A new test has been developed that seeks to establish whether an individual has the key characteristics of a psychopath.
According to researchers at the University of Huddersfield, one of the most important traits that is often overlooked is egocentricity.
In the new study, published in this month's Journal of Criminal Justice, Dr Daniel Boduszek reveals the method he has developed for diagnosing psychopathy – the Psychopathic Personality Traits Scale (PPTS). This consists of 20 brief statements intended to measure the "essence of a psychopathic personality", including egocentricity.
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Researcher Kent Kiehl explained to Wired: "With psychopathy the main features are lack of empathy, guilt and remorse – and impulsivity."
In short, people with psychopathy are selfish in the extreme, which goes a long way toward explaining their tendency toward manipulation and disregard for others, says Bustle.
Researchers presented the PPTS, among other tests, to nearly 1,800 prisoners at ten maximum and medium security Polish prisons; some prisoners were violent offenders, while others were nonviolent.
Psychopathy itself was measured with statements such as "I don't care if I upset someone to get what I want" and "I know how to simulate emotions like pain and hurt to make others feel sorry for me". Inmates who agreed with more statements were considered more psychopathic.
Despite the fact the research used inmates, Boduszek insists that the test can be used on anyone, "to grasp the essence of a psychopathic personality, regardless of respondents' age, gender, cultural background and criminal history".
The 20 questions used in the study are featured below – but remember, as Jon Ronson, author of The Psychopath Test, notes: If you're beginning to feel worried that you may be a psychopath, if you recognise some of those traits in yourself, if you're feeling a creeping anxiety about it, that means you are not one."
1. I don't care if I upset someone to get what I want
2. Before criticising somebody, I try to imagine and understand how it would make them feel
3. I know how to make another person feel guilty
4. I tend to focus on my own thoughts and ideas rather than on what others might be thinking
5. What other people feel doesn't concern me
6. I always try to consider the other person's feelings before I do something
7. I know how to pay someone compliments to get something out of them
8. I don't usually appreciate the other person's viewpoint if I don't agree with it
9. Seeing people cry doesn't really upset me
10. I am good at predicting how someone will feel
11. I know how to simulate emotions like pain and hurt to make others feel sorry for me
12. In general, I'm only willing to help other people if doing so will benefit me as well
13. I tend to get emotionally involved with a friend's problems
14. I'm quick to spot when someone is feeling awkward or uncomfortable
15. I sometimes provoke people on purpose to see their reaction
16. I believe in the motto: 'I'll scratch your back, if you scratch mine'
17. I get filled with sorrow when people talk about the death of their loved ones
18. I find it difficult to understand what other people feel
19. I sometimes tell people what they want to hear to get what I want from them
20. It's natural for human behavior to be motivated by self-interest
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