I figured it’s only fair to run the Hare Checklist on Jon Ronson himself; I’m sure he’s already done so. Knowing only what he’s revealed himself through his works, my best guess is he scores around a 13… far away from the 30 or more required for a diagnosis of psychopathy. Still, I think he may have some impulse issues…
| 1 | Glib and Superficial Charm | The tendency to be smooth, engaging, charming, slick, and verbally facile. Psychopathic charm is not in the least shy, self-conscious, or afraid to say anything. A psychopath never gets tongue-tied. They have freed themselves from the social conventions about taking turns in talking, for example. | 1 – He said so himself in an interview: He’s a ‘mission of charm.’ |
| 2 | Grandiose Self-Worth | A grossly inflated view of one’s abilities and self-worth, self-assured, opinionated, cocky, a braggart. Psychopaths are arrogant people who believe they are superior human beings. | 1 – Maybe a bit; he does feature himself as a character in all his books. Most reporters do not |
| 3 | Need for Stimulation or Proneness to Boredom |
An excessive need for novel, thrilling, and exciting stimulation; taking chances and doing things that are risky. Psychopaths often have a low self-discipline in carrying tasks through to completion because they get bored easily. They fail to work at the same job for any length of time, for example, or to finish tasks that they consider dull or routine. | 2 – He hangs out with terrorists and KKK leaders, death squad killers, pyschos, etc… that’s a guy with boredom issues! |
| 4 | Pathological Lying | Can be moderate or high; in moderate form, they will be shrewd, crafty, cunning, sly, and clever; in extreme form, they will be deceptive, deceitful, underhanded, unscrupulous, manipulative, and dishonest. | 0 |
| 5 | Conning and Manipulativeness | The use of deceit and deception to cheat, con, or defraud others for personal gain; distinguished from Item #4 in the degree to which exploitation and callous ruthlessness is present, as reflected in a lack of concern for the feelings and suffering of one’s victims. | 1 - Again, a bit. He uses charm to get people to let their defenses down and tell him things they wouldn’t or shouldn’t otherwise |
| 6 | Lack of Remorse or Guilt | A lack of feelings or concern for the losses, pain, and suffering of victims; a tendency to be unconcerned, dispassionate, coldhearted, and unempathic. This item is usually demonstrated by a disdain for one’s victims. | 0 |
| 7 | Shallow Affect | Emotional poverty or a limited range or depth of feelings; interpersonal coldness in spite of signs of open gregariousness. | 0 |
| 8 | Callousness and Lack of Empathy |
A lack of feelings toward people in general; cold, contemptuous, inconsiderate, and tactless. | 0 |
| 9 | Parasitic Lifestyle | An intentional, manipulative, selfish, and exploitative financial dependence on others as reflected in a lack of motivation, low self-discipline, and inability to begin or complete responsibilities. | 1 – Well, that’s all reporters, isn’t it? |
| 10 | Poor Behavioral Controls | Expressions of irritability, annoyance, impatience, threats, aggression, and verbal abuse; inadequate control of anger and temper; acting hastily. | 1 – Mainly this is because of the last one, acting hastily… like crashing the BoHo party |
| 11 | Promiscuous Sexual Behavior | A variety of brief, superficial relations, numerous affairs, and an indiscriminate selection of sexual partners; the maintenance of several relationships at the same time; a history of attempts to sexually coerce others into sexual activity or taking great pride at discussing sexual exploits or conquests. | 0 |
| 12 | Early Behavior Problems | A variety of behaviors prior to age 13, including lying, theft, cheating, vandalism, bullying, sexual activity, fire-setting, glue-sniffing, alcohol use, and running away from home. | 0 |
| 13 | Lack of Realistic, Long-Term Goals |
an inability or persistent failure to develop and execute long-term plans and goals; a nomadic existence, aimless, lacking direction in life. | 1 – Unless he’s building to a Grand Unified Conspiracy Theory, his book subjects seem to be all over the place |
| 14 | Impulsivity | The occurrence of behaviors that are unpremeditated and lack reflection or planning; inability to resist temptation, frustrations, and urges; a lack of deliberation without considering the consequences; foolhardy, rash, unpredictable, erratic, and reckless. | 2 – Again, he broke into the Bohemian Grove… with numerous reasons to wave off, and with nutty guys like Alex Jones hanging around… |
| 15 | Irresponsibility | Repeated failure to fulfill or honor obligations and commitments; such as not paying bills, defaulting on loans, performing sloppy work, being absent or late to work, failing to honor contractual agreements. | 2 – Tough one. I think pretending you aren’t Jewish and hanging out with terrorists is sort of irresponsible. Unless you have a death wish |
| 16 | Failure to Accept Responsibility for Own Actions |
A failure to accept responsibility for one’s actions reflected in low conscientiousness, an absence of dutifulness, antagonistic manipulation, denial of responsibility, and an effort to manipulate others through this denial. | 1 – I’m citing Mary Moore of the BoHo Action Network on this one. She’s not the only person to criticize Ronson’s methods, but she did post a letter online that sums up her thoughts… |
| 17 | Many Short-Term Marital Relationships | A lack of commitment to a long-term relationship reflected in inconsistent, undependable, and unreliable commitments in life, including marital. | 0 |
| 18 | Juvenile Delinquency | Behavior problems between the ages of 13-18; mostly behaviors that are crimes or clearly involve aspects of antagonism, exploitation, aggression, manipulation, or a callous, ruthless tough-mindedness. | 0 |
| 19 | Revocation of Condition Release | A revocation of probation or other conditional release due to technical violations, such as carelessness, low deliberation, or failing to appear. | 0 |
| 20 | Criminal Versatility | A diversity of types of criminal offenses, regardless if the person has been arrested or convicted for them; taking great pride at getting away with crimes. | 0 |
| TOTAL | 13 – Not a Pyscho! |
A much briefer test is presented here: http://www.naute.com/puzzles/puzzle22.php
