Let's Take A Test
Shall we...
There is a very amusing site called Psychopathy IS. It’s mind-numbingly ridiculous. They have many things to say about psychopathy which likely sooner or later I will go through more of them, such as:
Psychopathy is a common disorder. In its most severe form it affects 1 in 100 people. But myths and stigmas make it difficult for people affected by psychopathy and their families to find support. We aim to create a forum where people can share their stories and find the information they need.
Nope. Not even close. Psychopathy as a whole, in total, affects about .75%-1% of the population. Psychopathy in its most severe form would be “Above the Snowline, or ‘A-Lister’ psychopaths. Out of that .75%-1% of the population, these types make up such a vanishing percentile of psychopaths as a whole, the only reason that they are even discussed is that they make a mark that is difficult to ignore. They help shape psychopathy into a monstrosity that needs to somehow be addressed.
For a reminder, the numbers of normal psychopaths to those that are antisocial shape up this way:
The overall estimate of psychopaths in the general population is .75–1%. It’s not a lot. How many psychopaths are in prison? Let’s see what the studies say;
As currently construed, the diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder grossly over-identifies people, particularly those with offence histories, as meeting the criteria for the diagnosis. For example, research shows that between 50% and 80% of prisoners meet the criteria for a diagnosis of antisocial personality disorder, yet only approximately 15% of prisoners would be expected to be psychopathic, as assessed by the PCL-R.
A. That is a whole lot of not psychopathic antisocial people
&
B. Demonstrates a lot lower percentage of psychopaths in prison than people would like to pretend.
How does that stack against the .75–1% of the population estimate?
Here’s the numbers;
General population in US
318.9 million x 0.0075 = 2,391,750
318.9 million x 0.01 = 3,189,000 (in this case just move the decimal point two spaces to the left)
Prison population
Your 15% calculation is spot on. For comparison against general population of the same size, the numbers would be:
2,220,300 x .15 = 333,045
333,045/3,190,000=10 percent
333,045/2,399,250= about thirteen percent
See how that actually works mathematically?
Out of that 10-13% that decide to get themselves in trouble, a tiny percent of those will be ‘A-Listers’. Most psychopaths in prison are going to be one of two things.
Low functioning psychopaths. Unfortunately, they exist and are trouble makers.
Psychopaths that decide to commit crimes because it’s easy, and are not often caught. They get caught because they get greedy usually.
‘A-Listers’, or "‘Above the Snowline’ psychopaths are quite rare, and they are also the most “severe” form of psychopathy.
Whether or not the people that put together this site would like to accept it or not, psychopathy is very rare, and the “most severe” presentation of it is so rare that it pretty much doesn’t need mentioning. When those types get caught, put them under the jail. Just as there is no way to treat the neurotypicals that commit evil acts, there isn’t one for psychopaths either. Honestly? Why bother trying? Edmund Kemper, a non psychopath serial killer has outright stated that he should never be let out, there is no help for him, and he refuses to attend his parole hearings, because he does not want out.
Kemper is a smart man, smarter than most people, in fact, having an IQ of about 145. he is likely one of the smartest people that has decided to commit the crimes that he has, and he himself says, Nah, don’t let me out. It would go badly for everyone.
I do have to address one more thing before we move on to the lovely test that they provided for us, which is their statement saying:
Approximately 70% of the population is estimated to have no psychopathic traits whatsoever. The remaining 30% have low, medium, or high levels of psychopathy
Literally no.
Psychopathy is a spectrum, but literally every single person alive has psychopathic traits. You either have very low traits, or rather high ones, but do not reach the diagnostic cutoff. If you did, you would be a psychopath.
Anyway, on to the test. Let’s see how well this can actually apply to psychopathy, shall we?
1. I’m optimistic more often than not.
Psychopaths are not optimistic, nor pessimistic. We simply are.
2. How other people feel is important to me.
Obviously not.
3. I often act on immediate needs.
Nope, incorrect. Psychopaths act on immediate wants, not needs. Needs get handled when they must be.
