Can A Test Really Tell Whos A Psychopath Twentysix years after Robert Dixon Jr. Search metadata Search full text of books Search TV captions Search archived web sites Advanced Search. Robert Hares study of psychopaths, sociopaths, and violent offenders. Welcome to Without Conscience Robert Hares Web Site devoted to the study of Psychopathy. Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is traditionally defined as a personality disorder characterized by persistent antisocial behavior. Gmail is email thats intuitive, efficient, and useful. GB of storage, less spam, and mobile access. Can A Test Really Tell Whos A Psychopath NPR. At left, a school portrait of Robert Dixon Jr., on the mantle of his fathers home in Stockton, Calif. Though friends and family swear he is a reformed man, Dixon is unlikely to win parole because a test has determined he is a psychopath. Lianne Milton for NPR. Lianne Milton for NPR. In November 2. 00. Robert Dixon took a test to determine whether he was a psychopath. Psych5.jpg' alt='The Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised Pdf Download' title='The Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised Pdf Download' />After 2. In California, before a lifer like Dixon appears before the parole board, a state psychologist must first evaluate whether he poses a risk of further violence if released. To do that, the psychologist administers a test the PCL R, or Psychopathy Checklist Revised designed to measure whether that inmate is a psychopath. This test has incredible power in the American criminal justice system. Its used to make decisions such as what kind of sentence a criminal gets and whether an inmate is released on parole. It has even been used to help decide whether someone should be put to death. Many psychologists believe that psychopaths are so devoid of normal human emotion, so cold and remorseless and impulsive, that they are bound, almost by their very nature, to do harm and violence. The Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised Pdf Download' title='The Hare Psychopathy Checklist Revised Pdf Download' />Robert Dixon Sr. Robert Dixon Jr. Bob Stuart, and himself far left. Lianne Milton for NPR. Lianne Milton for NPR. Robert Dixon Sr. holds a photograph of his son, Robert Dixon Jr. Bob Stuart, and himself far left. Lianne Milton for NPR. And so Dixon found himself sitting across a table from a no nonsense female psychologist, answering a series of questions about his family and troubled youth. The woman, Dixon says, didnt look at him. Instead, she stared at the computer, methodically entering his answers, her face dimly lit by the screen. They talked for over an hour. Then the psychologist thanked him, closed her computer and went away. Several months later, the results came back. Mr. Dixon obtained a total score on the PCL R which placed him in the high range of the clinical construct of psychopathy, the psychologist wrote. Basically, shed concluded that Dixon was a psychopath the first time hed ever received such a diagnosis. It was suddenly extremely unlikely that Dixon would be paroled. A Robbery Gone Wrong. The story of Dixons incarceration begins 2. Dixon and his friend John Walker decided to rob a young man they saw walking down the street in their Oakland, Calif., neighborhood. Dixon was the lookout. He positioned himself at a distance while Walker approached the man, pulled out a gun and asked for his belongings. The crime was supposed to be quick grab the wallet and go but something went wrong. Dixon remembers hearing Walkers gun fire, then turning to find their robbery victim lying dead on the ground. What I saw when I looked at my co defendant was shock he was in shock that he had just pulled that trigger, Dixon says. And so I said, you know, What happened He looked at me and he didnt answer me. He just ran. For the crime of being an accessory to murder, Dixon got 1. A Long Criminal History. This wasnt Dixons first crime. As a teen he was convicted of date raping one woman and beating another. Since childhood, in fact, Dixons life had been deeply disturbed He tried to commit suicide at 1. He was in and out of detention for the rest of his teens until the robbery put him in prison. Robert Dixon Sr., outside his home in Stockton, Calif., on May 1. His son, Robert Dixon Jr., was denied parole after a psychological evaluation deemed him a psychopath. Lianne Milton for NPR. Lianne Milton for NPR. Robert Dixon Sr., outside his home in Stockton, Calif., on May 1. His son, Robert Dixon Jr., was denied parole after a psychological evaluation deemed him a psychopath. Lianne Milton for NPR. But friends and family say that since his incarceration, theyve seen a radical change in Dixon. They all believe deeply that the man they know is transformed and no longer a threat to anyone. How To Block Internet Access For Certain Programs. One of those true believers is Dixons father, Robert Dixon Sr. Ive seen him change in the last 1. Dixon Sr. says. He got older and he kind of slowed down. Age change everybody, he adds. I mean, its a poor wind that dont change. A Man Transformed Dixon Sr. For a time even after his son went to prison, he was still hard the kind of man who might punch you in the face if you said something that he didnt like. In fact, Dixon Sr. Roberts incarceration, the stories he heard from his son were frequently about conflict with fellow inmates. But about 1. 2 years ago, he says, the narrative began to shift. Hed tell me about a lot of incidents that would come up and he would avoid em. His son, he says, had learned to walk away. Im doing everything I can to salvage some part of the second half of my life. Robert Dixon Jr. Dixons friends and family argue that this change wasnt simply a matter of the mellowing that comes with age. They say its the product of a very deliberate, even relentless effort on Dixons part. He knows that if hes going to get there, hes got to be twice as disciplined. Hes got to do things above and beyond. And quite frankly, he has, says Bob Stuart, Dixons best friend. Salvaging A Life. When we met, Stuart regaled me with stories of how Dixon had worked to transform his life. He even had a folder with copies of various certificates Dixon had earned while behind bars business courses, self improvement seminars a thick stack documenting hours logged in a quest for change. A successful engineer, Stuart met Dixon through a mutual friend who thought Dixon could use a mentor. But 1. 6 years later, its clear that relationship has evolved. Im doing everything I can to salvage some part of the second half of my life, says Robert Dixon Jr., pictured here in the early 2. Courtesy of Robert Dixon Sr. Courtesy of Robert Dixon Sr. I consider him my best friend, says Stuart. Hard to believe that someone inside prison would be, but hes a person I trust absolutely. Dixons goal, Stuart told me, was not just to get out of prison on parole. Once out, he wanted to do good. Dixon says the same. Im not proud of my life, he told me when I visited him in a maximum security prison in Vacaville, Calif. Ive hurt people. Ive disappointed myself. Ive ruined my life. And Im doing everything I can to salvage some part of the second half of my life. So who is the real Robert Dixon the one the test sees, or the one his friends and family see Born Bad The Rise Of The Psychopath Test. Canadian psychologist Robert Hare began studying psychopaths in the 1. Hares work has made the concept of the psychopath so commonplace but a half century ago, research on psychopaths was considered both obscure and largely irrelevant to understanding crime. Back then, Hare says, there was a very clear consensus about where crime came from Criminals were made, not born. In those days, social factors, environmental factors were the explanation for all crime, Hare says. When youre born, youre a blank slate, and I can train you to be anything you want a doctor, a dentist. Hare, for one, didnt fully buy this. He thought inborn personality was important. He says that as a psychologist, when he looked at people, he just saw incredible differences in temperament differences in impulsivity, differences in the capacity for empathy, for feeling guilt. Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 3 4 Activator Windows here. We have individual differences in intelligence, Hare says.