Psychopathy

Although psychopathy may be viewed as an evolutionary adaptation that serves the individual well, it typically is construed as a personality disorder, or a chronic, inflexible, and maladaptive pattern of relating to the world. Most conceptualizations of psychopathy emphasize traits of emotional detachment, including callousness, failure to form close emotional bonds, low anxiety proneness, remorselessness, and deceitfulness. However, the most widely used measure of psychopathy goes beyond these traits to assess repeated involvement in antisocial behavior. The Revised Psychopathy Checklist (PCL–R) was developed with criminal offenders and weighs past antisocial behavior as strongly as traits of emotional detachment in diagnosing psychopathy. Predominant use of the PCL–R and offender samples has established a large research literature on unsuccessful psychopathy. Relatively little is known about individuals with traits of emotional detachment who escape contact with the legal system; express their psychopathic tendencies in a manner that does not conflict with the law; or even attain success in business, political, and other settings. Indeed, most contemporary research and virtually all practical interest in psychopathy revolve around the utility of the PCL–R in forecasting offenders' violent and antisocial behavior and, to a lesser extent, offenders' treatment amenability. Recent research challenges the prevailing assumptions that (a) traits of emotional detachment per se predict violence and (b) individuals with psychopathic traits cannot be effectively treated. In this entry, research on these practical issues is reviewed before turning to more fundamental questions about the basic nature and manifestations of psychopathy. Theoretically driven research on the potential mechanisms that underpin the disorder reveal the importance of emotional detachment as a likely manifestation of classic or “primary” psychopathy. Such research also suggests that there [Page 643]may be a “secondary” variant of psychopathy, marked by psychological disturbance and violence potential.