Callous Affect Research Articles

Examining the Association Between Psychopathy Clusters and Risk-Taking Behaviors

IntroductionPsychopathy encompasses the sub-dimensions of interpersonal manipulation, callous affect, erratic lifestyle, and criminal tendencies. Most studies investigating this trait have traditionally utilized a variable-centered approach. However, in the current study, we have adopted a person-centered approach.ObjectivesOur objective was to analyze distinct homogeneous subgroups of individuals characterized by specific psychopathy profiles and examine their relationship with risk-taking behavior.MethodsOur sample consisted of 371 participants (26.4% men, aged 18 to 59 years), who completed the 34-item Self-Report Psychopathy Scale-III to assess psychopathy and Risk-taking behaviors were assessed using the Domain-Specific Risk-Taking Scale (DOSPERT-30).ResultsThrough cluster analysis, we identified four distinct groups: Low psychopathy, Low criminal tendencies, High erratic lifestyle, and High psychopathy group. The primary findings revealed that the High psychopathy group, characterized by elevated scores in all sub-dimensions, exhibited higher levels of Risk-Taking Behaviors and a lower Perception of Risk compared to the other groups. Furthermore, the Low criminal tendencies group, marked by high scores in all dimensions and low scores in criminal tendencies, demonstrated greater risk-taking behavior compared to the Low psychopathy and High erratic lifestyle groups.ConclusionsThese results stimulate the debate about whether it is appropriate to incorporate the dimension of criminal tendencies within the concept of psychopathy. Certain clinical implications emerge from this study that are deserving of a comprehensive and thoughtful discussion.Disclosure of InterestNone Declared

Self-report psychopathy-III facet scores predict sexual crimes, sexual preferences, and sexual deviance index validity more precisely than total scores.

Understanding the profiles of sexual offenders, such as the presence of psychopathic traits, is key to preventing future sexual crimes. The self-report psychopathy-III (SRP-III) is a tool used to assess the characteristics of psychopathy, but improvements on its interpretation are required to maximize its precision. The SRP-III can be interpreted by examining the scores on each of the four facets (interpersonal manipulation, callous affect, erratic lifestyle, antisocial behavior), on each of two factors (factor 1, factor 2), or by examining the total score. Here, we investigate the interpretation of the results from the SRP-III using these three approaches of analysis of the data for predicting types of sexual crimes, sexually deviant preferences (measured via PPG), and the validity of the sexual deviance results. Logistic regressions were carried out using either the four facets, two factors, or the total score of the SRP-III. Data were previously obtained from 198 Canadian men who were convicted of, or who admitted to committing, at least one sexual crime, or who reported experiencing sexually deviant fantasies. We also examined the point-biserial correlations between each of the methods of interpreting the SRP-III results and each of the dependent variables. We find that SRP-III facet scores most precisely predict types of sexual crimes, sexually deviant preferences, and sexual deviance index validity, followed by SRP-III factor scores, and lastly SRP-III total scores. Additionally, significant correlations are only found between SRP-III scores and one dependent variable. Potential reasons for this are discussed. Based on these findings, we recommend that future studies consider facet and factor scores in addition to the standard practice of examining total scores.

Examining the complex relations between childhood adversity, mindfulness, attachment, and various personality outcomes: A Bayesian structural equation modeling approach.

The purpose of our present study was two-fold; first, we wanted to replicate the finding that the relationships between abuse and neglect and these traits are partly indirect through insecure attachment. Second, we wanted to determine whether mindfulness is an additional mediator in these relationships. A sample of 291 undergraduate students participated in the current study (Mage = 21.7, SD = 6.5). Findings from a Bayesian Structural Equation Model supported the prediction that the relationship between childhood abuse and neglect and disordered personality traits was indirect through insecure attachment. More specifically, for borderline traits it was indirect through anxious attachment while interpersonal manipulation and callous affect psychopathic traits it was indirect through avoidant attachment. Importantly, mindfulness was not a significant mediator in the model for any of the outcome variables. Overall, there was support for the idea that insecure attachment was a potential mechanism in the relationship between childhood abuse and neglect and disordered personality traits, though there was no support for mindfulness as a potential mediator. Implications are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychopathy and COVID‐19: Callousness, impulsivity, and motivational reasons for engaging in prevention behavior

