CHAPTER 7 Psychopathy

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 2 Hare’s Three Categories of Psychopath Primary A “true” psychopath Secondary Commits antisocial behavior because of severe emotional problems or inner conflicts Dyssocial Commits antisocial behavior learned from subculture

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 3 Primary Psychopath Three Categories of Psychopath Primary Psychopath Identifiable psychological, emotional, cognitive and biological differences that distinguish individual from general criminal population

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 4 Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD) Pervasive pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others that begins in childhood or early adolescence and continues into adulthood Differs from primary psychopathy Definition is restricted to behavioral indicators

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 5 Criminal Psychopath Primary psychopaths who engage in repetitive antisocial or criminal behavior

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 6 Cleckley’s Primary Psychopath Superficial charm and good intelligence Pathological egocentricity Untruthfulness and insincerity Manipulative Lack of remorse or guilt General poverty of affective reactions Unresponsiveness in interpersonal relationships Unreliability Impersonal sex life Failure to follow any life plan Impulsive Inadequately motivated antisocial behavior Poor judgment Absence of delusions Absence of anxiety Bizarre behavior after drinking alcohol

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 7 Hare PCL Checklist Glibness/superficial charm Grandiose sense of self- worth Pathological lying Cunning/manipulative Lack of remorse or guilt Shallow affect Callous, lack of empathy Failure to accept responsibility for actions Promiscuous sexual behavior Lack of realistic, long- term goals Poor behavioral controls High need for stimulation Irresponsibility

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 8 Psychopaths and Mental Disorders Usually do not exhibit mental disorders Lack symptoms Some research Psychopathy and schizophrenia Maximum security psychiatric units Suicidality An intolerable situation and Highly impulsive and violent

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 9 Psychopathic Traits Selfishness and egocentricity Inability to maintain friendships Flat emotional reaction and affect Disregard for truth Lack of remorse or guilt Semantic aphasia Excessive instrumental aggression Impulsivity

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 10 Psychopathic Traits Occur along a dimension Some individuals demonstrate more psychopathic traits than others

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 11 Criminal Psychopaths Disproportionate amount of crime Violent and persistent offenders Sadistic Diverse and severe forms of sexual homicides Derive pleasure from suffering of others Directed toward men who are strangers

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 12 Measuring Psychopathy Robert Hare Psychopathy Checklist Psychopathy Checklist-Revised Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version P-Scan: Research Version

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 13 PCL-R Measuring Psychopathy PCL-R 20-item revision Assesses the affective interpersonal, behavioral, and social deviance facets of criminal psychopathy from various sources Primary psychopath A score of 30 or above Research supports validity and reliability

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 14 Different Dimensions of Psychopathy Two Factor Position Three Factor Position Four Factor position

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 15 Two-Factor Position Dimensions of Psychopathy Two-Factor Position Factor 1 Interpersonal and emotional components Planned predatory violence Identifying psychopathy in general Factor 2 Socially deviant lifestyle Impulsive violence Predicting recidivism

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 16 Three Factor Position Dimensions of Psychopathy Three Factor Position Arrogant and deceptive interpersonal style Deficient affective or emotional experience Impulsive and irresponsible behavioral style

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 17 Dimensions of Psychopathy The Four Dimensions Position Interpersonal Pathological lying and conning Impulsive lifestyle Irresponsibility, impulsiveness, sensation seeking behavior Affective Shallow affect, lack of remorse for actions Antisocial tendencies Poor self-regulation and myriad antisocial behavior

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 18 Gender Differences Significantly fewer female than male psychopaths, both in the general population and among persons convicted of crime Social influences and neuropsychological differences that occur across the developmental trajectory of males and females

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 19 Racial and Ethnic Differences African American Most research » Differences are minimal Other minority groups Less clear Stigma of psychopathy U.S. death penalty cases

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 20 Juvenile Psychopathy Can features of adult psychopathy be found in children and adolescents?

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 21 Implications Juvenile Psychopathy Implications Label has many negative connotations The prognosis for treatment is poor A high rate of offending and recidivism Intrinsic and biological basis of the disorder means little can be done outside of biological interventions Juvenile justice system may give up on these labeled juveniles Self-fulfilling prophecy

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 22 Implications Juvenile Psychopathy Implications Features of adult psychopathy may represent normal adolescent development Difficult to measure reliably because of the transient and constantly changing developmental patterns across life span

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 23 Implications Juvenile Psychopathy Implications It is important for providers to have all information Manage decisions regarding custody and programming Determine most effective treatment

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 24 Implications Juvenile Psychopathy Implications Psychopathy assessments of youths must achieve a high level of confidence before they can be employed in the criminal justice system

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 25 Psychopathic Traits Juvenile Psychopathy Psychopathic Traits A number of researchers have reported finding the traits associated with psychopathy in children and adolescents, particularly juvenile delinquents

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 26 Neurophysiology and Psychopathy Neuropsychological indicators Markers Electrodermal measures Cardiovascular indices Other nervous system indices

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 27 Neurophysiology and Psychopathy Hemisphere asymmetry Processing problems in left hemisphere Emotional paradox Abnormal brain wave patterns Bursts that correlate with aggressive episodes and impulsivity Slow-wave, immature nervous system

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 28 Neurophysiology and Psychopathy Frontal lobe dysfunction Autonomically and cortically underaroused RAS Sensation seeking Habituation

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 29 Childhood of the Psychopath Life-course persistent offenders ADHD Risk factors

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 30 Treatment of the Psychopath High recidivism rate Difficult to evaluate treatment effectiveness Manipulation Children with psychopathic traits Scope, type, intensity, duration of treatment Early

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 31 Key Concepts Chapter 7 Key Concepts Antisocial personality disorder (APD) Avoidance learning Criminal psychopath Dyssocial psychopath Emotional paradox Executive functions Factor analysis Factor 1 Factor 2 Habituation Hemisphere asymmetry Markers Primary psychopath

Criminal Behavior: A Psychological Approach, 9 th ed Bartol and Bartol 2011, 2008, 2005, 2002, 1999, 1995 Pearson Higher Education, Upper Saddle River, NJ All Rights Reserved. 32 Key Concepts Chapter 7 Key Concepts Psychopathy Checklist (PCL and PCL-R) Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL- YV) P-Scan: Research Version Recidivism Secondary psychopath Semantic aphasia