To think most people have psychopathic tendencies?

[BatShite]

I was reading about a scientist who found out he had the 'brain imaging pattern of a psychopath' which mentioned this Hare Psychopathy test. So I searched for the test that was mentioned.

uk.businessinsider.com/hare-psychopath-checklist-test-sociopath-2016-11/#1-do-you-have-excess-glibness-or-superficial-charm-1

I score 35 on this. Obviously not all people who would be diagnosed psychopaths go onto kill or anything, but its still a bit concerning scoring so highly (though it is true that I have huge issues with empathy and always have done). But then I thought, surely a lot these apply to most people?! So lets find out I guess.

This explains the typical results for people

www.minddisorders.com/Flu-Inv/Hare-Psychopathy-Checklist.html

When properly completed by a qualified professional, the PCL-R provides a total score that indicates how closely the test subject matches the "perfect" score that a classic or prototypical psychopath would rate. Each of the twenty items is given a score of 0, 1, or 2 based on how well it applies to the subject being tested. A prototypical psychopath would receive a maximum score of 40, while someone with absolutely no psychopathic traits or tendencies would receive a score of zero. A score of 30 or above qualifies a person for a diagnosis of psychopathy. People with no criminal backgrounds normally score around 5. Many non-psychopathic criminal offenders score around 22.

I think the question about poor behavioural controls would probably cover things like running up massive debts, getting into fights, walking out of jobs/getting sacked, shoplifting etc etc. Which seems quite extreme, particularly if you did a variety of things like that.

Every one of those things you have mentioned I have done. Though the shoplifting was as a teen. Only reason I stopped was because I got caught and was told if I was caught again it would be prison. Self-preservation matters a lot to me, so I guess I can control my behaviour if I know I will get into serious trouble. So that should maybe be a 1 instead of 2.

Will do the channel 4 quiz thing a bit later, thanks.

Just to cheer you up OP, I got 33. I'd have presumed most people would have got in to at least double digits.

OK done it now.

I score 94% on there

You can play hardball with the best of them! You know what you want and are not afraid to go for it – even if it means bending the rules occasionally and putting a few noses out of joint on the way. Nothing fazes you. You are decisive, self-confident and pretty much up for anything. You are a ‘means-to-an-end’ person. For you, it’s not necessarily a matter of right or wrong, but of what gets the job done. ‘Bring it on’ is your mantra, but to help those around you keep their heads, you should learn some tricks to help you temper your self-satisfying tendencies...

And 6/7 of the spot the psychopath one. I got thatcher wrong..was sre she would be very high.

I'm was convinced Thatcher would be higher too but as I say, I wasn't very good at it!

Obviously you scored very high but the conclusion lists the positive aspects - do you find that less worrying?

Just remembered you said it wasn't concerning so ignore worrying bit.

I got a 10.

I don't think I am a psychopath but I have wondered sometimes if I am a sociopath.

I care about very very few people and only really worry about how things may effect me (or the small group of people I actually care about).

I understand the rules of society and obey them so I don't go to jail, but I don't think I have the same internal thinking as many people. I.e. when some kills someone for doing something awful to them/someone they love, I really don't see the issue from a moral point of view.

A good 50% of the time I have no idea when people are upset, if I have clocked they are upset, I usually don't understand WHY etc. I have LEARNED to fake interest/caring/say the right words but I don't really 'get' it.

I scored low but so many of these made me think of my Ex.

I worked with a psychopath, and because I score extremely low on these tests I could see right through him. He didnt like that as his superficial charm (which seemed to suck others in) didn’t work with me, and I made a point of keeping my distance. I agree with pp who advise staying away from my lot - we can see right through people like that. Not a bad thing necessarily - I’d rather have a psychopathic surgeon/lawyer etc. That’s fine, but I work in a profession where this man had access to vulnerable people - and yes he fucked up, and yes he got fired. Not before he messed with someone’s life in what could have been a very serious way. Thankfully it worked out ok.
Psychopathy isn’t an inherently bad trait - it’s just a trait. Your behaviour, not your traits make you ‘bad’ or ‘good.’

11. Do you have a history of promiscuous sexual behaviour? (thought this would go for a lot, obviously not all

Why do you think a lot of women would be promiscuous? That's rank most women don't open their legs to every tom, dick and harry

Not necessarily women, just people. Again basing this off the people I know. Especially when younger.

I thought sociopath and psychopath were basically the same thing too.

Only reason I stopped was because I got caught and was told if I was caught again it would be prison.

I did it once and didn't again because I felt guilty. I didn't want to let my family down, I felt bad for the shopkeeper and I didn't actually want or need the stuff. That's empathy.

Not doing/doing stuff solely because of the material consequences for yourself isn't common.

I think you're getting your hopes up OP, your quiz that you linked is just some buzzfeed, armchair psychologist lifestyle quiz. Most of those questions require extensive elaboration, and even you don't know what sort of answer they require so how much value does the quiz have? none. I don't know, much of what you describe, glibness, lack of joy, empathy can be put down to depression. Maybe you do have an anti-social personality type but unless you commit a crime or have significant mental health problems because of it, you'd be hard pressed for any clinician or public service to give a shit tbh.

I heard an academic in this field say that psychopaths not only don't worry about others, and lack empathy for others....they also kind of do the same regarding themselves. Not that they are not selfish or motivated by their own desire but that they don't feel a great deal of fear or anxiety and will often act rashly putting themselves in danger or enjoy extreme sports. Do you suffer from anxiety much OP?

I don't suffer anxiety no. I may be depressed though. Was diagnosed with PND actually but no follow up to it.

