Psychopathy 1 Flashcards
What is Psychopathy?
A personality disorder characterised by severe antisocial personality/behaviour/lifestyles. Lacking shame or remorse.
Cleckly - how many inital characteristics?
16 - all with the shared neuropsychiatric deficit of feeling and having emotion
Link between ASPD and psychopathy?
Psychopathy is not criminal.
ASPD is largely criminal.
60-80% of offenders reach ASPD criterion.
Only 10-20% of offenders reach psychopathy criterion.
DSM-V confuses ASPD and psychopathy - does not recognise psychopathy as a specific MI.
What is the PCL-R?
A way of assessing for psychopathy.
A structured interview.
Requires extensive file information and reviewing - due to possible manipulation during interview/psychopath being unwilling to share information.
Requires training.
Rates 20 items of personality and behaviour.
Rate 0 for absent, 1 for maybe, 2 for definitely (if they reach criterion for each item).
Use descriptions of behaviour through interview, and sources of inforamtion, to inform of extent to which they reach criterion per item.
30 - cut-off for psychopathy
20 - low psychopathy
2 main psychopathy subscales covered in the PCLR?
Factor 1 - affective and interpersonal factors/items.
Factor 2 - behavioural and lifestyle factors/items.
Interpersonal and lifestyle recently added to each factor as factor analysis revealed. (4 facets overall within the main factors).
What is primary psychopathy?
An emotional deficiency rooted in factor 1.
Dysfunction of limbic system.
Innate and inherited.
Hypoactive (low) behavioural inhibition system.
Low sensitivity to punishment
Low neuroticism and anxiety
Absence of delusions
Few symptoms of MI
Good interpersonal functioning and assertiveness - charming
Lack of risky decision-making
Reduced perceptual capacity, e.g. pupil dilation/skin conductance
What is secondary psychopathy?
Sociopathy.
An emotional disturbance - lack of control over emotions - rooted in factor 2.
Acquired and trauma-induced.
Hyperreactive (over) behavioural inhibtiion system.
Low punishment sensitivity
High neuroticism/anxiety
Can experience delusions
More borderline features
More major MI symptoms
Poor interpersonal functions and assertiveness
Risky decision-making
What is TriPM?
Factor analysis that split psychopathic traits into 3.
1 - boldness – risk-taking
2 - disinhibition – recklessness and lack of planning/forethought
3 - meanness – cold, lack of empathy
Different types of impulsivity? Gray et al.
Multidimensional measure of impulsivity with offenders and psychopaths.
Negative urgency - acting rashly when under strong negative affect.
Positive urgency - acting rashly when under strong positive affect.
Lack of premeditation - planning ahead.
Lack of preservation - sticking to one task.
Correlation between higher PCLR scoresPsychopaths were sensation seeking which resulted in these factors - seek novelty and excitement.
Different types of impulsivity? Gray et al.
Multidimensional measure of impulsivity with offenders and psychopaths.
Negative urgency - acting rashly when under strong negative affect.
Positive urgency - acting rashly when under strong positive affect.
Lack of premeditation - planning ahead.
Lack of preservation - sticking to one task.
High factor 1 - negative correlation with these dimensions of impulsivity - not very affected by their emotions.
High factor 2 - positive correlation with dimensions of impulsivity.
PCLR limitations?
Psychopathy and recidivism
high, mid, and low psychopathy
longitudinal - followed up for 3 years after prison release
high psychopathy quickly reoffended following which continued to decline over time
- many for violent crimes
low reoffended but not to same extent
- rarely violent crimes
Types of violence and psychopathy - Woodworth and Porter
Classified murder as proactive (cold-blooded, planned) OR reactive (hot-blooded, affective)
Classified offenders by PCLR
High PCLR associated with mainly proactive murder - and mainly factor 1/primary psych.
Genetics and psychopathy? Viding et al.
Twin study (over 3000)
Teachers, parents rated on items measuring antisocial traits - predictive precursors to psychopathy
Callous-unemotional traits (core psychopathic traits) were strongly correlated with genetics - genetics accounted for 70% of individual differences seen within CU traits
Parenting quality and presence of CU traits in children
Measured conduct problems using strucutured interview
Rated parenting quality
No relationship between CU traits and parenting quality
Positive correlation between conduct problems and parenting quality
- evidence for factor 2 items being influenced by environment (learned)
