Self-esteem and styles of coping with stress versus strategies of planning in people with psychopathic personality disorders

Abstract

SummaryBackgroundPsychopathy is a notion that has been difficult to define. The operational definition of psychopathy by Hare is one of the most commonly used in psychology and it is usually identified with the scale used to measure this type of personality, which is the Psychopathy Checklist - Revision (PCL-R). PCL-R is composed of two factors: Factor 1 describes a constellation of psychopathic traits considered by many clinicians to be basic for this type of personality, and Factor 2 describes types of behaviour indicating impulsiveness, lack of stability and antisocial lifestyle. The aim of the research was to verify a hypothesis that people with psychopathic personality disorders are characterised by high self-esteem, unconstructive strategies of planning actions and non-adaptive styles of coping with stress.Material/MethodsThe group of participants included 30 people at the age of 22–36 convicted with a legally binding sentence. Methods were: 1. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revision (PCL-R); 2. Antisocial Personality Questionnaire (APQ); 3. Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS); 4. Generalised Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES).ResultsThe participants were diagnosed as psychopaths (PCL-R), and more specifically – as primary psychopaths (APQ). They revealed a grandiose sense of self-worth, increased self-control, impulsive style of functioning, perceived high self-efficacy (which might be considered as a defence mechanism). Psychopaths prefer a coping style focused on emotions and avoidance.ConclusionsThe hypothesis was confirmed, that people with psychopathic personality disorders are characterised by high self-esteem, unconstructive strategies of planning actions and non-adaptive styles of coping with stress.

Comparison of Self-Esteem Among First to Fourth Year Nursing Students From Universities of Medical Sciences in Tehran

“…Nurses, who have a high self-esteem, feel more confidence in their own skills and this trust leads to their effective dealing with challenging situations (11). Nursing is one of the stressful jobs in community (7,12) and given the role of self-esteem as a moderator of stress, people having higher self-esteem in stressful situations have a higher sense of self-worth and self-efficacy that these consequences will function more effectively in these situations (13).…”

Relationship between Attitudes toward Mental Illness, Self Esteem and Studying Psychiatric Course among Nursing Students

“…Selfesteem is one of the most important factors in mental health that plays an important role in promotion of mental health that defined as the level of approval, acceptance and self-worth in relation to self. [12]The role of selfesteem as a moderator of stress, people having higher self-esteem in stressful situations have a higher sense of self-worth and self-efficacy that these consequences will function more effectively in these situations [27].…”

“…This scale was originally developed by Hudson (1994), to measure problems of personal self evaluations. It was translated into Arabic language by [7], it is a valid and reliable measure of self esteem on a sample of faculty students (r=.92) [27]. The scale is composed of 24 items.…”

Untitled

“…Selfesteem is one of the most important factors in mental health that plays an important role in promotion of mental health that defined as the level of approval, acceptance and self-worth in relation to self. [12]The role of selfesteem as a moderator of stress, people having higher self-esteem in stressful situations have a higher sense of self-worth and self-efficacy that these consequences will function more effectively in these situations [27].…”