AbstractTwo direct replication studies were conducted to investigate the associations of psychopathic traits with engagement in COVID‐19 prevention behavior and motivational reasons for engaging in such behavior. College undergraduate students completed two self‐report measures of psychopathic traits based on the four‐factor conceptualization of psychopathy (callous affect, manipulative tendency, erratic lifestyle, criminal tendency) and the triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy (meanness, disinhibition, boldness). Participants then reported the degree to which they engaged in COVID‐19 prevention behavior currently and in the past, and reported their self‐focused and other‐focused motivational reasons for doing so. Results aggregated across both studies (N = 292) revealed that traits reflecting emotional callousness and impulsivity independently predicted lower levels of other‐focused reasons for engaging in prevention behavior. Moreover, controlling for other‐focused reasons appreciably reduced negative associations of emotional callousness and impulsivity with prevention behavior. The results provide insight into points of convergence in conceptualization and measurement of psychopathy from multiple theoretical perspectives and the importance of considering the impact of divisive personality traits on motivation to protect others during pandemics.

Acquiring Psychopathy and Callousness Traits: Examining the Influence of Childhood Betrayal Trauma and Adult Dissociative Experiences in a Community Sample

ABSTRACT The study of psychopathy has largely centered on samples of incarcerated offenders with a focus on primary psychopathy traits. Less is known, however, about how experiences of childhood betrayal trauma and dissociation influence the development of these traits in non-institutionalized individuals. In the present study, we utilized structural equation modeling to investigate the relationships among childhood betrayal trauma, adult dissociation, and adult psychopathy traits and callous affect traits in a community sample (N = 746). Childhood betrayal trauma was associated with psychopathy and callous affect traits, and mediated by dissociative experiences. These results are consistent with theory and prior empirical findings associating childhood betrayal trauma with dissociation, psychopathy, and callous affect traits. The results will help influence the design of future studies that can further inform the developmental course of psychopathy.

Insensitivity to Suffering: Psychopathic Traits and Perception of Others' Pain.

Despite growing evidence that psychopathy entails reduced emotional processing, the relationship between psychopathic traits and third-person pain perception is poorly understood. This study directly examined perception of others' pain in a sample of male and female students (N = 105) who completed the Self-Report Psychopathy scale (SRP-III) and the Toronto Empathy Questionnaire (TEQ). Participants watched a video of 60 one-second clips of other people experiencing pain. Following each clip, participants rated the perceived level of pain intensity and pain unpleasantness. Psychopathic traits were unrelated to response bias, suggesting that individuals high in psychopathic traits were no more or less likely to impute pain to others. However, higher levels of psychopathic traits, particularly callous affect and antisocial behavior, were associated with a decreased ability to discriminate others' pain. Sensitivity and response bias were unrelated to TEQ scores. These findings provide novel insights into the influence of psychopathic traits on emotional processing.

Relationship between psychopathic traits and ability emotional intelligence in a sample of incarcerated males

IntroductionThe study of psychopathic traits has increased in recent years, given the impact that these traits have on our society.ObjectivesThis study aimed to evaluate the relationship between psychopathy traits and ability emotional intelligence by examining the sub-dimensions of both constructs in a sample of incarcerated males.MethodsA total of sixty-three incarcerated adult males (Mage = 37.51) were assessed for psychopathy traits and emotional intelligence levels through the 34-item Self-Report Psychopathy Scale-III (SRP-III) and the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) respectively.ResultsThe results revealed that the incarcerated population is characterized by low EI and high psychopathic traits (explained by the scores obtained on the criminal tendencies sub-dimension). Moreover, participants scoring lower in ability EI were more likely to score higher on the callous affect sub-dimension of psychopathy. We also observed an indirect negative effect of ability EI on erratic lifestyle, criminal tendencies and interpersonal manipulation sub-dimensions through the mediating role of callous affect.ConclusionsThese findings offer a better understanding of the relationship between psychopathy traits and ability emotional intelligence and provide empirical support for the need to implement intervention programs in penitentiary centers based on EI training, which could help to reduce antisocial and disruptive behaviours and facilitate future reintegration into society.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Parental psychopathic traits and its interaction with children's psychopathy features as predictors of perceived parenting behavior five years later

