Lecture 8 Psychopathy PDF

PERSONALITY PSYU/X2234 Lecture 8: Psychopathy A/Prof Simon Boag email: [email protected] 1 Readings (suggested) Herpertz, S. C., & Sass, H. (2000). Emotional deficiency & psychopathy. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 18, 567- 580 Moreira, et al....

PERSONALITY PSYU/X2234 Lecture 8: Psychopathy A/Prof Simon Boag email: [email protected] 1 Readings (suggested) Herpertz, S. C., & Sass, H. (2000). Emotional deficiency & psychopathy. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 18, 567- 580 Moreira, et al. (2020). Relationship between adverse childhood experiences & psychopathy: a systematic review. Aggression & Violent Behavior, 101452 2 Outline 1. Introduction ASPD & psychopathy Primary & secondary psychopaths 2. Psychopathy & crime? 3. Causes of psychopathy Adverse childhood experiences Emotional deficit hypothesis Role of genetics 4. Is psychopathy treatable? 3  1. Introduction Stereotypes of psychopaths Hervey Cleckley: ‘Mask of Sanity’ (1941) 15 case studies Business people, scientists, Doctors, psychiatrists Lasting influence on our understanding of psychopathy (Lilienfield, et al, 2018) Lilienfeld et al (2018). Hervey Cleckley (1903–1984): 4 Contributions to the study of psychopathy. Personality Mask of sanity “More often than not, the typical psychopath will seem particularly agreeable & make a distinctly positive impression when he is first encountered. Alert & friendly in his attitude, he is easy to talk with & seems to have a good many genuine interests. There is nothing at all odd or queer about him, & in every respect he tends to embody the concept of a well-adjusted, happy person” (Cleckley, 1988) 5 Mask of sanity 6 Psychopathy Psychopathy: personality pathology which includes: predatory behaviour emotional detachment callousness impulsivity persistent antisocial behavior (Hare, 2003) Prevalence: 1.2 – 4.5% Prison pop’n: 20-40% 7  Psychopaths “Psychopaths are social predators who charm, manipulate, & ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken hearts, shattered expectations, & empty wallets. Completely lacking in conscience & in feelings for others, they selfishly take what they want & do as they please, violating social norms & expectations without the slightest sense of guilt or Hare, R. D. (1999) Without regret” conscience: The disturbing world of the psychopaths (Hare, 1999) 8 among us. New York, NY: Guilford Press  ASPD & psychopathy ASPD & psychopathy? Psychopathy sub-type Primary psychopathy: Low anxiety; narcissism Genetics (?) Secondary psychopathy: High anxiety Acquired 9 Psychopathy assessment Gold standard: Psychopathy Checklist- Revised (PCL-R; Hare 1991, 2003) Semi-structured interview & independent data (eg. case reports, prison files) Assesses four dimensions of psychopathy: Interpersonal (eg. conning, pathological lying) Affective functioning (eg. callousness, failure to accept responsibility) Lifestyle (eg. impulsive, parasitic, irresponsible); Antisocial tendencies (eg. poor behavioural controls, persistent rule-breaking behaviour) 10  2. Psychopathy & crime Psychopaths mostly studied via prisons Debate whether committing crime central to psychopathy (Skeem, 2011; Skeem & Cooke, 2010) “… psychopathy is not restricted to persons showing delinquent or deviant behaviour; psychopaths may live well adjusted socially & even successfully” (Herpertz & Sass, 2000) Skeem, J. L., & Cooke, D. J. (2010). Is criminal behavior a central Corporate psychopaths component of psychopathy? Conceptual directions for 12 resolving the debate. Psychological Assessment, 22, 433-445 Psychopathy & antisocial behaviour Leistico et al (2008): meta-analysis 95 studies, N = 15,826 PCL & antisocial conduct Finding: ‘Social deviance’ factor predicts antisocial conduct Psychopathy generally predicts recidivism (Walters, 2003) Leistico, et al (2008). A large-scale meta-analysis relating the Hare measures of psychopathy to