Ethical Dilemmas In Putting An End To Psychopathy

Robert Hare’s well-known and widely-used Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) was first released in 1991. Since then, it’s become the gold standard diagnostic tool used by researchers, clinicians, and the justice system in identifying psychopaths and determining risk of reoffending in those who’ve committed violent crimes.

Individually, the 20 traits and behaviors on the PCL-R are relatively manageable and innocuous, but when the majority of them appear in one individual, and for prolonged periods of time, the person is likely to be a psychopath.

Psychology professors Scott O. Lilienfeld and Hal Arkowitz describe pyschopaths thusly:

“Superficially charming, psychopaths tend to make a good first impression on others and often strike observers as remarkably normal. Yet they are self-centered, dishonest and undependable, and at times they engage in irresponsible behavior for no apparent reason other than the sheer fun of it. Largely devoid of guilt, empathy, and love, they have casual and callous interpersonal and romantic relationships. Psychopaths routinely offer excuses for their reckless and often outrageous actions, placing blame on others instead. They rarely learn from their mistakes or benefit from negative feedback, and they have difficulty inhibiting their impulses.”