The current study investigated parental psychopathic personality and its interaction with children's psychopathy features as predictors of parenting practices five years later. Data were used from the prospective longitudinal ECLAT study including 175 children (MFirst assessment = 5.28 years; 80 males and 95 females). At Time 1 parents rated their psychopathy traits, whereas kindergarten teachers rated the child's psychopathy features. Five years later, the parents rated their parenting practices. Overall, the parents' own personality was a stronger predictor of different negative parenting behaviors than the child's personality, with parental callous affect having the strongest associations with parenting behaviors among parental psychopathy dimensions. Similarly, child callous-unemotional traits were the strongest predictor of future parenting. However, out of the 36 possible interactions tested between parental and child psychopathy features predicting future parenting behaviors, only three were significant. Specifically, child Impulsive/need for stimulation appeared to be the most important psychopathy dimension and interestingly, with all parental psychopathy traits interacting with this feature. Overall, these results tend to indicate that, in the presence of parental psychopathy traits, child psychopathy features may have a limited effect on parenting practices, with children high on impulsivity/need for stimulation experiencing the greatest risk for negative and abusive parenting.

Factor structure of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality-Self-Report (CAPP-SR) in community and offender samples.

The Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality-Self-Report (CAPP-SR) is a recent operationalization of the CAPP model, which conceptualizes psychopathy in terms of 33 symptoms that can be thematically organized according to six theoretical domains. The current study examined the higher order factor structure of the CAPP-SR symptom scales in community, university, and offender samples derived from three separate countries. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) indicated that a three-factor model (Antagonism/Meanness, Disinhibition, and Fearless Grandiosity) was optimal in a large population-representative U.S. community sample. EFA with targeted rotation confirmed this three-factor structure in New Zealand university and Lithuanian prison samples. Furthermore, construct validity analyses against other psychopathy measures and psychopathy-relevant criteria provided initial support for the three CAPP-SR latent factors. For instance, CAPP-SR Antagonism/Meanness was associated with other psychopathy scales reflective of antagonism, meanness, callous affect; CAPP-SR Disinhibition with other psychopathy scales reflective of behavioral psychopathy traits (e.g., impulsivity, irresponsibility), antisocial behavior, substance abuse; and CAPP-SR Fearless Grandiosity with narcissism, emotional stability, and boldness. These findings suggest that a three-factor structure provides for an alternative (to the traditional thematic domains) hierarchical interpretation of CAPP-SR scores. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2021 APA, all rights reserved).

Elucidating the role of negative parenting in the genetic v. environmental influences on adult psychopathic traits.

Psychopathic traits involve interpersonal manipulation, callous affect, erratic lifestyle, and antisocial behavior. Though adult psychopathic traits emerge from both genetic and environmental risk, no studies have examined etiologic associations between adult psychopathic traits and experiences of parenting in childhood, or the extent to which parenting practices may impact the heritability of adult psychopathic traits using a genetically-informed design. In total, 1842 adult twins from the community reported their current psychopathic traits and experiences of negative parenting during childhood. We fit bivariate genetic models to the data, decomposing the variance within, and the covariance between, psychopathic traits and perceived negative parenting into their genetic and environmental components. We then fit a genotype × environment interaction model to evaluate whether negative parenting moderated the etiology of psychopathic traits. Psychopathic traits were moderately heritable with substantial non-shared environmental influences. There were significant associations between perceived negative parenting and three of four psychopathy facets (interpersonal manipulation, erratic lifestyle, antisocial tendencies, but not callous affect). These associations were attributable to a common non-shared environmental pathway and not to overlapping genetic effects. Additionally, we found that primarily shared environmental influences were stronger on psychopathic traits for individuals with a history of greater negative parenting. Utilizing a genetically-informed design, we found that both genetic and non-shared environmental factors contribute to the emergence of psychopathic traits. Moreover, perceptions of negative parenting emerged as a clear environmental influence on the development of interpersonal, lifestyle, and antisocial features of psychopathy.

