# Psychopath Test **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 26, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312 "2003-03-26T16:39:48Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![djc123](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/87869e/32.png) [@djc123](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/djc123)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/1 "2003-03-26T16:39:48Z")
I had the below e-mailed to me and had a friend vouch for its validity. Some cursory searches of the Internet only yielded sites reproducing the story so I’ve turned to these forums. Is this, in fact, a true test developed by a reputable pschologist or not. Obviously you know what answer I got or I wouldn’t care about it. Thanks, Duane \> \> This is a genuine psychological test. \> \>It is a story about a girl. While at the funeral of her own mother, \> \>she met this guy whom she did not know. She thought this guy was \> \>amazing, so much her dream guy she believed him to be, that she fell \> \>in love with him there but never asked for his number and could not \> \>find him. A few days later the girl killed her own sister. \> \> \> \>Question: What is her motive in killing her sister? \> \>Give this some thought for a while before you scroll down. DON’T \> \>CHEAT! \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \> \>Answer: She was hoping that the guy would appear at the funeral \> \>again. If you answered this correctly, you think like a psychopath. \> \>This was a test by a famous American psychologist used to test if one \> \>has the same mentality as a killer. Many arrested serial killers took \> \>part in this test and answered it correctly. If you didn’t answer \> \>correctly \> \>\* good for you. If your friends hit the jackpot, may I suggest that \> \>you keep your distance. (If you got the answer correct, please let me \> \>know so I can take you off my e-mail list…unless that will tick \> \>you off, then I’ll just be extra nice to you from now on… ) \> ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/2 "2003-03-26T16:43:52Z")
This _test_ is complete nonsense. Welcome to the board! QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![brianmelendez](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/65b543/32.png) [@brianmelendez](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brianmelendez)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/3 "2003-03-26T16:44:14Z")
This one is debunked at [snopes.com](http://snopes.com): [Sister Act](http://www.snopes.com/inboxer/hoaxes/sister.htm). ---
**Author:** ![elfje](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/e19b73/32.png) [@elfje](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfje)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/4 "2003-03-26T16:45:25Z")
yes, I heard about this one before. It was abit scary that the only person to get it right at the second try, is my cousin. I always knew she was a bit strange, but still… there’s an actual check-list that they use to determine if you are a psychopath, but I’ve forgotten what it’s called. It’s named after the doctor who designed it, I think he’s Canadian. Oh, and did you know that in GB 1/200 is a psychopath, while in USA that number is 1/100? scary, isn’t it? ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/5 "2003-03-26T16:45:45Z")
Well Duh! It seems so obvious why she killed her sister. That makes perfect sense. Who would get that wrong? Uh oh. Wait… ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/6 "2003-03-26T17:26:14Z")
> [@](#): > > _Originally posted by elfje \* > \*\* Oh, and did you know that in GB 1/200 is a psychopath, while in USA that number is 1/100?_\* Ahem! This is GQ! Do you have a cite for that assertion of yours? QtM, MD ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Slant](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c57346/32.png) [@Mr.Slant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Slant)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/7 "2003-03-26T17:30:45Z")
Hmmm. I had assumed that the guy the girl wanted was married to the girl’s sister. ---
**Author:** ![Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/91b2a8/32.png) [@Earl\_of\_Sandwhich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Earl_of_Sandwhich)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/8 "2003-03-26T17:36:10Z")
elfje writes: “Oh, and did you know that in GB 1/200 is a psychopath, while in USA that number is 1/100?” Cite? ---
**Author:** ![Hamlet](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hamlet/32/2818_2.png) [@Hamlet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hamlet)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/9 "2003-03-26T17:40:03Z")
Was the mother a doctor? ---
**Author:** ![NoGoodNamesLeft](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/8797f3/32.png) [@NoGoodNamesLeft](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NoGoodNamesLeft)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/10 "2003-03-26T17:54:26Z")
I still don’t see how getting the ‘right’ answer makes you psychopathic…Analytical, yes, but psychopathic?? So, you’re a problem solver, good for you. Just because one can figure out why sister A offed sister B, doesn’t mean he would act in the same manner or even condone sister-killer’s action. ---