4. I have no strong desire to parachute out of an airplane.
This is like an entire sport that many many people that are not psychopaths enjoy taking part in. Also, psychopaths have no strong desires for anything. An echo back to Hervey Cleckley’s quote about psychopaths and their desire to do things:
Hervey Cleckley had a brilliant insight in regards to the drive to do things in a psychopathic mind. He states as summarized by Professor Joseph Newman, "Psychopaths are not driven by the things that lead to their behavior. It's not that they're driven to be especially violent or aggressive, it's not like they're so motivated to get money that they're going to after it in that way, it's not like they're so turned on by sexual things that they do things that are sexually inappropriate,”
‘and he went on and on that and he explicitly notes’
“that if anything their drive towards those goals, maybe less than that those of other people. The only thing is when they have a whim, just a thought that it might be interesting to try this or do this, they are more likely to act on it. So he talks about very weak urges breaking through even weaker restraints being a hallmark of psychopathy".
5. I've often missed things I promised to attend.
Sure, okay, that’s true for me. I would imagine that it is also true of people that are introverted.
6. I would enjoy being in a high-speed chase.
The chase? Sure. The end result? Not likely. I’ve been to jail, didn’t like it, and I prefer freedom. Also, most people going on high-speed chases are not psychopaths. They are running because they are afraid of getting caught.
7. I am well-equipped to deal with stress.
Yup. Agreed on this one.
8. I don’t mind if someone I dislike gets hurt.
Umm… I don’t mind if someone I like gets hurt. I’ll help them, but there isn’t an emotional response to it at all.
9. My impulsive decisions have caused problems with loved ones.
When I was a kid… and certainly when I was a teenager, and even into my early twenties. I learned how to do better and not be impulsive. All psychopaths that are successful in life learn this.
10. I get scared easily.
LOL! No.
11. I sympathize with others’ problems.
Nope, not even a little.
12. I have missed work without bothering to call in.
Maybe? I don’t know.
13. I'm a born leader.
Hmm, maybe, but I have no interest in being so.
14. I enjoy a good physical fight.
Nope, and this has nothing to do with psychopathy. It may have to do with a testosterone leak, but not psychopathy.
15. I jump into things without thinking.
No, there’s thought involved. Often that thought may consist of, Ooo! Shiny, but there is thought. If there wasn’t at least a little bit, I would be dead by now.
16. I have a hard time making things turn out the way I want.
Nope. Never actually. I always find a way to make things work to my advantage, no matter how grim things appear.
17. I return insults.
Actually, I don’t. If I did, it would be very obvious that I am very cold in my thinking. Returning insults would work against me in the long run.
18. I've gotten in trouble because I missed too much school.
This would not apply to anyone that should be taking this test. They should not be in school, so this question is irrelevant. Did I when I was young? Maybe. I missed a lot, but I didn’t care. If there was some sort of backlash on me for that, I didn’t notice.
19. I have a knack for influencing people.
Very much so.
20. It doesn’t bother me to see someone else in pain.
Nope. Nor do I want to hear about it either. Shut it and deal with it. I do not care.
21. I have good control over myself.
Yes, of course I do. I am an adult.
22. I function well in new situations, even when unprepared.
Yes, this is very easy.
23. I enjoy pushing people around sometimes.
Nope, don’t care at all about other people. I prefer they get lost and leave me be with what I want to do.
24. I have taken money from someone's purse or wallet without asking.
Yup, I did this all the time to my parents when I was younger. I was excellent at it too. I haven’t since then because there is no reason for me to, I have my own money, and I prefer not to deal with the blowback.
25. I don't think of myself as talented.
I know I am talented. I have no investment in my talents, nor no shame in my failures.
26. I taunt people just to stir things up.
What would be the damn point of that? What a waste of my time. No, I don’t do this.
27. People often abuse my trust.
I would have to be able to feel trust for this to happen in the first place. I have cognitive trust, but even if someone violates that, it doesn’t have an effect on me. It does on them, because they are immediately removed from my life.
