A test designed by Robert Hare faithfully evaluates the possibility that a subject has psychopathic traits.
There are many myths about psychopathy, such as the one that all psychopaths are necessarily replicas of Hannibal Lecter, but the truth is that not all of them are like that, and there are even those who go more or less unnoticed.
- We recommend you read: “What is Psychopathy? Characteristics and traits of the psychopath”
That is why Robert Hare developed a tool that allows people with antisocial personality disorder to be detected quite reliably, being able to detect cases outside the prison population: the Hare psychopathy test or PCL-R . Let’s see it below.
What is the Hare Psychopathy Test?
The Hare Psychopathy Test, also called the Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R), is an instrument developed in 1990 by Robert Hare , one of the most important researchers in criminal psychology and a former professor at the University of British Columbia. His test makes it possible to identify, with sufficient reliability and validity, cases of psychopathy, both within the prison population and in individuals who have not committed crimes.
Normally, the image of the psychopath is associated with that of a person who has committed crimes, with a lack of empathy and no respect for the lives of others. Although there are cases that are like this, the truth is that not all of them are criminals. There are properly psychopathic traits that do not imply the performance of any criminal act, such as the great power of seduction and manipulation, coldness and self-centeredness.
Traditionally, as the psychopath was associated with delinquency, only those people with antisocial personality disorder who had committed a criminal act were detected, with those involving harm to other people being especially noteworthy. However, and thanks to a better understanding of this type of personality, when the Hare psychopathy test was developed, psychopaths could be more easily detected, both in the forensic and clinical fields.
- It may interest you: “The 7 differences between a sociopath and a psychopath”
Although this test turns out to be a very useful tool to know if you are dealing with a psychopath or not, the truth is that you should not rely solely on this instrument without paying attention to other significant aspects of the person. Among these would be the psychiatric, criminal and family history, testimonies of acquaintances and relatives, a history of worrying acts such as animal abuse or burning things…
How does it apply?
The PCL-R gained much popularity due to the easy application of the instrument , which led to its widespread use in both clinical and forensic settings. It allows obtaining very valuable information from the possible psychopath in a very short time, approximately an hour and a half. In addition, in the clinical setting, where the evaluated subject may not have committed crimes, it allows us to know if they have violent or sexually aggressive tendencies and, based on this, propose preventive treatment.
The way in which it is applied is somewhat different from how other questionnaires are usually applied, since it is not the subject who answers it, but the professional, be it a clinical or forensic psychologist, who, based on what is observed in the patient /offender, determines whether or not he complies with the conduct. The professional interviews the patient in a semi-structured way, that is, without an inflexible script but addressing the questions that the questionnaire contains.
What makes it up?
The test is made up of 20 items, which have three alternatives as an answer option: 0, 1 and 2. The professional must assess, based on what he has seen during the interview, each of the items with one of those values . The score given to each item indicates the following:
- 2 points : The item fully describes the behavior of the individual.
- 1 point : the item describes, in some sense, the behavior of the subject, but not completely.
- 0 points : the item is not applicable to the behavior of the individual.
In the event that during the interview it was not possible to have all the information asked for in the questionnaire, the omission of up to 5 items can be tolerated without seriously reducing reliability, although this is not the most desirable situation. Depending on the score obtained in the questionnaire, we can detect, or at least have some certainty, that we are dealing with a psychopath or not. A score greater than 30 points is an indication that the person shows psychopathic characteristics.
It has been seen that in prison population the average scores are between 22 and 24 points. In the prison-psychiatric population, the scores are between 18 and 20. These values, although on average they do not exceed the limit of 30 points, are quite high compared to the general population, which rarely exceeds 15 points.
The test items constitute three dimensions. Next we will see what these are and what items make them up.
Factor 1: Interpersonal dimension
It refers to how he behaves with others , if his behavior involves the use of seductive behaviors or performs some type of manipulation on his victims.
1. Superficial charm and talkativeness
It comes to assess whether the person evaluated is easy to deal with and has superficial attractiveness, often interpreted as seduction. Apparently, they are socially remarkable, funny, and entertaining.
2. Feeling of personal grandiosity
The psychopath sees himself as a great person, in the sense of having a lot of security and self-confidence. In other words, he is an egocentric person, who puts his own vision of things before and focusing on his own needs.
