This psychopathy test is a tool that allows you to quickly assess the possibility that a person has psychopathy. It was based on Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), a 20-question test that is widely used by psychiatrists and psychologists to assess the risk of psychopathy.
Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a reduced capacity for affection, a tendency to falsehood and a lack of remorse, for example, and whenever possible it should be evaluated by a trained mental health professional. Understand better what psychopathy is and its symptoms.
If you want to know the risk of you or someone close to you having psychopathy, please answer the questions in the test below:
This test is not intended to provide a diagnosis and, therefore, does not replace consultation with a psychiatrist or psychologist for a more detailed evaluation.
What does this test assess?
This psychopathy test was based on the questionnaire Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) and assesses the possibility of a person presenting psychopathy based on the characteristics and behaviors they present.
Who can take the test
This psychopathy test is recommended for adults and adolescents over 18 years of age, and is indicated to check the possibility of psychopathy. Although before the age of 18, there may already be behaviors and traits suggestive of psychopathy, other tests are more recommended in this age group.
How the test works
This psychopathy test presents 20 questions with 3 answer options each, and the option that best describes the characteristics of the person being assessed must be chosen.
Each answer option has a value that varies from 0 to 2, depending on how much the person presents the characteristic indicated in the question and, at the end of the test, a score is given that corresponds to the sum of the value of each answer.
The minimum score is 0 and the maximum is 40, with values equal to or greater than 30 indicating a greater risk of psychopathy.
What can influence the result
The result of this psychopathy test can be influenced by:
- Less severe cases of psychopathywhich may not reach the cutoff point used to evaluate the final test score.
- Other psychiatric problemssuch as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder, which can also affect the person’s behavior;
- Not knowing the person being evaluated welland may not be able to answer questions accurately;
- Difficulty understanding questionswhich can lead the person to be in doubt about the option they should select.
Furthermore, some of the characteristics present in the test questions tend to be more indicative of psychopathy than others and, therefore, detailed evaluation by a psychiatrist is essential in case of suspected psychopathy.
Bibliography
- BRAZIL, K; FORTH, A. Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV). In: Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences. Springer, Cham, 2016. 1–5.
- Balsis, Steve et al. A Statistical Consideration Regarding the Threshold of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised. J Pers Assess. Vol.99, n.5. 494-502, 2017
- SOHN, Ji S; RAINE, Adrian; LEE, Soo J. The utility of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) facet and item scores in predicting violent recidivism. Aggress Behav. Vol.46, n.6. 508-515, 2020
- American Psychistric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of mental disorders – DSM-V. 5 ed. Porto Alegre: Artmed, 2014.
- CUNHA, Olga et al. Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) Factor Structure in Male Perpetrators of Intimate Partner Violence. Journal of Forensic Psychology Research and Practice. Vol.20, n.3. 241-263, 2020
- ADDICTION RESEARCH CENTER. Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCLR). Disponível em: <https://arc.psych.wisc.edu/self-report/psychopathy-checklist-revised-pclr/>. Acesso em 19 out 2023
