Methodology
The Science Behind the Madness
This assessment translates broad findings from psychopathy and workplace behaviour research into observable behaviour at work. It is a screening experience, not an instrument.
Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a psychological construct involving interpersonal, affective and behavioural characteristics — among them superficial charm, deceitfulness, callousness, limited remorse, impulsivity and irresponsibility.
The Hare PCL-R
The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised is one of the best-known tools in psychopathy research and forensic assessment. It is a professional instrument scored by trained assessors.
Why this isn't the PCL-R
A proper PCL-R assessment requires trained professional judgement, structured assessment procedures and collateral information. This website does not administer it, does not reproduce its items and does not produce a PCL-R score.
Workplace psychopathy
Research has explored psychopathy-related traits within organisations and has developed instruments designed for workplace contexts, including supervisor ratings such as the B-Scan 360. The Triarchic model (boldness, meanness, disinhibition) has also been adapted for work settings.
What this app does
It asks you about 20 original, workplace-observable behaviours, groups them into four behavioural dimensions, and produces an original Behavioural Signal Score from 0 to 100 plus an Evidence Confidence rating.
What this app does NOT do
It does not diagnose another person. It does not measure personality. It does not establish intent, mental health or pathology. Its score has not been psychometrically validated.
The four dimensions
- Manipulation & Ethics
- Broadly reflecting interpersonal manipulation, strategic dishonesty and instrumental use of relationships.
- Empathy & Accountability
- Broadly reflecting callousness, limited concern about consequences and avoidance of responsibility.
- Reliability & Impulse Control
- Broadly reflecting instability, impulsive decision-making and irresponsible organisational behaviour.
- Intimidation & Boundary Respect
- Broadly reflecting aggression, retaliation, coercion and disregard for professional boundaries.
How the score is calculated
Answers score 0 (not observed), 1 (some or inconsistent evidence) or 2 (repeated clear pattern). “I don't know” answers are excluded. The score is the sum of answered items divided by the maximum possible for those items, expressed as a percentage and rounded. Identical inputs always produce identical results — no generative AI is involved.
Example: 15 valid answers, maximum possible 30, actual 21 → Behavioural Signal Score = 70.
References
Provided for context and further reading. Their inclusion does not imply endorsement of this application by any author.
- Hare, R. D. (2003). Manual for the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (2nd ed.). Multi-Health Systems.
- Hare, R. D., & Neumann, C. S. (2008). Psychopathy as a clinical and empirical construct. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 4, 217–246. doi:10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091452
- Babiak, P., Neumann, C. S., & Hare, R. D. (2010). Corporate psychopathy: Talking the walk. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 28(2), 174–193. doi:10.1002/bsl.925
- Mathieu, C., Neumann, C. S., Hare, R. D., & Babiak, P. (2014). A dark side of leadership: Corporate psychopathy and its influence on employee well-being and job satisfaction. Personality and Individual Differences, 59, 83–88. doi:10.1016/j.paid.2013.11.010
- Mathieu, C., Hare, R. D., Jones, D. N., Babiak, P., & Neumann, C. S. (2013). Factor structure of the B-Scan 360: A measure of corporate psychopathy. Psychological Assessment, 25(1), 288–293. doi:10.1037/a0029262
- Patrick, C. J., Fowles, D. C., & Krueger, R. F. (2009). Triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy: Developmental origins of disinhibition, boldness, and meanness. Development and Psychopathology, 21(3), 913–938. doi:10.1017/S0954579409000492
- Boddy, C. R. (2011). Corporate psychopaths, bullying and unfair supervision in the workplace. Journal of Business Ethics, 100(3), 367–379. doi:10.1007/s10551-010-0689-5
- Einarsen, S., Aasland, M. S., & Skogstad, A. (2007). Destructive leadership behaviour: A definition and conceptual model. The Leadership Quarterly, 18(3), 207–216. doi:10.1016/j.leaqua.2007.03.002
Important
This application is an educational, science-informed workplace behaviour tool.
It is not a psychological assessment, medical assessment or diagnostic instrument.
Although its framework draws on peer-reviewed psychopathy research and concepts associated with established instruments such as the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, this application does not administer the PCL-R and its Behavioural Signal Score has not itself been clinically or psychometrically validated.
Only appropriately qualified professionals using validated assessment procedures can conduct a formal psychopathy assessment.
The results describe behavioural observations reported by the person completing the assessment.
They do not establish the personality, intentions, mental health or diagnosis of another person.
Aggregate data shown in the Workplace Dark Behaviour Index reflects self-selected anonymous respondents and must not be interpreted as estimates of psychopathy prevalence in any country, demographic group, company type or profession.