Could you be a psychopath?: Check out this list and see if it applies to you.

There is strong evidence showing psychopathy is a predictor for identifying "career criminals" as many with the condition end up committing multiple serious offenses.(1) But that's not always the case.

The term "psychopath" used to refer to all personality disorders. Today it is exclusive to those with Psychopathic Personality Disorder, or PPD.(2) At its core, PPD is a personality construct dysfunction -- the elements that make up a psychopath's personality function in some abnormal way.

Five dominant traits of PPD can be summed as follows:(2)

• interpersonal antagonism (distrust)

• pan-impulsivity (thrill seeking)

• interpersonal dominance (assertiveness)

• lack of self-directed negative affect (self-contentment)

• negative other directed affect (anger)

As a result, someone with PPD may be described as:(1)

• Superficially charming yet antagonistic, callous, and lacking empathy

• Impulsive and thrill-seeking, especially risky or dangerous behaviors

• Dominant, asserts leadership

• Extremely self-centered and arrogant

• Having a short fuse and uncontrollable temper

With these extreme dysfunctions, living as or with a psychopath can be very difficult, even damaging. Fortunately, years of research have churned out many very reliable and highly valid assessments of PPD.(2) Even in the last few years, a new self-report assessment of PPD has been developed: the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment, or EPA. This new measure evaluates psychopathy on basic elements of personality that emerge early in life. Researchers have identified 18 of the most important elements of a psychopathic personality and have written a corresponding list of self-rated statements. While the full-scale EPA currently totals 178 statements, the Super Short Form (EPA-SSF) variation contains just 18. (1,2)

Take a look. Would you agree with these statements?

Any items followed by a (R) indicates that it is reverse scored1 (i.e. 5=1; 4=2; 3=3; 2=4; 1=5).

AN EXTREME WORD OF CAUTION: This is a self-report form developed for adults.(1) Please, rate YOURSELF - not your friends, adolescent cousin, neighbor, or any other person. Additionally, agreeing to the statements on this checklist is NOT a diagnosis of Psychopathic Personality Disorder. DO NOT use it as such. If you do agree to most of these statements, you may decide to speak with a licensed psychiatric professional.

Overall, being a psychopath doesn't automatically mean you're a criminal. If we can start looking at PPD from its basic elements of personality, perhaps one day we can identify individuals earlier and provide them interventions before anything regretful happens.

Amy Lwin is a graduate student at Boston University pursuing a Master of Education in Counseling. She also has a Bachelor of Science in Neuroscience from the University of California, Riverside. Upon graduation, she aspires to obtain licensure as a Mental Health Counselor.

References

1 Collison, K. L., Miller, J. D., Gaughan, E. T., Widiger, T. A., & Lynam, D. R. (2016). Development and validation of the super-short form of the elemental psychopathy assessment. Journal of Criminal Justice, 47(Supplement C), 143-150. doi://doi-org.ezproxy.bu.edu/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2016.09.002

2 Lynam, D. R., Gaughan, E. T., Miller, J. D., Miller, D. J., Mullins-Sweatt, S., & Widiger, T. A. (2011). Assessing the basic traits associated with psychopathy: Development and validation of the elemental psychopathy assessment. Psychological Assessment, 23(1), 108-124. doi:10.1037/a0021146