Psychopathic traits, inhibition, and positive and negative emotion: Results from an emotional Go/No-Go task.

Difficulty stopping unwanted or inappropriate actions (i.e., inhibitory control) is implicated in antisocial behaviors, which are common in people high in psychopathic traits. Recent research indicates that, for those with antisocial personality, inhibitory control is impaired under negative emotional contexts; however, it is unclear whether this impairment extends to persons with psychopathic traits and to impairments under positive emotional contexts. Identifying some of these distinctions can point to therapeutics that target negative emotion specifically or emotion dysregulation broadly. We sought to identify unique relationships between distinct facets of psychopathy and inhibitory control in the context of positive, negative, and neutral stimuli. Using a community sample (N=117), event-related potentials were recorded during an emotional-linguistic Go/No-Go task. Results indicated distinct cognition-emotion relationships for each psychopathy facet. Higher interpersonal facet scores related to reciprocal interference between cognition and emotion. Higher callous affect facet scores related to reduced inhibitory and emotional processing, except when stimuli were most engaging (emotional No-Go trials). Higher erratic lifestyle facet scores related to increased effort required to process both emotion and inhibition cues. Finally, higher antisocial facet scores related to poorer behavioral inhibition overall. This research challenges the theoretical accounts of psychopathy focused on specific deficits in negative emotion, such as fearlessness, while offering some support for theories related to attentional dysfunction. Results also highlight the importance of facet-level theorizing, as results varied by facet. This study may inform efforts to reduce disinhibited behaviors, particularly in emotional contexts, among those high in certain psychopathic traits.

The nuanced association between deficient empathy and sexual aggression

The relation between deficient empathy and sexual aggression is unclear. To capture the nuance of the relation, this study investigated discrete associations between five empathy deficits and four sexually aggressive strategies used to perpetrate a range of sexual acts against women in an online sample of male postsecondary students (n = 298). Associations between empathy deficits and sexual aggression were small overall. Affective dissonance (discordant affective responses to others' experiences) bore the strongest associations with sexual aggression, followed by low sexual empathy (empathy for partners during sexual interactions). Low affective resonance (concordant affective responses to others' experiences) and callous affect (a disregard for others' affective experiences) bore weaker significant associations. Low cognitive empathy (understanding others' emotions) was unrelated to sexual aggression. Furthermore, empathy deficits were more associated with the use of deception and verbal coercion than force, and not associated with victim-intoxication. These results suggest that the relation between deficient empathy and sexual aggression may be more complex than previously assumed.

Further inflaming the discussion or cooling down feelings? A network analysis of the Dark Triad and the Five Factor Model of personality

The present study aims to shed light onto the nomological network of the Dark Triad (DT) and the Five Factor Model (FFM) by investigating their facet levels using network analysis. Firstly, the networks of the DT and the FFM facets were analyzed separately and secondly, their combined network was considered in order to observe changes. 491 participants filled out several established measures to assess the constructs at facet level. Each model was analyzed regarding node strength, closeness and betweenness. Central-stability coefficients and bootstrapped difference tests were performed on these centrality indices. Our main findings indicate that interpersonal manipulation (psychopathy) is central in the DT network, while erratic lifestyle and callous affect (both psychopathy) are the most important DT facets in a combined network with FFM facets. The FFM network seems to change only slightly when the DT facets are added and DT facets cluster according to their domains.

The unfolding dark side: Age trends in dark personality features

Age and gender differences across the lifespan in dark personality features could provide hints regarding these features’ functions. We measured manipulation, callous affect, and egocentricity using the Dirty Dozen and their links with agreeableness in a pooled cross-sectional dataset (N = 4292) and a longitudinal dataset (N = 325). Age trends for all dark personality features were progressive through adolescence, but negative through adulthood. Men scored higher than women, but the gender gap varied with age. Trends for agreeableness partly mirrored these trends and changes in dark personality features and agreeableness were correlated. Results are discussed in light of the maturity principle of personality, gender role socialization processes, and issues regarding incremental validity of dark personality over traditional antagonism measures.

