Psychopathy self-test

By Jack Brummet, Behavioral Sciences Editor

Are you a psychopath? Take this self-test and find out.  But, remember. . .no cheating.  Not that a psychopath would have any compunction about cheating.

Robert Hare's Psychopathy Checklist-Revised is the psycho-diagnostic tool most commonly used to assess Psychopathy.

Disclaimer: Your scores may have important consequences for your future, and this test should only be considered valid if administered by a qualified and experienced clinician under controlled conditions. As a life-long student and observer of abnormal psychology, I am emminently qualified to administer the test (further disclaimer: I would also consider myself qualified to perform surgery, having carved a few birds and beasts over the years). And what could be a more controlled environment than All This Is That?  So grab your pencils and let's get started.

Psychopathy Checklist-Revised

This clinical rating scale contains 20 items. Each item is scored on a three-point (0, 1, 2) scale according to  a semi-structured interview. A value of 0 is assigned if the item does not apply, 1 if it applies somewhat, and 2 if it fully applies. The items are as follows:

0 1 2 Glibness/superficial charm
0 1 2  Grandiose sense of self-worth
0 1 2  Need for stimulation/proneness to boredom
0 1 2  Pathological lying
0 1 2  Conning/manipulative
0 1 2  Lack of remorse or guilt
0 1 2  Shallow affect
0 1 2  Callous/lack of empathy
0 1 2  Parasitic lifestyle
0 1 2  Poor behavioral controls
0 1 2  Promiscuous sexual behavior
0 1 2  Early behavioral problems
0 1 2  Lack of realistic, long-term goals
0 1 2  Impulsivity
0 1 2  Irresponsibility
0 1 2  Failure to accept responsibility for own actions
0 1 2  Many short-term marital relationships
0 1 2  Juvenile delinquency
0 1 2  Revocation of conditional release
0 1 2  Criminal versatility

The cutoff for psychopathy is 30 points or greater, although some studies recommend 25. If you scored even over 10, I'm not saying you're ready for the laughing academy, but I'm not sure I want to have you  babysit my children either.

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