Continuity and change in psychopathic traits as measured via normal-range personality: A longitudinal-biometric study.

Abstract

The discriminant validity of the interpersonal-affective and social deviance traits of psychopathy has been well documented. However, few studies have explored whether these traits follow distinct or comparable developmental paths. The present study used the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire (A. Tellegen, in press) to examine the development of the psychopathic traits of Fearless Dominance (i.e., interpersonal-affective) and Impulsive Antisociality (i.e., social deviance) from late adolescence to early adulthood in a longitudinal-epidemiological sample of male and female twins. Results from mean- and individual-level analyses revealed stability in Fearless Dominance from late adolescence to early adulthood, whereas Impulsive Antisociality declined over this developmental period. In addition, biometric findings indicated greater genetic contributions to stability in these traits and greater nonshared environmental contributions to their change over time. Collectively, these findings suggest distinct developmental trends for psychopathic traits from late adolescence to early adulthood.

Beyond the Big Five: The Dark Triad and the Supernumerary Personality Inventory

“…Behavioral genetic assessments of psychopathy, narcissism, and Machiavellianism have suggested that variance in the occurrence and stability of these traits can be accounted for by both genetic and non-shared environmental factors (e.g., Blonigen et al, 2006;Larsson et al, 2006;Livesley et al, 1993;Taylor et al, 2003;Vernon et al, 2008b). Correlations between the three Dark Triad traits have also been shown to be moderate (Paulhus & Williams, 2002), although Vernon et al (2008b) did report a non-significant correlation between Machiavellianism and narcissism.…”

The Economics and Psychology of Personality Traits

“…If, as McCrae and colleagues have claimed, normative changes reflect genetically programmed processes, investment should not affect change. The current literature in psychology claims that genetic factors are largely responsible for stability in personality in adulthood whereas environmental factors are mostly responsible for change (Blonigen et al, 2006;Plomin and Nesselroade 1990). 74 In a longitudinal study of twins surveyed at age 20 and then again at age 30, about 80 percent of the variance of the stable component of personality was attributed to genetic factors (McGue, Bacon, and Lykken 1993).…”

Minnesota Center for Twin and Family Research

“…Our work has shown that measures of psychopathy can be derived from an omnibus personality questionnaire (Benning, Patrick, Blonigen, et al, 2005;Blonigen et al, 2006) and that those with psychopathy-related traits show psychophysiological response patterns like incarcerated felons identified as psychopaths . Two heritable facets of psychopathy are evident: fearless dominance, which is associated with reduced genetic risk for internalizing disorders, and impulsive antisociality, which is associated with increased genetic risk for externalizing psychopathology .…”