Thursday, October 6, 2011

The Psychopath Test

In chapter 4 of The Psychopath Test, Rohnson learned how to detect psychopaths in society by using a checklist created by Bob Hare. The chapter begins with Rohnson attending a conference put on by Bob in which Bob describes the checklist he has created and how it can be used to detect psychopaths. Bob explained that the first test he ever was conducted was an electric shock test in prison. It proved that psychopaths had short memory and didn't have anxiety. Not long after he started his electric shock tests, electric shocking was outlawed. Bob was forced to find a new way to determine who was normal and who wasn't, so he created a check list. Rohnson went to the seminar as a skeptic Bob's system, but after watching interviews and case studies with different psychopaths, he became a devout believer of Bob's PCL-R Checklist.
Chapters 4 and 5 were very interesting chapters about how to detect a psychopath in society. As I was reading chapter 5, I was wondering if they were going to talk about Adolf Hitler at all, and examine whether or not he was a psychopath. He seemed to have a lot in common with Toto. In chapter 4, when Bob was explaining his electric shock technique, it was creepy to read that psychopath's were not scared of the pain at all, and they would forget about it right after it was over. It helped explain why most psychopaths would commit crimes over and over again. One of my favorite parts of the chapter was the fact that John applying the checklist to himself and make up excuses as to why his actions were ok if aligned with one of the checklist characteristics.

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