The Psychopath Test - Hare Psychopathy Checklist

September 22, 2026

AI Summary

5 min read

The Psychopath Test: What the Hare Checklist Actually Measures

In researching serial killers for his "serial killer iceberg" series, the host kept seeing the same number pop up: Ted Bundy scored 39 out of 40, Clifford Olson scored 38, Paul Bernardo scored 35. The scoreboard was the Hare Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL-R), a 20-question diagnostic tool used by trained psychiatrists to assess psychopathy—most often in court cases where a defendant pleads not guilty by reason of insanity. But the host noticed something odd: the checklist kept being treated as a definitive measure of monstrosity, when in reality the condition it measures is far more common and far less dramatic than most people assume.

What Psychopathy Actually Means

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What you'll learn

1 (01:01) **Introduction and Purpose of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist** - Wendigoon introduces the Hare Psychopathy Checklist (PCL-R) after seeing it referenced in serial killer research, noting scores like Paul Bernardo (35/40), Clifford Olson (38/40), and Ted Bundy (39/40).
2 (06:26) **Test Structure and Scoring** - Wendigoon explains the 0-2 scoring scale for each of the 20 questions, with a maximum possible score of 40, and introduces the online version he found at IDRlabs.
3 (07:26) **Question 1: Grandiose Sense of Self-Worth** - Wendigoon gives himself a 2, arguing that running a YouTube channel where he describes things to an audience requires a degree of self-importance.
4 (08:12) **Questions 2-4: Juvenile Delinquency, Manipulation, and Callousness** - Wendigoon scores himself 0 on juvenile delinquency, 2 on tricking/manipulating people (citing his video titles), and 0 on callousness/lack of empathy.
5 (09:14) **Questions 5-6: Versatile Law-Breaking and Evading Responsibility** - Wendigoon gives himself a 1 on breaking laws across domains (citing traffic violations) and a 2 on evading responsibility (citing his flexible upload schedule as a YouTuber).
6 (11:01) **Questions 7-9: Cruelty, Short-Term Relationships, and Conditional Warnings** - Wendigoon scores himself 1 on cruelty after recounting a childhood bullying story, 0 on short-term relationships (citing a current long-term relationship), and 1 on repeating offenses after warnings.
7 (20:10) **Questions 10-12: Social Style, Pathological Lying, and Impulse Control** - Wendigoon scores himself 2 on having an easy/unconstrained social style, 0 on pathological lying (recounting a childhood guilt over lying about fast food), and 0 on poor behavioral controls.

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