Psihopatija i raspored pozitivnog i negativnog afekta (PANAS) kao prediktori totalitarne političke ideologije

The present study has two goals. The first goal is to investigate whether a high need for the government-imposed security and social regulation, the acceptance of living in a dictatorship, the limitations and denial of individual freedom and the support to repressive methods and procedures are in such high mutual correlations that they form a coherent latent dimension of the Totalitarian Political Ideology (TPI). The second goal is to examine whether and which of the psychopathy traits (Interpersonal manipulation, Callous affect, Erratic lifestyle, and Antisocial behaviour) and the PANAS (Positive and Negative affect Schedule as a measure of general affectivity) underlie Totalitarian Political Ideology. The research was carried out on a convenience sample of undergraduate and graduate students from the University of Zagreb (N=386). It has been found that the Totalitarian Political Ideology is an internally coherent and reliable pattern of political orientations and values. In order to explore how psychopathic traits and positive and Negative affect are associated with the internalization of the Totalitarian Political Ideology (TPI), multiple regression analysis was conducted. Interpersonal manipulation, Callous affect and Negative affect proved to be significant predictors of the TPI scale in positive directions, whereas Erratic lifestyle was a significant predictor of the TPI scale in the negative direction. About 15% of the variance of the Totalitarian Political Ideology was explained by these personality characteristics. The findings can have both theoretical and practical contributions in understanding the endorsement of totalitarian beliefs.

Relationship between the Dark Triad and depressive symptoms.

The Dark Triad (DT) is composed of three closely related personality traits: psychopathy, Machiavellianism and narcissism. These traits have been linked to emotional deficits. The aim of the present study was to analyze the relationship between the DT traits, including sub-dimensions, and depressive symptoms in order to identify those factors most strongly associated with the development of depression in individuals scoring high on DT. For these purposes, a total of 791 adults (M = 35.76 years; 24.91% males) completed a questionnaire battery including DT traits and depression measures. A positive significant correlation was found between psychopathy and Machiavellianism traits (total score and all sub-dimensions) and depressive symptoms. For narcissism, the direction of the correlation was dependent on the sub-dimension assessed. A model explaining 26.2% of the depressive symptoms scores was composed of the callous affect and criminal tendencies sub-dimensions of psychopathy, cynical view of human nature, which is a sub-dimension of Machiavellianism, and entitlement and self-sufficiency, which are sub-dimensions of narcissism. In addition, some of the relationships found between DT sub-dimensions and depressive symptoms appeared to depend on gender. Our results could have implications for detection and intervention programs aimed at decreasing the negative emotional consequences suffered by individuals with high DT scores. Limitations and future lines of research are discussed.

Psychopaths Online: The Linguistic Traces of Psychopathy in Email, Text Messaging and Facebook

Individuals high in psychopathy are interpersonally manipulative, exhibit callous affect, and have criminal tendencies. The present study examines whether these attributes of psychopathy are correlated with linguistic patterns present in everyday online communication. Participants’ emails, SMS messages, and Facebook messages were collected and analyzed in relation to their scores on the Self-Report Psychopathy Test III. The findings suggest that psychopathic tendencies leave a trace in online discourse, and that different forms of online media sometimes moderate the association between a linguistic dimension and psychopathy scores. Consistent with previous studies and the emotional and interpersonal deficits central to psychopathy, participants higher in psychopathy showed more evidence of psychological distancing, wrote less comprehensible discourse, and produced more interpersonally hostile language. The results reveal that linguistic traces of psychopathy can be detected in online communication, and that those with higher traits of psychopathy fail to modify their language use across media types.