**Author:** ![Shagnasty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9dc877/32.png) [@Shagnasty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shagnasty)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/11 "2003-03-26T17:59:56Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by NoGoodNamesLeft \* > \*\*I still don’t see how getting the ‘right’ answer makes you psychopathic…Analytical, yes, but psychopathic?? So, you’re a problem solver, good for you. Just because one can figure out why sister A offed sister B, doesn’t mean he would act in the same manner or even condone sister-killer’s action. \*\* Looks like you are another one to watch out for. No one ever thinks that they are the crazy one. ---
**Author:** ![ShibbOleth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@ShibbOleth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ShibbOleth)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/12 "2003-03-26T18:07:53Z")
You want a psychopath test, you should try the [Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory](http://www.cps.nova.edu/~cpphelp/MMPI.html) (MMPI). You want silly glurge try the Internet. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/13 "2003-03-26T18:12:26Z")
The bellboy took the extra dollar. ---
**Author:** ![FranticMad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c68b51/32.png) [@FranticMad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FranticMad)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/14 "2003-03-26T18:19:03Z")
1 person out of 100 looked at this thread because he _is_ a psychopath. 1 person out of 100 will become a psychopath _because_ she read this thread. The rest of us can only hope to be a psychopath. I had a friend[sup]TM[/sup] vouch for the validity of these statistics. ---
**Author:** ![jk1245](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/49beb7/32.png) [@jk1245](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jk1245)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/15 "2003-03-26T18:24:01Z")
Hmmmm… this test should put a lot of court-appointed pyschiatrists out of business. Seriously, I really don’t think psychopathy (or any mental illness) can be diagnosed by one question. Even trained professionals can have hard time making a diagnosis after hours of interviews and tests. Kind of related story: I once read a book called “Alone With the Devil” about a forensic psychologist’s experinces with some truly horrifying criminals. He was relating his interview with one guy who was a suspect in a brutal homicide of almost an entire family. The police were pretty sure they had the guy, but there was a lack of evidence (this was pre-DNA), and the guy was not confessing or even behaving strangely under questioning. The psychiatrist asked him a series of interpretive questions to see if there was a disconnect in his thinking apparently. One question he asked was the meaning of the saying “mounted beggars race their steeds”. The guy had no clue what it meant. The psychiatrist then stated that this was an indication that the guy was possibly psychopathic because of his lack of thought patterns (or something like that). It seemed to me a pretty strong conclusion from one question (I didn’t know what it meant either), so maybe one question can at least indicate mental states. To be fair, the guy had been interviewing him for a while, and there were probably other clues. In the end, the guy turned out to be the killer, so I guess it worked. Better brush up on your proverbs if you’re ever under questioning, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![mipiace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/16 "2003-03-26T18:36:12Z")
What if the guy just had an exceptionally small vocabulary but was perfectly innocent? Or perhaps he had a learning disability that prevented him from effective executive functioning? I wouldn’t want the proof of my guilt or innocense to rely on one question. ---
**Author:** ![mipiace](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb9ed0/32.png) [@mipiace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mipiace)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/17 "2003-03-26T18:50:40Z")
What if the guy just had an exceptionally small vocabulary but was perfectly innocent? Or perhaps he had a learning disability that prevented him from effective executive functioning? I wouldn’t want the proof of my guilt or innocense to rely on one question. ---
**Author:** ![Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/f0a364/32.png) [@Rube\_E.Tewesday](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rube_E.Tewesday)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/18 "2003-03-26T18:53:55Z")
“Mounted beggars race their steeds?” What _is_ that supposed to mean? I mean, I get each word, but is it supposed to be a saying or something? Or am I a potential mass murderer? ---
**Author:** ![mmm.forbidden\_doughnut](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e68b1a/32.png) [@mmm.forbidden\_doughnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mmm.forbidden_doughnut)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/19 "2003-03-26T19:47:37Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Jonathan Woodall \* > \*\*Hmmm. I had assumed that the guy the girl wanted was married to the girl’s sister. \*\* That’s **exactly** what I thought! Great minds think alike… 😛 ---
**Author:** ![empfsu1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/db5fbb/32.png) [@empfsu1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/empfsu1)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2003, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312/20 "2003-03-26T21:40:41Z")
The man was a midget and it was raining that day, so he had an umbrella. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/psychopath-test/164312.md?page=2)