Implicit vs. explicit dimensions of guilt and dominance in criminal psychopathy

Abstract

The current study investigated the relationship between psychopathy and two concepts that hold a central position in conceptualizations of this disorder, being guilt and dominance. Both constructs were measured using explicit measures (i.e., self-report), as well as indirect assessment (i.e., the Single Category Implicit Association Test; Sc-IAT). Our sample consisted of 43 psychopathic offenders, 42 nonpsychopathic offenders, and 26 nonoffender controls. Although no overall group differences emerged, the lifestyle/antisocial traits of psychopathy (Factor 2) predicted reduced self-reported guilt on a dimensional level. As hypothesized, such a relationship was absent for the interpersonal/affective dimension of psychopathy (Factor 1). Psychopathy was unrelated to implicit self-guilt associations. Regarding dominance, psychopathy was not significantly associated with indirectly or explicitly assessed dominance. These findings are interpreted in the light of empirical knowledge on moral emotions, insight and response distortion in highly antisocial offenders.

Negative self-conscious emotions in women with borderline personality disorder as assessed by an Implicit Association Test.

“…The Shame-IAT has previously been used in research on BPD (Rüsch, Lieb, et al, 2007), interpersonal trauma (Bockers et al, 2016), as well as narcissistic personality disorder (Ritter et al, 2014). Likewise, the Guilt-IAT has been used to study criminal offenders (Nentjes et al, 2017) and interpersonally traumatized women (Bockers et al, 2016).…”

Sniffing submissiveness? Oxytocin administration in severe psychopathy

“…Nentjes and colleagues (2017), however, were unable to find an association between psychopathy and both self-dominant associations and explicitly assessed dominance. These results may also reflect participants' reluctance to explicitly reveal a dominant self-view or lack of self-awareness, which is believed to be insufficient in psychopaths (Fowler et al, 2009;Nentjes et al, 2017).…”

“…In addition to predicting violent behavior, psychopathic characteristics are also strongly associated with criminal recidivism (Dhingra and Boduszek, 2013;Hare, 1996Hare, , 2003Harris et al, 1991;Hemphill et al, 1998;Skeem and Cooke, 2010). Due to this propensity for antisocial behavior, psychopathic individuals are over-represented in the forensic system (Hare, 1996;Coid et al, 2009;Nentjes et al, 2017).…”

In the I of the beholder: an attempt to capture the implicit self-concept regarding psychopathy

“…To the best of our knowledge, however, only very few studies so far investigated the relationship between psychopathy and the implicit self-concept (for other work on psychopathy and implicit cognition, see, e.g., Snowden et al, 2004 ). Using the IAT or the SC-IAT, these studies yielded heterogenous results that suggest a self-concept of being similarly dominant and guilty compared to others ( Nentjes et al, 2017 ), and being either more ( Suter et al, 2017 ) or less inclined to break formal rules ( Suter et al, 2014 ). A recent study by Pink et al (2023) , in addition, successfully linked psychopathy according to the TriPM Model to a self-concept of being rather bold, mean, and disinhibited.…”