Convergent and Discriminant Validity of Psychopathy Factors Assessed Via Self-Report

Abstract

Psychopathy has been conceptualized as a personality disorder with distinctive interpersonalaffective and behavioral deviance features. The authors examine correlates of the factors of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI), Self-Report Psychopathy-II (SRP-II) scale, and Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD) to understand similarities and differences among the constructs embodied in these instruments. PPI Fearless Dominance and SRP-II Factor 1 were negatively related to most personality disorder symptoms and were both predicted by high Dominance and low Neuroticism. In addition, PPI Fearless Dominance correlated positively with antisocial personality features, although SRP-II Factor 1 did not. In contrast, PPI Impulsive Antisociality, SRP-II Factor 2, and both APSD factors correlated with antisocial personality features and symptoms of nearly all personality disorders, and were predicted by low Love. Results suggest ways in which the measurement of the constructs in each instrument may be improved. KeywordsPsychopathic Personality Inventory; Self-Report Psychopathy-II scale; Antisocial Process Screening Device; psychopathy; self-report; nomological network Psychopathy is a personality disorder that is distinguished from common criminality and chronic antisociality by the presence of distinctive interpersonal-affective features (Hare, 2003;Harpur, Hare, & Hakstian, 1989;Lilienfeld, 1994;Lykken, 1995;Patrick & Lang, 1999). Recent self-report measures of psychopathy, including the Self-Report Psychopathy scale (SRP;Hare, 1985Hare, , 1991 and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI; Lilienfeld & Andrews, 1996), demonstrate better convergence and coverage of both the interpersonalaffective and antisocial lifestyle features of psychopathy. Factor analytic work on these and other self-report instruments of psychopathy has revealed that many of these instruments have a two-factor structure, each of which parses the interpersonal-affective and behavioral features into separate subscales (Benning, Patrick, Hicks, Blonigen, & Krueger, 2003;Frick, O'Brien, Wootton, & McBurnett, 1994;Hare, 1991). Here, we examined in an undergraduate sample the construct validity of the two-factor structures of the PPI, the SRP-II scale, and a self-report version of the Antisocial Process Screening Device (APSD; Frick & Hare, 2001). We examined the relations of each psychopathy factor to the others, to symptoms of other personality disorders, and to normal-range personality dimensions.Correspondence may be addressed either to Stephen D. Benning, Department of Psychology, University of Minnesota, 75 East River Road, Minneapolis, MN 55455 (e-mail: benn0224@umn.edu), or to Randall T. Salekin, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, Box 870348, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487 (e-mail: rsalekin@bama.ua.edu). Cronbach and Meehl (1955) proposed the concept of the nomological network as a theoretical framework for understanding construct validity. In this framework, a network is set up between unobserved theoretical constructs ...

Factor structure of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI): Findings from a large incarcerated sample.

“…Also, the Fearlessness subscale showed substantial associations with two of the subscales that represent the PPI-II factor (Impulsive Nonconformity, Machiavellian Egocentricity). This latter result is consistent with the cross-loading that the Fearlessness subscale showed on the PPI-II factor in both Benning et al (2003Benning et al ( , 2005 studies, as well as in Lilienfeld (1990;see Appendix). Finally, the correlation between Carefree Nonplanfulness and Coldheartedness suggests a meaningful relation between these two subscales.…”

The construct of psychopathy in a Chilean prison population

“…4,9,12,17,18 The long history of scientific development on this construct has been enriched by multiple authors, 1,2,19,20 and there is still much to say.…”

Psychopathy, Empathy, and Perspective -Taking Ability in a Community Sample: Implications for the Successful Psychopathy Concept

“…The second, possible explanation for the mixed results is that psychopathy is considered to be a multidimensional construct (Benning, Patrick, Salekin, & Leistico, 2005). According to Hare (2003) and others who have more recently tested the factor structure of psychopathy in community samples (Benning et al, 2005), there exists two broad factors for the concept of psychopathy.…”