28. I'm afraid of far fewer things than most people.
I’m not afraid of anything, so that is an easy yes.
29. I don't see any point in worrying if what I do hurts someone else.
Incorrect. I have no ability to worry about anything, to begin with. It is not situationally specific, it is constant and applies to all things. Hurting someone or not does not disturb me in the slightest past whether or not I have to deal with fallout.
30. I keep appointments I make.
Depends. Do they benefit me, and did anything more interesting come along? If the answer is yes to the first, then it will be weighed against the interest in the other.
31. I often get bored quickly and lose interest.
True.
32. I can get over things that would traumatize others.
They don’t bother me to begin with. There is nothing to get over.
33. I am sensitive to the feelings of others.
Again… nope, and lol.
34. I have conned people to get money from them.
Sure have.
35. It worries me to go into an unfamiliar situation without knowing all the details.
That makes it all the more interesting.
36. I don't have much sympathy for people.
I have none, so incorrect. They left room for even a bit which is wrong.
37. I get in trouble for not considering the consequences of my actions.
Oh so many times when I was younger.
38. I can convince people to do what I want.
With ease.
39. For me, honesty really is the best policy.
So long as it benefits me, otherwise, nope.
40. I've injured people to see them in pain.
Umm… I’m a psychopath, not a sadist. Hopefully, this is a screening question to weed out the fakes, but I doubt it. More likely it is from poorly educated people, and yes, I am aware that a couple of people on their board have PhDs, but I have known a lot of those folks that are dumb as rocks, so that tells me nothing about them knowing anything.
41. I don’t like to take the lead in groups.
Let someone else deal with that responsibility. They can get their little powertrip and I can do what I want to do, which most often is to not be involved in groups in the first place.
42. I sometimes insult people on purpose to get a reaction from them.
Ugh, how boring. Why would I want to deal with their whiny ass response to their hurt feelings? I would rather be doing things for me.
43. I have taken items from a store without paying for them.
Good lord, oh so many times. I haven’t in years, but we’re are talking tens of thousands of dollars easily.
44. It's easy to embarrass me.
Nope. Try harder, try again. I think it’s funny.
45. Things are more fun if a little danger is involved.
Maybe, but danger doesn’t cross my mind. I like doing stuff, and usually it is later, or while I am doing whatever it is, that someone says, “Hey! That’s dangerous!”
46. I have a hard time waiting patiently for things I want.
Why would I wait?
47. I stay away from physical danger as much as I can
*Snicker snort*
48. I don't care much if what I do hurts others.
Does their getting hurt cause me problems such as me having to go to jail? No? Then no, no I don’t care.
49. I have lost a friend because of irresponsible things I've done.
Hm… maybe. I don’t know. I never asked. It’s probably the case though.
50. I don't stack up well against most others.
Why would I care about other people? They have nothing to do with me.
51. Others have told me they are concerned about my lack of self-control.
Nope. I’m a psychopath. Not a histrionic, nor someone with BPD, not a sociopath.
52. It’s easy for me to relate to other people’s emotions.
*snicker snort*… not really, well, no, I can’t at all, but I can act like I do.
53. I have robbed someone.
No comment.
54. I never worry about making a fool of myself with others.
Not even a little.
55. It doesn’t bother me when people around me are hurting.
Haven’t you asked this question like three times now? I get the whole, “ask a question many different ways to see if the response is consistent”, but that doesn't work when:
The person has the entire test in front of them and can scroll up, and…
The test is too short so they will recall what they have already been asked. You have to have a good amount of time between like questions so that the trick isn’t noticed. It was noticed, do better.
56. I have had problems at work because I was irresponsible.
Nope. I never did any sort of work that didn’t interest me. I was there because I was interested in what I was doing, so being irresponsible would have no place there.
57. I’m not very good at influencing people.
Nope, I’m great at it actually.
58. I have stolen something out of a vehicle.
Have I? I don’t know. I probably have, but I wouldn’t remember that specifically.
