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Offender Personality Self-Test

Purpose. This test is to determine whether you are similar to other people who commit crimes. People who commit crimes behave in certain ways. These behaviors show how these people have learned to think. Although you may not like to think of yourself as having an offender personality, it is important for you to find out if you do. The problems that your thinking and behaviors cause with the law can help you see that you need to change. (Adapted from DSM­III­R criteria.)

Instructions. Read the following descriptions and check the left column (yes) if this has happened to you or if you have done this and the right column (no) if this has not happened to you or you have not done this. Read the scoring instructions at the end of this test to find your results.

Part 1: Before Age 15

Yes	No
____	____	Skipped school: I often skipped school because I didn't want to be there or because I wanted to do other things.
____	____	Ran away: I ran away from home or from where I lived at least two times, overnight.
____	____	Fights: I started physical fights with others more than once.
____	____	Weapons: I used a gun, knife, club, chain, or other weapon in more than one fight.
____	____	Sex: I forced someone into sex or sexual activity.
____	____	Cruelty to animals: Sometimes I was cruel to or hurt animals.
____	____	Cruelty to people: I physically hurt other people sometimes.
____	____	Property damage: I destroyed or damaged other people's property on purpose.
____	____	Fires: I set fires on purpose.
____	____	Lying: I often lied to other people.
____	____	Theft: I took things that didn't belong to me, forged checks, or broke into places to steal more than once.
____	____	Robbery: I forced people to give me things that belonged to them.
____	____	Total in each column for questions 1–12.

Scoring: Add up the check marks in the yes column for questions 1–12 and put the number in the space above. Do the same for the no column. If you have three or more yes answers, you act and think similarly to people who commit crimes. This behavior usually starts very early in life. This means you will have to work hard to change the way you think and act.

Part 2: Since Age 15

Yes	No
____	____	Work problems: I haven't worked when work was available, have skipped work or classes because I wanted to, or have quit several jobs or schools without any plans for the future.
____	____	Illegal activities: I have committed crimes or done illegal things that I could have been arrested for.
____	____	Using violence: I have had many physical fights or have beaten up my spouse, lover, or children.
____	____	Avoid money responsibilities: I have failed to pay bills or child support, or I have failed to take care of my family.
____	____	Moving around: I have moved without having a job, drifted from place to place, or have lived without a home for more than a month at a time.
____	____	Conning: I have lied, used false names, or conned people to get what I want.
____	____	Reckless: I have driven a car recklessly while using or drinking or have acted in ways that caused danger to others.
____	____	Parenting: I have failed to take care of my children by leaving them alone, not feeding them, or depending on others to take care of them for me.
____	____	Relationships: I have never been able to stay faithful to a sexual partner for more than 1 year.
____	____	Remorse: I do not feel bad most of the time when I steal from, hurt, or treat someone else badly.
____	____	Total in column for questions 13–22.

Scoring: Add up the check marks in the yes column for questions 13–22 and put the number in the space above. Do the same for the no column. If you have four or more yes answers, it means you act and think similarly to other people who commit crimes. If you did not have three or more yes answers on the section before age 15, it may mean that your offender behavior is completely connected to your alcohol and drug use. One way to make sure is to review your yes answers on questions 13–22 and ask yourself if these things always happened when you were trying to get alcohol or drugs, using alcohol or drugs, or because you had been using alcohol or drugs recently. If alcohol and drugs were not part of why you did these things, ask yourself what happened or changed in your life that made you start doing them.

Reactions: Complete the sentences below and think about what they mean in your recovery.

1. How do you feel about the results of the test you just took?

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2. What do you think about the results of the test you just took?

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3. What do you want to do about the results of the test you just took?

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It is normal to feel angry or upset about the results of this test. Some people think, "This doesn't mean anything," and try to ignore the results. Part of what causes people to continue to get into trouble with the law is that they ignore things that they do not want to hear. This is called denial. You can quit here and repeat the past, or you can decide to change by continuing to work in this workbook. In order to change, you must accept who you are now.

Complete the following sentences.

If I do not change the way I think, I will probably

If I do change the way I think, I might be able to

The Offender Personality Self-Test and the Alcohol and Drug Addiction Test will help you understand what you must change as you complete this workbook. You will need to change in order to avoid having problems with the law. The remainder of this workbook will show you how to do this.

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Last Updated 11-7-02