Throwing more light on the dark side of psychopathy: An extension of previous findings for the revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory

Abstract

This is the accepted version of the paper.This version of the publication may differ from the final published version. Ross, S. R. Permanent repository linkCorr, P. J. IntroductionDue to researchers' differing opinions regarding the construct of psychopathy, the distinction between primary and secondary psychopathy, though it has long been recognized to exist, has yet to be fully understood. This distinction, originally proposed by Karpman (1941Karpman ( , 1948, suggests two separate etiologies leading to psychopathy. Whereas primary psychopathy stems from genetic influences resulting in emotional deficits, secondary psychopathy is associated with environmental factors such as abuse (Lee & Salekin, 2010). Additionally, primary psychopathy is characterized by lack of fear/anxiety, secondary psychopathy is thought more to represent a vulnerability to experience higher levels of negative affect in general (Vassileva, Kosson, Abramowitz, & Conrad, 2005).For the reason that primary and secondary psychopathy have been theorized to be related to fearlessness and reckless behavior, respectively, researchers have begun to investigate the relationship between psychopathy and the Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) of personality (Corr, 2008). Research based on Gray's (1970Gray's ( , 1987 original model of RST has focused on two primary motivational systems: the behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and the behavioral approach system (BAS). In original RST, the BIS is sensitive to cues of punishment and inhibits goal-directed behavior in the presence of such cues. Thus, high BIS activation has been theorized to contribute to processes that, eventually, cause the experience of anxiety. In contrast, the BAS is sensitive to signals of reward, leading to increased goal-directed behavior in the presence of such cues. High BAS activation has been theorized to be related to the trait of reward sensitivity and impulsivity (e.g., Carver & White, 1994). Although Gray (1987) originally posited the BIS and BAS as independently functioning systems (the separable subsystems hypothesis), Corr (2001) In their study, Hughes, Moore, Morris, and Corr (2012) used an undergraduate sample to test the relationships between psychopathy the BAS, BIS, and FFFS. In accordance with Corr (2010), they reported that both primary and secondary psychopathy, as measured by the Levenson's Self-Report Psychopathy (LSRP) Scales (Levenson, Kiehl, & Fitzpatrick, 1995), exhibited a negative association with BIS activation. Primary psychopathy was also shown to be positively related to the BAS -Reward Sensitivity and BAS -Drive facets, and negatively related to BAS Fun-Seeking; and in addition, it was related to FFFS-fear In contrast, in addition to an association with BIS, secondary psychopathy was positively related to Fun-Seeking (impulsivity)In both cases, the BIS can be seen as a cognitive mechanism that detects and resolves goal conflict, and is not simply a measure of anxiety.These results are intriguing but are inconsistent with a number of studies that ...

Feeling me, feeling you? Links between the Dark Triad and internal body awareness

“…This supports previous studies that have found that secondary psychopathy does not relate to goal-directed behaviour like primary psychopathy does, but is associated more with impulsive, disinhibited behaviour (Broerman, Ross, & Corr, 2014), and a dysfunctional executive system (Ross, Benning, & Adams, 2007). It is possible that the poor focus on external stimuli is stemming from the inability to regulate and sustain attention to bodily signals (Matthias et al, 2009), which could be useful in terms of the execution of a fast life history strategy.…”

The exploration of subclinical psychopathic subtypes and their relationship with types of aggression in female college students

“…Indeed high BAS and BIS have been noted in secondary psychopaths across several studies (see Broerman, Ross, & Corr, 2014). The combination of high BIS and low BAS implies lower levels of aggression and antisocial behavior.…”

“…The moderate alpha levels of AQ subscales and the dichotomous, historical nature of the aggression incidents coding could partially explain the lack of distinction between clusters. Recent revisions to the BIS/BAS theory (Gray & McNaughton, 2000) and the subscales of the BAS were not considered (Broerman et al, 2014;Corr, 2010;Hughes et al, 2012). Furthermore, this study refers to separate findings .…”

Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory of Personality Questionnaires: Structural survey with recommendations

“…In addition, Fight is strongly negatively correlated with the FFFS (−.0.78), which may reflect the nature of some of the scale content (e.g., "I am a rather quick-witted person", Q.22) which does not seem to reflect defensive fight, at least not as defined by rRST -it seems to relate better to a predatory form of psychopathy, which itself is negatively correlated with the FFFS (Broerman, Ross, & Corr, 2014).…”