Main and interaction effects of childhood trauma and the MAOA uVNTR polymorphism on psychopathy

Psychopathy is characterized by callous affect, interpersonal manipulation, a deviant lifestyle, and antisocial behavior. Previous research has linked psychopathic traits to childhood trauma, but also to the upstream variable number tandem repeat (uVNTR) polymorphism of the monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) gene. An interaction between childhood trauma and MAOA genotype has been associated with antisocial behavior, but so far little is known about interaction effects of childhood trauma and the MAOA uVNTR on psychopathy. In order to bridge this gap, we used data of 1531 male and 1265 female twins and their siblings from a Finnish community sample to estimate structural equation models. The psychopathy and childhood trauma constructs were conceptualized as bifactor models with one general and two orthogonal group factors. Data comprised self-reports on childhood trauma and psychopathic traits as well as MAOA uVNTR genotype. In both genders, childhood trauma was associated with the general factor that represents the overarching psychopathy construct, and with the group factor that captures social deviance, but not with the group factor capturing psychopathic core personality traits. Women with a low activity variant of the MAOA uVNTR reported slightly higher levels of psychopathy than those with a high activity allele, but only with respect to the general psychopathy factor. There was no evidence for an interaction effect between MAOA uVNTR genotype and childhood trauma on psychopathy in either gender. Our results suggest that psychopathy in general and social deviance in particular are associated with childhood trauma in men and women, and that psychopathic traits are subject to variation in the MAOA uVNTR genotype in women.

Genetic and Psychosocial Predictors of Aggression: Variable Selection and Model Building With Component-Wise Gradient Boosting.

Rationale: Given datasets with a large or diverse set of predictors of aggression, machine learning (ML) provides efficient tools for identifying the most salient variables and building a parsimonious statistical model. ML techniques permit efficient exploration of data, have not been widely used in aggression research, and may have utility for those seeking prediction of aggressive behavior.Objectives: The present study examined predictors of aggression and constructed an optimized model using ML techniques. Predictors were derived from a dataset that included demographic, psychometric and genetic predictors, specifically FK506 binding protein 5 (FKBP5) polymorphisms, which have been shown to alter response to threatening stimuli, but have not been tested as predictors of aggressive behavior in adults.Methods: The data analysis approach utilized component-wise gradient boosting and model reduction via backward elimination to: (a) select variables from an initial set of 20 to build a model of trait aggression; and then (b) reduce that model to maximize parsimony and generalizability.Results: From a dataset of N = 47 participants, component-wise gradient boosting selected 8 of 20 possible predictors to model Buss-Perry Aggression Questionnaire (BPAQ) total score, with R2 = 0.66. This model was simplified using backward elimination, retaining six predictors: smoking status, psychopathy (interpersonal manipulation and callous affect), childhood trauma (physical abuse and neglect), and the FKBP5_13 gene (rs1360780). The six-factor model approximated the initial eight-factor model at 99.4% of R2.Conclusions: Using an inductive data science approach, the gradient boosting model identified predictors consistent with previous experimental work in aggression; specifically psychopathy and trauma exposure. Additionally, allelic variants in FKBP5 were identified for the first time, but the relatively small sample size limits generality of results and calls for replication. This approach provides utility for the prediction of aggression behavior, particularly in the context of large multivariate datasets.

The effects of perspective taking on empathy-related responses for college students higher in callous traits

Although it has been established that utilizing perspective taking leads to increases in empathy-related responses, it remains unknown how these techniques affect individuals who experience deficits in empathy (e.g., those higher in callousness). The purpose of this study was to investigate the utility of perspective taking in increasing empathy-related responses (e.g., congruent affective reactions, empathic concern, perceived closeness with the target, and prosocial helping behaviors) for individuals lower and higher in the callous affect (CA) traits of psychopathy. In this study, 296 college students listened to a radio broadcast about a target in need with specific perspective taking instructions (e.g., “feel with target” or “imagine-self as target”) and completed measures assessing empathy-related responses. Results indicate individuals higher in CA are lower in empathy-related responses, but this deficit may be tempered by asking these individuals to imagine themselves as the target compared to asking them to feel the emotions of the target. These findings increase our understanding of the relationship between CA, perspective taking, and empathy-related responses and imply that perspective taking techniques may have differential effects among those higher in CA traits.