9. Psychopathy around the world

Question 1

What is psychopathy

Answer 1

a ‘mask of sanity’
- typically seem particularly agreeable, will make a positive impression on first encounter
- beneath this mask, may be engaging in antisocial activities
- social predators

Question 2

What’s the difference between psychopathy and sociopathy

Answer 2

Both are antisocial

Psychopathy: lack of morality, conscience, empathy (cool under pressure)
Sociopathy: weak sense of morality, conscience and empathy (get reactive when confronted)

Question 3

What is the psychopathy assessment?

Answer 3

Psychopathy Checklist-Revised: semi structured interview assessing 4 dimensions of personality

Interpersonal (conning, pathological lying)

Affective functioning (callousness, failure to accept responsibility)

Lifestyle (impulsive, parasitic, irresponsible)

Antisocial tendencies (poor behavioural controls, persistent rule breaking behaviour)

In North America- the measure for pyschopathy is > 30
In Europe, the measure is > 25

Question 4

Correlation between recidivism and psychopathy

Answer 4

as psychopathy scores increase, so too does recidivism (reoffending)

Question 5

Concept of successful and unsuccessful psychopaths (Gao & Raine)

Answer 5

Not all psychopaths end up in prison (unsuccessful), many are well adjusted.

Early idea about who ends up where is due to intelligence

Question 6

What is the core of psychopathy?

Answer 6

Diminished experience of emotions - diminished affective empathy

Cognitive empathy: understanding emotions
Affective empathy: understanding the emotions based on your personal emotional state

Question 7

What is the overlap with antisocial personality disorder

Answer 7

Lots of overlap!

Differences:
- APSD populations aren’t very charming
- APSD populations do not have narcissism

What isn’t captured by APSD is the glibness, superficial charm and grandiose sense of self

Question 8

What is the comorbidity of psychopathy and apsd

Answer 8

80-90% of individuals with a diagnosis of psychopathy also meet criteria for ASPD

25-40% of those with a diagnosis of ASPD meet criteria for psychopathy

Question 9

Difference between primary and secondary psychopathy

Answer 9

Primary psychopathy: low anxiety, narcissism (genetic component?)
- most research is focussed on primary psychopathy
- does not feel fear

Secondary psychopathy: high anxiety (acquired)

Question 10

Secondary psychopathy

Answer 10

• emotionally sensitive children who don’t get a loving upbringing and are exposed to adverse experiences - could have a fundamental personality change

Question 11

Prevalence of psychopathy

Answer 11

Sanz Garcia et al (2021) meta-analysis
-approximately 1% of general population
- other psychopathy tests: 4.5%

Psychopathy: m>f

Businses workers > uni students > general community

Significantly higher in organizations and companise

Question 12

Outline organisational psychoapths

Answer 12

prevalence in the business world: 3.5%
- workplace predators: rising in ranks via sabotaging others
- malicious gossip, backstabbing, bullying
“whatever it takes to get ahead”

Question 13

Study on organisational psychopaths

Answer 13

Workplace psychopathy has a strong correlation with workplace bullying

In terms of media interest - this has esculated more so than research interest.

Question 14

Are corporate leaders really destructive psychopaths

Answer 14

Landay meta-analyusis

• weak positive relation with emergent leadership
• weak negative relation with effective leadership

Question 15

Psychopathy around the world

Answer 15

Aranaka (Nigeria)

Kunlangeta (inuit)

Question 16

Culture and psychopathy: nurture?

Answer 16

For females:
- components have pretty strong relationships with external factors
- poorer countries, high levels of pathogens, less overweight, more maternal and infant death –> have higher psychopathy

Maybe as a survival measure?

Question 17

What are the causes of psychopathy?

Answer 17

Secondary: adverse childhood experiences

Primary: nature over nurture
- born with low levels of fearfulness
- low fearfulness leads to poor moral socialization

Question 18

What is the biological basis of psychopathy

Answer 18

Genetics are stronger than social factors
- deficiency in prefrontal cortex (inhibition)
- deficiency in the amygdala (fear response)

Reduced arousal to aversive primes
No startle response to threat stimuli
When imaging others getting hurts, psychopaths brains were distinguishable from control (empathy deficit)

Poeppl et al meta analysis:
- consistently associated with decreased brain activity in the right laterobasal amygdala, the dorsomedial PFC, and the lateral PFC (less emotional activity and the part of your brain that helps you inhibit impulses)

Question 19

Treatment for psychopathy?

Answer 19

No successful treatment
if its a brain disorder - maybe we try change the brain with chemistry (antidepressants, MDMA, oxy)
but this doesn’t address secondary psychopathy