“We all go a little mad sometimes." So says Norman Bates, the infamous anti-hero played by actor Anthony Perkins in Alfred Hitchcock's notorious 1960 horror classic Psycho. As scary as that movie was, it’s scarier still to contemplate that the story took inspiration from real-life events, and that mental disorders such as that of Norman Bates are a very real thing.
We know we’re never really going to cross paths with a vampire or werewolf, but a madman… well, that’s a different story. You could unwittingly meet a madman anytime, anywhere. But the subject is even thornier than that, because who’s to say you don’t have a touch of madness yourself? After all, people who are truly mad don’t necessarily realise that about themselves – and those close to them don’t always recognise the signs until it’s too late.
The two most widely used yet commonly misunderstood terms used in reference to what we would typically call 'madness' are psychopath and sociopath. The distinction between the two can be tricky to define, and in truth a lot of people who might previously have been labelled ‘psychos’ (Norman Bates included) might be more accurately described as sociopathic, not psychopathic.
Both types have no regard for the feelings of others, but where a sociopath is hot-headed, prone to emotional outbursts and struggles to fit in, a psychopath is cooler, more duplicitous and able to conceal their true nature.
So...which of these might you be? Well, for a definitive answer we’d recommend seeing a psychiatrist, but just for fun you can answer our questions here and see which side you land.
Founded in 2016, Eighties Kids started small. Beginning as a blog posting on 80s and 90s life as well as the movies, music and television of the era, Eighties Kids has in a short space of time exploded in scope and ambition. Operating out of Eighties Kids HQ in sunny Ilkley, in the North of England, today a growing team of writers produces original content day in and day out for one of the best new nostalgia sites on the web.
With the site also growing beyond its original remit, the Eighties Kids team now covers not just trivia from the 80s and 90s, but pop culture of all decades that's of interest to children of the 80s, 90s and beyond. From shocking and obscure fact posts on your favourite movies and bands, to quizzes on classic TV shows and film franchises, to picture galleries on celebrities from past and present, Eighties Kids is here to take you down memory lane, test your knowledge of classic pop culture and maybe even occasionally blow your mind.
Answering a question, correctly or otherwise, will allow you to progress to the next one; just scroll down and you'll see another question light up and become playable. Keep in mind though: all correct and incorrect answers will be tallied for a final score, which will be revealed to you only once you've answered each and every question in the quiz. Play down the page to the end to find out just how knowledgeable you are in your chosen subject.