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Psychopathy Scale

Psychopathy Scale

Personality psychologists often divide dark personality traits into four groups. Psychopathy, or what it means to be a psychopath, is one of them.

Mark Travers, Ph.D.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D.

August 27, 2023

Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.

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Psychopathy, characterized by traits such as impulsivity, callousness, and a penchant for manipulation, is one of the four pillars of the "Dark Tetrad" framework.

Often associated with a superficial charm that masks an underlying lack of empathy, this dimension challenges traditional notions of conscience and morality. The psychopathic individual, while capable of captivating charisma, simultaneously navigates a world devoid of the emotional currents that guide most human interactions.

Research led by the influential personality psychologist Delroy Paulhus provides a convenient way to measure psychopathic tendencies in clinical and sub-clinical populations.

You can take this test here. Please follow all of the steps to receive your results.

References: Paulhus, D. L., Buckels, E. E., Trapnell, P. D., & Jones, D. N. (2020). Screening for dark personalities. European Journal of Psychological Assessment.

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. People often say I’m out of control.

2. I tend to fight against authorities and their rules.

3. I’ve been in more fights than most people of my age and gender.

4. I tend to dive in, then ask questions later.

5. I’ve been in trouble with the law.

6. I sometimes get into dangerous situations.

7. People who mess with me always regret it.

0 of 0 questions answered

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores with people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.