Sample test to screen for psychopaths
One of the hallmarks of "Grandiosity" and "Lack of empathy" the complete inability to sense that attribute? It is like asking somebody who is color-blind if they are color-blind.
My token Progressive friend continues to send me emails. It is his belief that Police Departments make an active effort to recruit psychopaths. One of his "fixes" to the BLM narrative is to stop hiring psychopaths.
And so, pray tell, how do you propose identifying who is and who is not a psychopath? Would you use a test like the one shown above?
Suppose I was a psychopath, what is to prevent me from gaming the test the same way potential jurors game the juror selection process? Isn't the incentive to be dishonest? I would be far more suspicious of a "perfect non-psychopath" score than somebody who scored moderately psychopathic.
His reply had a twisted kind of logic: "Well, they seem to be able to identify them to recruit them."
How can one have a rational conversation with a thought process that is so captured by circular logic?
Perhaps it is having to deal with a certain segment of the populace is what makes some LEOs psychopaths? Could it be that it happens after recruitment? Who better to deal with civilian psychopaths and sociopaths than a LEO with a psychopathic edge.
ReplyDeleteI know from first hand experience that having served in the military in a combat MOS, that I am both more cynical and paranoid. I call that "survival instincts."
Empathy can be a handicap in some situations.
DeleteI don't think it makes somebody a psychopath but the need to survive blunts empathy and emotional distance is needed to continue to do the job day-after-day.
I applied for a LEO job, and took a psych test very much like the questions you posted. The shrinks evidently think they can measure psychopathy.
ReplyDeleteThere is a legal concept called "Due Diligence". DD will not save you from criminal prosecution but it might soften the blow of civil settlements.
DeleteEven though EVERYBODY knows tests like the one shown above are absolute garbage, if taken to court the fact that the department applied the best science available (hawk, spit) might change a civilian death settlement from $4 million to $500k.
The shrinks think they can tell...
DeleteIf you could reason with democrats, there would be no democrats.
ReplyDeleteThe problem, it seems to me, is that there is no certainty of punishment if a criminal is caught, and convicted. He or she may get jail or prison time for their crimes, or they may just walk, depending on the prosecutor and the judge they get. Or the town or city in which they live. The founders said that justice delayed is justice denied. We have no rule of law anymore, as we have seen from the Supreme* Court lately. Soon, we will have no cops, and we will have to defend ourselves from the criminals. Our country is dying. This is just one of the warning signs.
ReplyDelete*the Supreme Court is like regular court, but with sour cream and tomatoes.
Now I'm wondering what would be a good combination of traits needed to make a good policeman vs what types of people want to be cops. Something common to civil service jobs is decent regular pay and defined benefits and some sort of status. This could make police jobs appealing to people who dont have the right personality for the job. As a youth running the streets of Detroit in the mid '60's I admired some of the cops who kept an eye on and interacted with us. Much later, after my military time, as I considered careers I realized I would suck at being a cop. My personality was much better suited for other things. I still ended up in civil service having found steady money was more important than the chance of big money.
ReplyDelete