3. Pathological lie
It is quite common to find pathological lying in a psychopath. They can build very believable stories, and they don’t usually worry about being discovered. It is not difficult for them to break a promise.
4. Handling
Psychopaths are known for their great capacity for manipulation, with the intention of achieving their goals in any way and at the expense of others.
5. Lack of feelings of guilt and regret.
The psychopath does not feel guilty for having hurt others, nor do they feel bad for having done something wrong or that harms someone close to them.
6. Superficial emotions
Many psychopaths do not show a very deep emotionality. They do not have great reactions nor do they show great emotional expression. Yes they can have feelings, but they are not high intensity.
7. Lack of empathy
It is one of the main aspects of psychopathy. The lack of empathy implies that the subject is unable to put himself in the other’s place, nor to assess what he may be feeling.
8. He is unable to recognize responsibility for his actions
They are not able to see that their actions imply consequences that can be negative for others. If they’ve done something wrong, they just don’t see it.
Factor 2: affective dimension
Related to the emotional aspects of the psychopath.
9. Sensation Seeking
Because they are often bored, psychopaths tend to look for activities that stimulate them. These activities often involve action, competition and opportunities, and do not have to be safe or healthy for others or for himself.
10. Parasitic lifestyle
This aspect is typical of psychopaths who use their relatives and the environment in a utilitarian way to be able to satisfy their desires, without having to make an effort.
11. Lacks self-control
Not all psychopaths are violent, but some go so far as to use violence as an immediate response to provocation or when they don’t like something.
12. Suffers early behavioral problems
Already from early childhood the psychopath, who is born, not made, can manifest worrying behavior patterns: torturing animals, setting things on fire…
13. Impulsivity
They act immediately, depending on whether an opportunity presents itself and their desire to take advantage of it.
14. No realistic goals
They are very short-term focused, something that can be associated with problems in their executive functions (prefrontal cortex). They do not worry about the future, which also explains their lack of concern about the consequences of their actions.
15. He is irresponsible
The psychopathic subject does not usually take responsibility for his own actions, he is not responsible at all in this regard. He usually justifies them and uses excuses.
16. Juvenile Delinquency
The psychopathic subject usually has a juvenile history of disruptive behavior, including criminal acts, to a greater or lesser extent serious.
17. You have even had your parole revoked
This item is only reserved for those subjects who have committed a crime, have been incarcerated and may have opted for parole.
Factor 3: Lifestyle
It refers to the type of life that the psychopath has , whether this criminal or in which he has a dysfunctional family life and an intense sexual life.
18. Has promiscuous sexual behavior
Thanks to their talkativeness and power of seduction, psychopaths enjoy many casual sexual relationships.
19. Their affective relationships are usually very short
Psychopaths do not usually have stable relationships. They may have a partner, but this is something that does not usually last. Some get married and have children, but the marriage is often neglected and the children left far behind.
20. Criminal Versatility
The person has committed different types of crimes, of all kinds and seriousness: theft, robbery, drug trafficking, assault, sexual crime, murder, kidnapping…
Reliability and validity
As we were already saying, this test is widely used both in the clinical and forensic fields because, in addition to its easy application, it allows obtaining a lot of information in a very short time. It is especially useful since it is not necessary to wait for the person to commit a crime and be admitted to a correctional center to make the diagnosis. Since many psychopaths are only narcissists and manipulators, until this test was invented they went very unnoticed.
As for its ability to detect psychopaths, whether they are criminals or not, it is quite high . It presents a high internal consistency, and nearly 30 years of research guarantee its great reliability and validity. Most of the study of psychopathy is still done using the Hare psychopathy test or PCL-R.
Bibliographic references
- Brazil, K. & Forth, A. (2016). Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL). 10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_1079-1.
- Lykken, D. (1994) Antisocial personalities. Barcelona: Herder.
- Folino, J. O. & Castillo, J. L. (2006). The facets of psychopathy according to the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-revised and its reliability. Argentine Journal of Psychiatry, Vol. XVII:325-330.
To the classic question “what do you do?” I always answer “basically I am a psychologist”. In fact, my academic training has revolved around the psychology of development, education and community, a field of study influenced my volunteer activities, as well as my first work experiences in personal services.