So I took the test, but I will preface my score by stating that I know that it isn’t accurate. I know this because it only has the options of,
True
Somewhat True
Somewhat False
False
There is no neutral response, which is necessary for a psychopath. A lot of the things that they asked about warrant an “I don’t care about this at all” response from me, but you have to pick one of them. That means that their test is useless. They are applying thinking to psychopaths that is inaccurate. That said, here are the results that I got:
This individual received a score of 132 out of a possible 174 points
This score places this individual in the 99th percentile on the TriPM. In other words, this individual’s score is higher than 99% of other people of the same age and gender.
The Boldness Subscore is 54
The Disinhibition Subscore is 41
The Meanness Subscore is 37
REVIEW RESULTS
VERY HIGH RISK
The percentile score above suggests very high levels of psychopathic traits. A person with this score has much higher levels of psychopathic traits than other adults of their gender.
People with very high levels of psychopathy may frequently act in ways that are callous, antisocial, and deceitful. They are at very high risk for engaging in behaviors like manipulating, exploiting, bullying, or harming others.
A person with psychopathy scores in this range should seek an evaluation from a mental health professional. Ask your doctor, school, or social worker for a referral, or you can seek more information here.
You can complete this worksheet and provide it to your provider.
Based on this score, you may be eligible to take part in research aimed at learning more about psychopathy. If you would like to learn more about the research you may be eligible to take part in (including online surveys, behavioral studies, or brain imaging research) please click here.
What's Next
Download and complete our worksheet to help facilitate a discussion with a healthcare professional.
We're constantly working to improve our site and make tools like this test available. Please consider donating to our organization to help us with our mission.
In other words, “Congratulations!! You’re a psychopath! Give us money!!
I know I am, and no. Never. Nor will I ever recommend their site to anyone, and you will see why below.
Again.
People that don’t understand psychopathy should refrain to write about it. Having a Ph.D. is not an excuse. Having actual knowledge is all that matters.
It might seem that I am dismissing people that I know nothing about, but these are the same people that are stating:
YES, PSYCHOPATHY IS TREATABLE.
And while there’s a variety of ways to improve symptoms, there’s still much to be done to develop more effective options.
The most successful approaches to treating psychopathy are multimodal. This means they include multiple approaches at once, including psychotherapy, behavioral skills training, and recognition of the important roles of family, school, peers, and the community. They may also incorporate medication.
Below, we provide more information about all of these treatment options.
INDIVIDUAL-FOCUSED THERAPIES
There is nothing to treat in psychopathy. There is nothing wrong with us, we do not want treatment, and would prefer that these do-gooder neurotypicals take their ideas and ideals and bugger off. Stop trying to make us into you. We aren’t, we have no interest in being so, and those of you that want to change how we are naturally are no better than eugenicists.FAMILY-FOCUSED THERAPIES
Why would they ever expect an adult to go to therapy with their mommy and daddy? That’s nonsensical, and again, there is nothing to treat.RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT
Oh… I see, they think therapeutic prison is acceptable. Nope, and back again to the eugenics thing. We have no interest in being anyone other than ourselves. It is very unfortunate that the people that run this site think that being neurotypical is such a great thing and that they should mold us into one, but none of us agree with them. Be neurotypical. Like it, love it, but don’t think that it is the only way to be.MEDICATION
Nope, and that’s an atrocious suggestion. They want to try and force us through medication to not be ourselves. This is amazing from a site that claims that they want to:
”UNITE OUR VOICES...
against stigma and shame. Tell our stories, so no one feels alone. And call attention to just how common the disorder is.Psychopathy is a common disorder. In its most severe form it affects 1 in 100 people. But myths and stigmas make it difficult for people affected by psychopathy and their families to find support. We aim to create a forum where people can share their stories and find the information they need.”
