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 got 1, 1.5 at a push, very boring indeed!

I scored 3, and 9% on the Jon Ronson/Channel 4 one.

"The Psychopath Test" makes for really fascinating reading, actually. I wholeheartedly recommend it.

So, 0% on the channel 4 one, and rubbish at spotting psychopaths. Or maybe rubbish at history...

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

Thats actually quite fascinating actually. Thank you for answering them.

I guess I feel the need to manipulate most situations to a outcome that benefits myself. Have done ever since I can remember. Its unfortunate if my chosen way does not benefit others too, but thats just how it is. Again, I did think everyone was more concerned about themselves than other people..that just seems to be..natural? Maybe it just seems that way to me because thats how I have always been (well as long as I can remember anyway). When I was younger this was much more obvious. As a ridiculous example when I was maybe 5 or 6..a girl in my class lost her tooth at school. The teacher put it in her drawer until hometime. Well I quite fancied the money from the tooth fairy. I stole the tooth, hid it outside the room when I went to the loo (so it was not on my person if I was searched, which was silly as they are not going to search people for a bloody tooth, but trying to tie up all outcomes). This girl was distraught. At no time did I feel the need to own up. I did 'comfort' her though, saying it was absolutely awful that the teacher had lost her tooth and such. Long story short, I went home with this tooth and told my mam I was going to get money from the tooth fairy tonight as my tooth had came out. A lot of questioning followed, including my mother asking to see the hole and such but I bluffed my way out of it with ridiculous lies such as 'my mouth is hurting too much to open it right now' which I am sure she didn't believe but I put her off for the full day anyway. I am a much better liar now though obviously..as a kid you don't really know how to lie, its a learnt skill. Anyway, the tooth fairy did not come that night for me and my mother collared me in the morning. I would not tell her what happened so she asked the teacher when she took me into school. And it all came out. The girl was not there though. Oddly enough, after all of this, obviously the teacher knew the truth and did not trust me again, but the girl..I managed to convince her that it was still the teachers fault and the teacher had lost it, cleaner had found it and teacher was embarrassed so was trying to blame one of the kids in the class instead!

So yeah, thats probably my most stupid childhood example of behaviour thats second nature to me now as an adult. When you learn social cues and such, and understand what lies are reasonable, its obviously a lot easier to manipulate. I am actually such a good liar, that I have convinced everyone around me that I am a terrible liar and they would be able to tell if I was lying easily. Its useful to have them believe that. Oddly enough, I don't feel the need to lie online. have been using forums and such for a long time and am on the whole completely honest. Maybe this is because its all anonymous.

Or maybe you're just full of shit

Do you feel guilt now over the tooth?

LOL no I don't feel guilt now over it? Why would I?

Do you feel guilty now for things you did as a young child?

Do you feel guilty now for things you did as a young child?

Absolutely, if I did something nasty.

No, it's you. I scored about 11 and I'm known for being quite callous.

I predict that you will not think or concern yourself about this for long though!

OP it is likely from what you have posted that you have strong sociopathic/narcissistic/psycopathic traits.

The fact you thought everyone would score highly is indicative of this.

In short those suffering from these kind of traits, lack empathy and think everyone behaves the way they do. They think everyone is at core manipulative like they are. It's one of the reasons that those who suffer with this personality disorder are incapable of true love for others (in the sense that non-sufferers would understand it).

They see love as a sign of weakness - because really everyone (in their eyes) is actually out for their own ends.

I wouldn't get too worked up about it though. Sociopathic traits can be a good thing. There are plenty of functioning high achievers with these traits - they make good leaders in a crisis for example. Not all people with these traits are serial killers - in fact most of them are not.

Read Jon Ronson's book The Pscyopath Test referred to up thread - lots of examples of these high achiever types and the benefit to society of having people like this around.

I don't feel guilty over things I did as a young child either, but that is only because I never did anything that shitty, BatShite.

Again, I did think everyone was more concerned about themselves than other people..that just seems to be..natural?

No, it’s not natural at all. If we were all psychopaths who only cared for themselves, society would break down, and we’d have evolved to be loners like cats.

For society to function we need trust, empathy and cooperation in the general interest.

Psychopaths (as you appear to be) are parasites leeching of the society that enables them to prosper.... taking but never giving.

To edit the above: it’s not natural to the extent of being entirely self-centred and lacking in empathy as psychopaths are.

If we were all psychopaths who only cared for themselves, society would break down, and we’d have evolved to be loners like cats.

As I sit watching one of my cats groom the other one (which is actually quite gross - he licks the inside of his ears) I would like to object to this!

Well this has been quite eye opening. I will search for the channel 4 psychopath night stuff tonight to see if it exists on the internet, which it probably will. I will also look into all of the books mentioned.

And possibly commence training to be a brain surgeon or something

One of the issues with clinical psychometrics that without the profession and the training... They mean pretty well nothing...

Ime generally people completely underestimate the amount /extremity you need to show behaviourally to score a maximum on any one question.

36

I got 12 but think it is very subjective. It would be interesting to have someone else fill in the test for you

What field of work are you in OP, and what is your family situation?

Will you look at the people around you differently, now you know most of them aren't just acting out their emotions and behaviours for effect?

Ok having read your responses OP even I think with the shoplifting and active intention to manipulate people and situations that you do sound a little extreme, however, I'm also surprised to hear most people don't, at their core, prioritise themselves. I do, not in the sense of loving myself narcissistically (definitely not that!) but in as much as when making decisions and weighing up factors, the deciding one will always be "how will this affect me". That's pretty much what everything comes down to. I just assumed that was true of everyone

I got 11

See I genuinely act in the best interests of the group, and my group is pretty big as in not just my own family or people I know. The whole group does better if most people act selflessly. Individuals do better if they prioritise themselves, but if everyone did that, then we'd all end up worse off.

You can't technically take a psychopath test and be sure the results are true. Only a trained psychologist can do it because psychopaths lie. It's also obvious what to choose if you want to score high. I could do it now and get 40, doesn't mean I'm a psychopath.

You are right in a sense that people will have traits of a psychopath but not be one. Such as they could be a liar and that's it. They could be promiscuous, charming or lacking empathy. It's the same way that everyone has autism, we just don't all fall highly enough on the scale to be classed as such.

It's a scale basically. Falling high on the scale just says you have more attributes than someone lower down. Doesn't make you dangerous.