antisocial conduct. Law & Human Behavior, 32, 28-45 Walters, G. D. (2003). Predicting institutional adjustment and recidivism with the psychopathy checklist factor scores: A meta-analysis. Law & Human behavior, 27, 541-558 Source: Canadian Correctional Services: http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/research/ forum/e052/e052h-eng.shtml 3. Psychopathy: causes? Secondary psychopathy: ACEs Kimonis, E. R. (2023). The emotionally sensitive child-adverse parenting Experiences-Allostatic (Over) load (ESCAPE-AL) model 15 for the development of secondary psychopathic traits. Clinical Psychopathy: causes? Primary psychopathy: nature over nurture Blair (2006): neurodevelopmental personality disorder involving emotional impairment & ↓ empathy; genetic causes Brain differences b/w psychopaths & non- psychopaths 16  Psychopathy: causes? Blair et al (2006): Amygdala dysfunction Hyde et al (2014) ↑Psychopathy  ↓ NEM & ↓ amygdala reactivity ↑ASPD  ↑ NEM & ↑ amygdala reactivity Limitation: cross- Hyde,sectional & & negative emotionality: divergent correlates of antisocial personality et al. (2014). Amygdala reactivity 17 & psychopathy traits in a community sample. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 123, 214-224 Primary psychopathy & diminished emotional experiences Diminished emotionality Deficits in empathy & conscience “Abnormal or deficient emotional responsiveness is considered to be the hallmark of psychopathy. Psychopaths show emotional detachment from & indifference to the feelings of others; they do not display any remorse or shame, nor do they experience affection or love” (Herpertz & Sass, 2000) Fearless dominance 18 Fearless dominance 19 Psychopathy: some findings Reduced arousal to aversive primes (Hare, 1991) Normal: Increased arousal to threat stimuli (higher galvanic skin response- GSR) Psychopaths: No increased arousal; Threat stimuli & startle response (Benning et al, 2005): Psychopaths: no increased startle response Lorber (2004): meta-analysis, 95 studies: psychopathy associated with lower GSR for negative tasks 20 Psychopathy: some findings Kozhuharova et al (2019): meta- analysis/systematic review (21 studies; N = 1,913) Examining physiology of threat processing & psychopathy in prisoners Findings: Factor 1 (interpersonal deficits/ affective) negatively associated with threat processing Kozhuharova et al (2019). Impaired processing of threat in psychopathy: A systematic review & meta-analysis of factorial data in male offender populations. PloS 21 Psychopathy: some findings ‘Cold-blooded’ crimes Psychopaths primarily use instrumental aggression (aggression used to achieve goal) (Blair et al, 2006) Psychopath homicides: primarily pre- meditated, motivated by external goal 93% of psychopath homicides are instrumental 48% of non-psychopath homicides are instrumental (Woodworth & Porter, 2002) 22 4. Psychopathy: treatment? Is psychopathy treatable? Does treatment make psychopathy worse? Psychopaths more likely to exhibit inpatient aggression (Hildebrand et al, 2004) Greater disruption during therapy (Hobson et al, 2000) Mixed findings Too few studies to tell if therapy makes psychopathy worse (D’Silva et al, 2004) Hecht et al (2018): review: “successful treatment has not been demonstrated” 23 D’Silva, et al. (2004). Does treatment really make psychopaths worse? A review of the evidence. Journal of Personality Disorders, 18, 163-177  Psychopathy: treatment? Chakhssi et al (2010): Prospective study Maximum security hospital for mentally disordered Psychopaths (n = 27) vs non-psychopaths (n = 47) Treatment: weekly CBT for up to 19 months, Did not make the majority of psychopaths worse But: some psychopaths became more aggressive (22%); no change in aggression for non-psychopathic Ss Chakhssi et al (2010). Change during forensic treatment in psychopathic versus nonpsychopathic offenders. Journal of Forensic Psychiatry & 24 Psychology, 21, 660-682 Questions? 25