How to spot a psychopath
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British journalist Jon Ronson is obsessed with obsessives. He's best known for writing the book behind the George Clooney film "The Men Who Stare At Goats." In his latest book, Jon Ronson has turned his own obsessive eye toward psychopaths. The book is called "The Psychopath Test."
Identifying a psychopath is not always easy, says Ronson, "because psychopaths, unlike sufferers of most mental disorders, seem completely normal."
So a Canadian psychologist, Robert Hare, developed a checklist of traits that are typical to psychopaths. These include a lack of remorse, pathological lying, superficial charm, sexual promiscuity and manipulation. Characteristics like impulsive behavior and need for stimulation are also on the list.
Ronson points out many of the items are common to healthy people, as well. In order to be diagnosed you need to display at least 15 items on the list. He also notes that if you ask the right questions psychopaths will often reveal themselves in their answers. "I can't tell you the number of psychopaths I've now met who will say practically identical things."
