Misconceptions regarding psychopathic personality: implications for clinical practice and research

Abstract

Psychopathic personality (psychopathy) is a condition marked by a constellation of traits, including callousness, guiltlessness, dishonesty, superficial charm, egocentricity and poor impulse control. Psychopathy should not be confused with antisocial personality disorder, although these conditions overlap; the former is a largely personality-based condition, the latter a largely behavior-based condition. Most recent evidence suggests that psychopathy is not an all-or-none phenomenon, but rather falls on a continuum with normality. Moreover, psychopathy broadly construed appears not to be a homogeneous condition, but rather a heterogeneous category containing at least two potentially overlapping subtypes. Psychopathy is more common among males than females, but is not only a male disorder. Despite some clinical assertions to the contrary, psychopathy is not associated with a complete absence of emotional responsiveness. Although psychopathy is a risk factor for violence, this heightened risk appears to be modest. Psychopathy bears a negligible or negative association with psychosis, and is not presently an adequate basis for a 'not guilty verdict by reason of insanity' defense. Clinical lore notwithstanding, questionnaires can help to detect many of the core features of psychopathy.

Using the Triarchic model of psychopathy to replicate ``Greed is good? Student disciplinary choice and self-reported psychopathy''

“…Psychopathy is a personality condition characterized by callousness, impulsivity, lack of empathy, and social deviance (Berg et al, 2013). The diagnosis of psychopathy is given by assessing an individual with the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003).…”

“…Although sharing several similarities (e.g. impulsivity, irresponsibility, lack of remorse), psychopathy and ASPD distinguish each other by exclusive traits to psychopathy related to affective and interpersonal features (e.g., empathy deficits, shallow moral emotions, social potency, immunity to stress, and venturesomeness Berg et al, 2013;Murphy, Lilienfeld, Skeem, & Edens, 2016). Furthermore, past research demonstrates a limited relationship between the LSRP and bold interpersonal features (social potency and stress/anxiety immunity Patrick, 2010;Poythress et al, 2010;Sellbom & Phillips, 2013;Witt, Donnellan, Blonigen, Krueger, & Conger, 2009).…”

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).…”

A Replication of ``Using self-esteem to disaggregate psychopathy, narcissism, and aggression (2013)''

“…Psychopathy can be subdivided into two factors: Fearless Dominance (PPI-I), which reflects adaptive behaviors, and Self-Centered Impulsivity (PPI-II), which reflects maladaptive behaviors (Fowles & Dindo, 2009). Due to the negative aspects of psychopathy, several misconceptions have arisen, such as the positive correlation between psychopathy and violence (Berg et al, 2013). While psychopathy is a possible risk factor for aggressive behaviors, prior investigations have concluded that a significant percentage of psychopathic individuals are well-adapted to society and do not engage in any major criminal activities (Hall & Benning, 2006;Lynam & Miller, 2012;Widom, 1977).…”