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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. How are psychopaths unlike psychotics?

2. What programs administer treatment if the psychopath is judged to be sane but evil?

3. What question did Helen and Steve ask themselves about their daughter Alice?

4. How do the criminal activities of psychopaths compare with those of other criminals?

5. How does the author feel about films that allow identification with psychopaths?

Short Essay Questions

1. What motivates most people to abide by the rules of society?

2. What early behavior problems are sometimes symptomatic of psychopathy?

3. Why has the author determined not to devote much of his book to psychodynamic, unconscious processes of psychopathy?

4. How do psychopaths tend to view themselves in relation to others?

5. What are some important differences between the violent acts of psychopaths and the violent acts of other criminals?

6. What experience has convinced the author that the public needs to understand psychopathy?

7. What factor in Ray's behavior puzzled the author and led him to further study?

8. Without an internal motivation to abide by society's rules, what is the psychopath free to do?

9. How do psychopaths come to be involved in crime?

10. Why has the author mistrusted the results of psychological testing to identify psychopaths?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Empathy is a subject that is discussed at length in this book and that has great bearing on the diagnosis of psychopathy. In your essay, explain the word empathy and clarify its meaning with examples. How do empathetic people feel and behave? What is the difference between normal people and those who are without empathy? What difference would it make in your life if you could not feel empathy for others?

Essay Topic 2

One of the characteristics of psychopathy is an inability to learn from past experience. Write an essay explaining how this inability could cripple a person's ability to make progress in life.

Essay Topic 3

Dr. Pinel described psychopathy as "insanity without delirium," and psychopaths as "morally insane." Do you think there is a distinction between moral insanity and other kinds? Can a case be made that psychopaths are actually psychologically damaged in such a way that they should not be held accountable for their actions? In your essay, take a position for or against this contention and support your position with material from the text.

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