That isn’t the worst part of this site though. This site is dedicated to trying to identify psychopathy in children. We have been through this in detail why this is not only impossible, but wildly unethical to suggest. Psychopathy can never be identified in children. Not sometimes, not every once in a while. NEVER. Thinking that it can be is life-destroying for that child that is NOT going to be a psychopath. Why do I know that they won’t be? Because children have many aspects that look like psychopathy, but is nothing more than normal development. If you want a refresher, it is below:
It can’t be identified in teenagers either:
Labeling a child with psychopathy, medicating them, and sending them to “residential treatment programs” are effectively the same thing as putting a bullet in their heads. You will destroy their minds with medication that they should never have been put on, you will destroy their trust in their families and make them believe that there is no one that they can ever rely on, and you will create an institutionalized mentality. It causes psychological suffering.
If a child is severely emotionally disturbed and needs to go somewhere for intervention, I get that, but that is not going to be a psychopathic child. Psychopathic children are not emotionally disturbed. I am not dismissing that there are situations in which some children require intensive intervention. This was well documented in the documentary, “A Dangerous Son”. You can see the trailer below:
When I first came to this site I thought it was rather innocuous, if not just a silly side project by the same sort of people that do sites like Love Fraud, Psychopath Free, or Psychopathic Writings. That isn’t the case, however. Instead, it is a bunch of people that claim to be “professionals” that are advocating identifying psychopathy in children, sending them to “treatment programs”, and medicating kids when no medication has any effect on psychopathy.
One of the people on their board even studies psychopathy, and wouldn't you know it? It is his ridiculous test that does not accurately address psychopathy. No kidding:
What is it with these people that supposedly study psychopathy, and yet they are rather off the mark when it comes to how our minds work? The only thing I can come up with is that they hear what we say, but then filter it through some neurotypical lens and assumptions, and then apply that to what we meant? It happens so frequently.
Let’s close with their lovely statement trolling for more funds to target children, shall we?
Too few solutions are available for people affected by psychopathy. More research is needed to identify the causes of psychopathy and develop effective treatments. Targeted treatments, particularly in early childhood, have the potential to improve symptoms and quality of life for affected individuals and their families. Very little private or federal research funding is devoted to psychopathy, making the need for private fundraising acute. Donations to Psychopathy Is will directly support basic and clinical research.
Edit:
Oh good lord. I was looking at the score page before I closed it, and could not help but notice the link that was there. You know, this one:
You can complete this worksheet and provide it to your provider.
Oh my goodness, this worksheet…
What is psychopathy? Psychopathy is a common disorder that affects 1 in 100 people¹. People with psychopathy have uncaring personalities (low empathy, compassion, and remorse), are bold and daring, and have difficulty inhibiting behaviors². They may deceive, manipulate, exploit, threaten, or steal from others. Sometimes, but not always, they are physically violent. Psychopathy is a spectrum disorder that ranges from mild to extreme and results from atypical structure and function in the brain³.
I am concerned I may be at risk for psychopathy because I have the following traits and/or engage in the following behaviors:
Not feeling empathy or compassion for others’ suffering or distress
Not feeling remorse after hurting others or breaking rules
Manipulating people to get things
Lying often and skillfully Have trouble maintaining relationships with people
I completed an online psychopathy screener (www.psychopathyis.org) and my score is ______ which places me in the top ____% of the population. I would like a referral to a clinician who is knowledgeable about psychopathy and familiar with (or willing to learn more about) the most effective treatments for this disorder.
If any of you reading this is part of this website, let me be very clear. No psychopath on the planet will ever fill out this worksheet and take it with trembling hands to some shrink because we are concerned about literally anything.
Seriously:
I am concerned I may be at risk for psychopathy because I have the following traits and/or engage in the following behaviors:
That is painfully inaccurate. You should know better. If you are trying to target people that want to pretend to be, or are convinced that they are the long-suffering psychopath, by all means, you do you, but nothing on this “worksheet” applies to actual psychopaths.
If you are worried that you are a psychopath, you are definitely not a psychopath.
Slightly off topic. Perhaps some of the confusion over psychopathy arises from the fact that there are neurotypicals with very low empathy: narcissists. Although I think it should be easy to distinguish the two, perhaps too much focus on empathy as the key distinguishing element causes confusion.
A lot of your responses were just straight up funny. I mean, not the content itself, but the deadpan way they were stated