Psychopathy

Question 1

Perspective psychopathy

Answer 1

1: Hervey Cleckley: define chaos –> 16 personality traits –> focus on adaptive traits, deviant behaviour, deviant emotional reactivity
(Mask of sanity book: case studies with criminals and “normal people” –> psychopathy can appear very normal)

2: Criminal view: Robert Hare –> based on Cleckley
Only research with criminals –> only in forensic context
Focus more on the antisocial behaviour and forensic
Made the Psychopathy Checklist (only in forensic context) –> 2 factors: antisocial lifestyle and affective characteristics

3: Triarchic model: meanness (= central; aggressive resource seeking without regard of others); boldness (fearless in social and behavioral domains); disinhibition (=lack of restraint, immediate need of gratification)

Question 2

DSM-5 (Assesment)

Answer 2

2 sections:
2:
–>Pervasive pattern of disregard or violation of people’s rights occuring around the age of 15 including the follwing 3 or more: impulsive, irresponsible, not conforming to social norms, …
–> Individual is 18y
–> Evidence occurs before age of 15
–> antisocial behaviour is not exclusively during the course of bipolar or schizofrenia

3:
–> Impairement in functioning
–> Atleast 6 of 7 of these traits: deceitfulness, hostility, callousness, manipulativeness, risk taking, impulsive, irresponsible
–> for psychopathy: lack of withdrawal, high attention seeking, lack of anxiety

Question 3

Psychopathy Checklist (Assesment)

Answer 3

Behavioural and personality features
Clinical evaluation of 20 criteria –> scoring: extra collateral info and cinical interview and lifetime patterns
20 criteria divided in 4 categories:
1: Antisocial features: youth delinquency, different criminal charges, behavioral problems at young age, lack of control, breaching conditional release
2: Interpersonal: smooth, pathological lying, grandiosity, deceit
3: Lifetime: easily bored, no long term goals, parasitic lifestyle, impulsive, irresponsible
4: Affective: lack of remorse, no responsibility taking, lack of empaty, superficial emotions

Question 4

Assesment (just the names)

Answer 4

1: DSM-5
2: Psychopathy Checklist Revised (PCL-R)
3: Observational methods (Ex.:Business scan360)
4: Self reports: good for screening (Ex.: Self Report Psychopathy Scale –> based on PCL-R)

Question 5

Prevalence

Answer 5

1 % of general population –> more in forensic context
More males than females –> could be the research or it outs differently with females
Antisocial personality –> more likely (1/4 mostly has psychopathy as well)

Question 6

Etiology

Answer 6

1: Genes: calloused-unemotional traits most influenced by genes + their stability
2: Environment:
Low calloused-unemotional traits you can exhibit agression if you are in an environment where there is a lot of inconsistence and harsh
High calloused-unemotional traits you can exhibit aggression in a environment with lack of warmth and connectedness (dangerous group)
3: Brain dysfunctions:
Structural: tumours
Functional: problems with functions of different areas

Question 7

Link between psychopathy and criminality

Answer 7

Biggest link (if we look at other disorders)
50 % of serious crimes
Thrill seeking motivation: easily bored, wide variety of victims
Sadistic motivation: use a lot of violence (more than necessary) –> lack of empathy, …

Question 8

Treatment

Answer 8

Pessimism: people still think it is untreatable bc there is a higher risk of recidivism after treatment (but those treatments are very bad and limited)
Positive side: recent study: we do see a succes rate if the treatment is high in structure and intensive (less violence, calloussed-unemotional traits; more prosocial lifestyle)