Psychopathy Symptoms

The symptoms of psychopathy closely resemble those of Dissocial Personality Disorder. To better differentiate psychopathy, Canadian criminal psychologist Robert Hare developed a test for identifying psychopaths: the Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R). It includes the following 20 criteria:

Glibness and Superficial Charm:
Cunning and articulate, with a superficial charm.
Grandiose Sense of Self-Worth:
Significantly inflated self-esteem.
Need for Stimulation/Proneness to Boredom:
Constantly seeking new and thrilling experiences, easily bored.
Pathological Lying:
Compulsive lying.
Conning and Manipulative Behavior:
Deceptive and manipulative tendencies.
Lack of Remorse or Guilt:
Absence of guilt or remorse for actions.
Shallow Affect:
Superficial emotions.
Callousness and Lack of Empathy:
Cold-heartedness and lack of empathy.
Parasitic Lifestyle:
Living at the expense of others.
Poor Behavioral Controls:
Inadequate control over behavior.
Promiscuous Sexual Behavior:
Frequent changes in sexual partners.
Early Behavioral Problems:
Early onset of behavioral issues.
Lack of Realistic, Long-Term Goals:
Absence of realistic, long-term plans.
Impulsivity:
Acting on impulse without considering consequences.
Irresponsibility:
Failure to fulfill responsibilities.
Failure to Accept Responsibility for Own Actions:
Unwillingness or inability to take responsibility for one’s actions.
Many Short-Term Marital Relationships:
Multiple short-term marital or similar relationships.
Juvenile Delinquency:
Involvement in criminal activities during youth.
Revocation of Conditional Release:
Disregard for conditions and revocation of probation.
Criminal Versatility:
Committing a variety of crimes in different ways.

Each trait is rated by a therapist or psychiatrist as 0 or 1. Based on the total score, they determine whether psychopathy is present and how severe it is.