It is probably useful to say that my scores for many 'traits' have been broadly similar whether tested in a lab by a psychologist and on the internet. I say broadly. Roughly in the same area, not the same.

A decent psychologist with a good psychometric test would be able to work out that an empathetic person with ADHD/depression or whatever comorbid disorder would score high for certain traits that sounded psychopathic but aren't. They could also administer a lie test at the same time

Do you think your personality type is impacting your life OP? Because you can approach your GP for help with depression or problems controlling your anger (if that is an issue).

Do you think your personality type is impacting your life OP? Because you can approach your GP for help with depression or problems controlling your anger (if that is an issue).

No not really. I could do with help with impulse control but I cannot really see what help a GP could give me for that. I tend to tell the GP that everythings fine, when they ask about mental health. Not sure why I do that. I answered the health visitors questionaire thing about PND honestly though. After having the children, the first few weeks I felt quite normal too, I assume it was due to the hormones or something. So even though I apparently had PND, I felt much 'better' than usual. Quite confusing.

You know thinking about this, the only time I felt 'normal' (before the short periods after having children) was when taking MDMA. I have not touched it since having my children though. Obviously I felt high too, but I felt intense love for friends/family. I felt very happy. Impulse control was worse though. But overall, it was something I really really enjoyed as it made me feel like a completely different person. That may just be because its a drug thats meant to make you feel good mind. But it altered me a LOT.

It might be worth having another chat with your GP, some antidepressants are designed to,help,with impulse control too, in the sense of disorders like shopping addiction or something. It may be not the right thing at all, but if you are feeling depressed it is worth a chat with them.

psychopathic tendency’s are not a bad thing. For instance they allow you to make a decision without worrying about other people.

@fizzy what an incredibly sexist and offensive thing to say! There's nothing wrong with women enjoying casual sex as long as it's all consensual and fun for all involved. I don't think it's that rare for a woman to have been promiscuous, especially at university. Sex was the main hobby among my uni friends! Likewise I don't judge anyone who's only had one or two partners. It's personal preference, nothing grim about it.

Anyway, this has really got me thinking. As much as others' situations do not emotionally move me, I do sometimes cry at films and I also feel a strong sense of guilt if I upset someone or act in a way that negatively affects them. This doesn't tend to happen a lot as I think I have a pretty strong moral code when it comes to social interactions, especially romantic ones, in that I'd never lie, cheat or disregard someone's feelings. So I suppose that is a form of empathy.

But when I've been wronged, e.g. treated badly by a boyfriend, I turn quite malicious. My most recent ex was an absolute arse and I remember thinking the other day that if he was on his deathbed, I would visit him just to tell him how much I hated him and what a piece of shit I thought he was. The thought gave me a twisted sense of pleasure. When I feel let down by friends, though, it doesn't affect me anywhere near as badly because I believe all people are intrinsically selfish and expect nothing from anyone (as mentioned above). I think this is because I was bullied a lot through school and repeatedly let down by so called friends.

It's weird - with romantic relationships my feelings are so strong I sometimes feel physically ill and my anxiety goes off the scale, but with friends I largely feel, yes these people are nice/funny/good to be around but it's a sort of surface-level emotion, it isn't deep. Save for a small group of people I think I'd recover fairly quickly if anyone I knew suddenly died.

So I suppose I do have emotion and empathy but not in all the situations you might expect. What does that all mean?!

Sociopathy and psychopathy are not the same clinically, although they share traits in common. A lot of these criteria apply to sociopathy too , psychopathy tends towards the violent anti-social behaviour side of things with markedly unusual brain development such as abnormal dopamine release in response to certain stimuli. Fwiw someone very close to me is a clinically diagnosed sociopath and would score very highly on this and so do I. Popular imagination often gets the two disorders confused.

Lots of high status, successful people are psychopaths. Society rewards a lot of psychopathic traits.

Do you have an excess need for stimulation or proneness to boredom?

1. Are you conning or manipulative? (thought most people know how to manipulate situations for their desired result, and as such do it often)

10. Do you have poor behavioural controls? 11. Do you have a history of promiscuous sexual behaviour? (thought this would go for a lot, obviously not all) 13. Do you lack realistic long-term goals? 14. Are you overly impulsive? (don't most people do what they want to, when they want to do it?) 17. Have you had many short-term "marital" relationships? (though I scored 0 on this, most people I know would score here, so figured the general population would too)

To give you a comparison of my thinking on these questions...

Looking at those, I very rarely get restless because I'm bored. I'm content pottering around, and dislike too much stimulation.
Cunning and manipulative- I could be if I tried, but it really doesn't occur to me to try often. Very rarely do I need to actively consider how to make a situation work for me. I'm in a difficult situation in one area of my life and needing to plan and prepare to get a sensible outcome because other people are sabotaging things. It makes me very uncomfortable to need to do that. It feels dishonest. I will leave as soon as I respectably and responsibly can.
Behavioural controls- only about crisps, chocolate, and reading books when I should be doing chores!
I haven't had many sex partners, and only one relationship lasting longer than a year (25yrs!).
Sensible long term goals, which we planned for.
Impulsive? Again, only around food and chores. I don't change plans at a moment's notice, or buy things I wasn't intending to buy. I don't say or do things without being aware of how others are affected.

I have a strong sense of responsibility to others, so don't do just what I want. That said, it is of course my choice, so in a way I am doing what I want. I'd feel very uncomfortable if I prioritised myself all the time. I do what is best for the community, not for me.

Does that give you an idea of what goes on in other people's heads? It's really interesting to talk about.