An examination of the structure of self-report psychopathy measures and their relations with general traits and externalizing behaviors.

Abstract

Self-report assessment of psychopathy is plagued by inconsistencies among the relations of the various psychopathy factors. We examined the factor structure of 3 prominent self-report measures of psychopathy-the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale-III (SRP-III; Williams, Paulhus, & Hare, 2007), the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP; Levenson, Kiehl, & Fitzpatrick, 1995), and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-R (PPI-R; Lilienfeld & Widows, 2005). A coherent 4-factor structure resulted from conducting an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) of the psychopathy subscales along with the domains from the five-factor model. Two of these factors were consistent with traditional conceptualizations of a 2-factor structure of psychopathy (i.e., Factor 1, which loaded negatively with Agreeableness; Factor 2, which loaded negatively with Conscientiousness), while 2 additional factors emerged, 1 of which emphasized low Neuroticism and 1 of which emphasized traits related to novelty/reward-seeking and dominance-related personality traits (high Extraversion). We also investigated the relations of these factors with a variety of externalizing behaviors (EB). The psychopathy scales indicative of interpersonal antagonism (i.e., Factor 1) were most consistently and strongly related to EB. Our findings are discussed in terms of the importance of a trait-based perspective in the assessment of psychopathy.

Critical evaluation of psychopathy measurement (PCL-R and SRP-III/SF) and recommendations for future research

“…The SRP-III factor scores were positively correlated with verbal and physical bullying, drug use, thrill seeking, and aggression (Debowska, Boduszek, Kola, & Hyland, 2014;Gordts, Uzieblo, Neumann, Van den Bussche, & Rossi, in press;Neal & Sellbom, 2012), and negatively correlated with empathy, honesty, conscientiousness, and agreeableness (Neal & Sellbom, 2012;;Seibert, Miller, Few, Zeichner, & Lynam, 2011). As for the underlying factor structure, both the SRP-III and SRP-SF were best captured by four correlated facets, including interpersonal manipulation (IPM), callous affect (CA), erratic lifestyle (ELS), and antisocial behavior (ASB).…”

“…As for the underlying factor structure, both the SRP-III and SRP-SF were best captured by four correlated facets, including interpersonal manipulation (IPM), callous affect (CA), erratic lifestyle (ELS), and antisocial behavior (ASB). However, recent analytic work has revealed some inconsistent results as to the dimensionality of the SRP-III (e.g., Debowska et al, 2014;Seibert et al, 2011), and unsatisfactory model fit parameters when using scale items as indicators (Debowska et al, 2014;Neal & Sellbom, 2012).…”

“…This is because, unless no preconceived factor structure is provided, exploratory techniques should be avoided when assessing dimensionality of established instruments. Seibert et al (2011), on the other hand, employed the EFA to examine the joint factor structure of three self-report measures of psychopathy, namely the SRP-III, the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (LSRP; Levenson, Kiehl, & Fitzpatrick, 1995), and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised (PPI-R; Lilienfeld & Widows, 2005). The analysis was performed on 14 psychopathy subscales and the domains from the five-factor personality model (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness) together.…”

Psychopathy: A Behavioral Systems Approach

“…In an extensive literature, psychopathy, is associated with instrumental, reactive, relational and laboratory aggression [72][73][74][75]. Factor 1 correlates with these more than does Factor 2, except for reactive aggression [74].…”

A Pilot Study on the Effectiveness of a Heat-Pain Stimulus to Induce Pain, Anxiety, and Fear

“…Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by a lack of empathy, callousness, manipulative behavior, impulsivity, and a parasitic lifestyle (Berg et al, 2013;Seibert, Miller, Few, Zeichner, & Lynam, 2011). Although not inherent components of the construct, several traits such as lower levels of anxiety, greater fear immunity, along with greater pain tolerance, are moderately associated with psychopathy (Berg et al, 2013;Miller, Rausher, Hyatt, Maples, & Zeichner, 2014;Skeem & Cooke, 2010).…”