To figure out if you’re involved with a psychopath, look at 20 traits and ascribe a ranking from 0 to 2, 2 marking someone who definitely shows that characteristic. If the total score is more than 30, be careful. If it’s more than 35, call security!

1. Glib and superficial charm. They are smooth, engaging, charming, and never get tongue-tied.
2. Grandiose self-worth. They have a grossly inflated view of their abilities and think they are superior.
3. Need for stimulation. They get bored easily, need to take risks, and don’t stay in the same job for long.
4. Pathological lying. They can be deceptive, underhanded, and dishonest.
5. Conning and manipulative. They will exploit others with no regard to the suffering they inflict.
6. Lack of remorse. They are cold-hearted and even have disdain for their victims.
7. Shallow affect. They have a limited range of feelings and despite their gregariousness, are cold.
8. Callousness. A lack of feelings toward people in general.
9. Parasitic lifestyle. They have a selfish financial dependence on others.
10. Poor behavioral controls. They express irritability, annoyance, impatience, and verbal abuse. They have trouble controlling their anger.
11. Promiscuous sexual behavior. They have brief, superficial relationships, and take great pride in discussing their sexual exploits.
12. Early behavior problems. They lied, cheated, stole, or bullied before age 13.
13. Lack of realistic, long-term goals. They lead an aimless life and lack direction.
14. Impulsiveness. They can behave recklessly and don’t consider their consequences.
15. Irresponsibility. They don’t fulfill their obligations, default on loans, skip bills, and fail to honor contracts.
16. Failure to accept responsibility for their actions. It shows low conscientiousness.
17. Many short-term relationships. They have many inconsistent and unreliable commitments in life.
18. Juvenile delinquency. They got in trouble when they were teenagers with crimes that involved antagonism, aggression, or manipulation.
19. Revocation of condition release. In trouble already, their probation was revoked because of technical violations like failing to appear.
20. Criminal versatility. They commit a diversity of crimes and take great pride in getting away with it.

Now that you have the list of traits, what’s your verdict? Are you involved personally or professionally with a psychopath? Do you recognize any of these traits in people who are close to you? I’m interested in any thoughts or comments that you have.