Now I'm kind of new to this, so bear with me. I recently discovered the term "Psychopath" and realized it sounded a lot like myself. Previously I had always referred to psychopaths as "The Crazy Killers" in movies and such, and while many Antagonists ARE psychopaths in such Movies, They aren't the ones I thought. I haven't seen a Psychologist in case I'm correct, But I have had to see Court Ordered councilors as a teenager, and one detective even told my mother that I reminded him of "The Columbine Kids". I personally don't think he should have been a detective. Anyway, It's also possible I'm just a Hypochondriac, or whatever the psychological equivalent, as I'm very interested in Psychopathy. It's really the only aspect of psychology that fascinates me. I'm even considering becoming a criminal psychologist for the chance to meet a Psychopath. I doubt I'd be able to do that if I was diagnosed, so I'd rather determine for myself. So just let me know some specific characteristics to help me decide, or let me know if I need to divulge the reasons why I think I am so you can decide. Thank You :)
How do I determine whether or not I'm a Psychopath
- Thread starter Bill
- Start date
I you really want to know, you can find a (forensic?) psychologist and let him run you through Hare's PCL-R (Psychopathy Check List - Revised). This would get you a rating - Psychopathy is a continuum. Most people rate quite low (maybe 4 - 5), then there are those with traits of psychopathy, but not classified as such, and then you have psychopaths, once you cross the threshold of 24 (if I remember correctly).
Have ou read Hare's book - if not, that would be a good starting point (Without Conscience or Snakes in Suits). He also lists the "required" character traits, e.g. callousness, superficiality, total disregard for others, manipulation, lack of empathy etc.
But the fact that you are asking the question is a point not in favor of you being one - most psychopaths know, that they are "different".
Have ou read Hare's book - if not, that would be a good starting point (Without Conscience or Snakes in Suits). He also lists the "required" character traits, e.g. callousness, superficiality, total disregard for others, manipulation, lack of empathy etc.
But the fact that you are asking the question is a point not in favor of you being one - most psychopaths know, that they are "different".
clerck de bonk
Dagobah Resident
Or One is just asking questions to get the "game" going...nicklebleu said:
Adaryn
The Living Force
clerck de bonk said:
Indeed! Don't underestimate the "twistedness" of psychopaths. I'm not saying that Bill is a psychopath. It's just that pretending to be afraid of/wondering about being a psycho and asking others what they think about it seems to be a common game psychopaths play (for feeding purposes I guess, and because they so much love to play with people's heads). Of course, it can also be a genuine question from someone wounded. Hard to tell at the beginning.
Adaryn said:
For me, it was pretty horrific to begin to study psychopathy and see psychopathic traits in myself, which naturally lead me to wonder if I was a psychopath. But the more I began to understand the topic, and the fact that "if you're play in the dirt, you're going to get dirty", the more I understood learning about it is the key to inoculation and cure.
