

Table of Contents

    Out of Character
    summarized in 8 key ideas

    Audio & text in the Blinkist app
    Key idea 1 of 8

    Character is the product of dueling forces in every moment.

    Have you ever wondered about the origins of the word character? Actually it comes from an ancient Greek word that referred to the indelible marks pressed into coins to differentiate them. However, the nature of character is anything but fixed and eternal. So when people act “out of character” they are often just expressing a part of their true nature.

    In fact, character is really quite flexible and it’s common for people to behave differently at different times since each of us contains both vice and virtue. This divide is classically depicted as a battle of opposing ideas within each of our minds: the proverbial angel and devil on our shoulders. These forces are seen as guiding our actions and early on each person is swayed more by one than the other.

    However, the duality of angel and devil is problematic for three reasons:

    First, it’s too simplistic to think that each of us is guided by only a good and a bad force. In reality, the powers that influence our behaviors are much more nuanced.

    Second, it’s not possible to be certain about which side to trust.

    And, third, external events greatly affect our thoughts and actions, a fact that we’ll see explained in detail later on.

    So what’s a better metaphor?

    That of the ant and the grasshopper, drawn from a fable by the ancient Greek storyteller Aesop, which goes like this:

    The ant, always thinking long-term, is busy preparing for winter while the grasshopper enjoys himself, singing, playing and not worrying about winter until it arrives.

    The two mindsets symbolized in this story better describe our internal struggle because they depict the battle between immediate rewards like going to a party and long-term planning like spending the night studying. Rationally speaking, it’s the future gains that bear the greater potential. For instance, if you save money it will grow but you also have to live long enough to enjoy it. Therefore, both sides are important and both are contained within all of us.

    Want to see all full key ideas from Out of Character?

    Key ideas in Out of Character

    More knowledge in less time
    Read or listen
    Read or listen
    Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
    Find your next read
    Find your next read
    Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
    Shortcasts
    Shortcasts New
    We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.

    About the Author

    David DeSteno is an associate professor of psychology at Northeastern University and director of the school’s Social Emotions Lab. His work has been published in The New York Times and Scientific American.

    Piercarlo Valdesolo is an assistant professor of psychology at Claremont McKenna College. His work has appeared in The New York Times, Newsweek and many other notable publications.

    Who should read Out of Character?

    • Students of psychology and philosophy
    • Anyone who is interested in human behavior

    Categories with Out of Character

    Books like Out of Character

    People ❤️ Blinkist
    Sven O.

    It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.

    Thi Viet Quynh N.

    Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.

    Jonathan A.

    Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.

    Renee D.

    Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.

    People also liked

    Start growing with Blinkist now
    26 Million
    Downloads on all platforms
    4.7 Stars
    Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
    91%
    Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
    *Based on survey data from Blinkist customers
    Powerful ideas from top nonfiction

    Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.

    Start your free trial