Spotting the Psychopath
Author: Meg Fansler
When we hear the word “psychopath,” our minds are immediately programmed to imagine characters like Hannibal Lecter and Norman Bates. Unfortunately, we have been mistaken. Like Jeffrey Dahmer and Ted Bundy, real-life characters better fit the classification. Dr. Robert Hare has made a name for himself within the psychopathy community, identifying key traits of psychopaths and developing the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R).
Since its development in 2003, the PCL-R has been used as an assessment tool for psychopathy. It consists of 20 items characteristic of psychopathy, listed below, and raters provide a score of 0 to 2 for each item, with 0 being not present, 1 being true, and 2 being solidly true. The items are categorized into four facets, and these facets are grouped into two factors. The Interpersonal and Affective facets combine to create the Interpersonal/Affective factor, and the Lifestyle and Antisocial facets make up the Social Deviance factor. The assessment is conducted through semi-structured interviews combined with the review of files and personal records of the person being assessed. With a possible maximum score of 40, a score of 30 or more classifies one as a psychopath in the United States.
Characteristics of psychopathy:
· Glib and Superficial Charm: These individuals are smooth-talkers. They are seen as charming and witty. Typically, they portray themselves as experts in fields like law, art, or science.
· Egocentric and Grandiose
· Lack of Realistic Long-Term Goals: Related to grandiosity, these people develop outrageous plans but do not possess the skills or opportunities to achieve these goals.
· Parasitic Lifestyle: Due to their egocentrism, psychopaths take more than they give. Additionally, in relation to their outrageous plans, they may exploit others to pursue their goals.
· Need for Excitement: Psychopaths dislike routine and desire thrills. They are easily bored, so it is no surprise that they are impulsive.
· Impulsivity: In an attempt to cure their boredom, psychopaths frequently switch jobs, commit crimes, or use various drugs. They desire immediate results and spend little time weighing the pros and cons of a decision.
· Pathological Lying
· Cunning and Manipulativeness
· Lack of Remorse or Guilt: Psychopaths, surprisingly, are upfront about their absence of remorse or guilt for the damage they caused. They may rationalize their actions by blaming the victim or believing the victim benefitted in the long run. Remarkably, they may even consider themselves a victim.
· Shallow Affect (Emotions): Psychopaths appear unemotional but will have spurts of dramatic play-acting. In other words, they “know the words, but not the music.” This means they are aware of these emotions but fail to experience them. Their emotions can be better seen as “proto-emotions,” which are innate responses to their needs.
· Callousness and Lack of Empathy: For a psychopath, people are simply a means to an end—for their own satisfaction. Others’ feelings are of no concern to them.
· Poor Behavior Controls: These individuals are extremely reactive and easily offended. They do not see their anger as out of proportion and cannot control the degree of their anger.
· Sexual Promiscuity
· Early Behavior Problems: These behaviors begin in childhood. Some behaviors include theft, truancy, and vandalism, which may lead to juvenile delinquency.
· Irresponsibility: These people demonstrate irresponsibility in various aspects of their lives, such as their job and parental duties. They are not affected by the consequences of their irresponsibility or the strain it puts on others who have to fix the problems these individuals find themselves in due to their irresponsibility.
· Failure to Accept Responsibility for Own Actions
· Many Short-Term Marital Relationships
· Juvenile Delinquency
· Revocation of Conditional Release
· Criminal Versatility: The antisocial/criminal behaviors of psychopaths occur more frequently and consist of a wide range of acts than other criminals, possibly related to their need for excitement.
After reading this article, you should be well-versed in the traits of psychopathy. Check out this website and test your ability to identify historical psychopaths using these 20 items. You can also discover where you fall on the psychopathy spectrum, but do not be alarmed if the results are high. Everyone possesses some traits of psychopathy. For individuals in specific jobs, like doctors, first responders, or soldiers, psychopathy allows them to disconnect from their emotions and empathize to complete the tasks. You will now be able to spot the psychopath accurately and no longer be tricked by Hollywood’s portrayals of psychopathy.
Diserio Consulting is a professional service firm that works with individuals and organizations, assisting them in gleaning insight into behavior. We provide services in life coaching, criminal investigations, management support, insider threat, victim advocacy, and training.