Triarchic Model Of Psychopathy Research Articles

Boldness, meanness and disinhibition as predictors of indirect/direct type of aggressive behavior in youth.

Numerous studies show that a high level of psychopathic traits in youth is related to the propensity to use various types and forms of aggression. The presented study focuses on the relations between psychopathy and aggression, both indirect (relational) and direct in this age group. The triarchic model of psychopathy was used, according to which psychopathy is described as a configuration of boldness, meanness and disinhibition. It was assumed that boldness would be a predictor for indirect aggression and disinhibition - for the direct forms of aggressive behaviors. The sample consisted of 200 older adolescents (108 boys and 92 girls), aged 16-19. Two groups were distinguished for comparison: juveniles from youth fostering centers and youth not violating legal norms. For the measurement of the variables the following self-reports were used: Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, Indirect Aggression Scale (Aggressor Version) and Aggression Questionnaire. From among the dimensions of psychopathy, the strongest predictor for both forms of aggression (indirect and direct) was disinhibition. The study also revealed the differences in the intensity of psychopathic traits and aggressive behaviors with reference to gender and institutionalization. However, the hypothesis on the relationship between boldness and indirect aggression was not confirmed. The results showed that disinhibition and meanness can be considered as significant personality risk factors for aggressive behaviors and violence not only in adults but also in adolescents. The study supported also the heterogeneity of the triarchic model of psychopathy itself.

The personal cost of psychopathy: Impacts of triarchic psychopathy traits on impairment, internalizing, and life satisfaction

Although psychopathic traits have long been acknowledged as a public health concern, a growing body of evidence suggests there is a significant personal cost to living with psychopathy. However, much of the current literature on psychopathy impairment appears mixed in findings, varying by the traits examined and measured outcomes. The current paper aims to contribute to this field of research by examining how a triarchic model of psychopathy relates to a wide variety of potential consequences, including impairment, personality functioning, interpersonal functioning, internalizing, and perceived quality of life. Through two studies utilizing the Triarchic psychopathy model in undergraduate samples, significant psychopathy impairment was identified. Broadly, disinhibition was related to the most significant impairments across functioning domains. Boldness was more variable and elicited both positive (e.g., higher quality of life, lower self-harm) and negative (impairments in empathy and intimacy) outcomes. Meanness was primarily related to interpersonal difficulties; however, differences in measuring meanness led to different findings on its connection to personality functioning. By better understanding the consequences of psychopathy and how they vary by dimensional traits, interventions can be better tailored to alleviate both individual and societal suffering.

Triarchic Model of Psychopathy and Intimate Partner Violence: An Empirical Study on the Italian Community.

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a serious and recurrent phenomenon in many societies with severe physical and psychological consequences. In the present study, we aimed to explore the role of triarchic dimensions of psychopathy (disinhibition, boldness, and meanness) across gender in this occurrence. A questionnaire on inflicted (self) and experienced (partner) IPV and the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure were administered to a sample of 1,149 individuals from the Italian community. In general, self and partner IPV were moderately correlated. Bayesian regression analysis showed that disinhibition was positively correlated to both self and partner IPV (psychological and physical). In addition, boldness was negatively associated with perpetrated psychological IPV. Interactions by gender showed that meanness was positively related to perpetrated IPV in women (psychological and physical), whereas men with disinhibition features inflicted more physical violence than women. A high externalizing tendency (i.e., disinhibition) is therefore an important correlate of both perpetrated and reported IPV; moreover, boldness was associated with less psychological violence in general, whereas the effect of meanness depended on the gender of the individuals involved. Interestingly, the association between IPV and self-reported delinquent activities was low in magnitude (Spearman's Rho around .20) suggesting limited overlap between these two constructs.

Cool under fire: Psychopathic personality traits and decision making in law-enforcement-oriented populations.

Compared with other jobs, the law enforcement profession is a high-stakes occupation that has the potential to greatly impact public safety, and officers must face daily dangers not experienced in other professions. Previous research indicates that many law enforcement officers exhibit varying degrees of psychopathic traits, which suggests that it may be useful to examine police officer performance, specifically proxies of excessive use of force, through the lens of the triarchic psychopathy domains. We predicted that high boldness and high meanness would be associated with greater justification of excessive use of force, whereas low boldness, high meanness, and high disinhibition would relate to greater errors in high-stakes decision making ("trigger bias"). We employed criterion profile analysis to elucidate optimal profile configurations in both law enforcement and undergraduate samples in relation to justification of use-of-force scenarios and decision making in high-pressure situations (i.e., police officer's dilemma shooter task). In general, combinations of triarchic psychopathy traits accounted for similar variance in performance criteria as individual psychopathy trait domains. In particular, trait elevations in meanness were associated with ratings of unjustified-use-of-force vignettes, and disinhibition was associated with commission errors on the shooter task (although effect sizes were small for the latter). The findings of this study support the conceptual validity of the separate dimensions of the triarchic psychopathy model and substantiate the moderate utility of personality indicators (e.g., antagonism, difficulties with impulse control) in relation to career-related performance in law enforcement. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychopathic Traits in a Swedish Court-Ordered Forensic Sample: Preferential Associations of Boldness, Meanness, and Disinhibition.

The construct validity of the triarchic psychopathy model has yet to be evaluated in the Swedish forensic psychiatric context. We examined associations between the three phenotypic constructs of the triarchic model of psychopathy (i.e., boldness, meanness, disinhibition), self-assessed empathy and anxiety, and clinical variables in 91 individuals undergoing pretrial forensic psychiatric evaluation in Sweden. Participants completed the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM) and self-report measures of empathy and anxiety. Clinical variables, including psychiatric diagnoses and criminal behavior, were collected from the forensic psychiatric evaluations (FPE). All three subscales of the TriPM displayed significant and predominantly anticipated correlations with empathy and trait anxiety measures. TriPM Disinhibition was the only subscale with significant associations with the clinical variables collected from the FPEs. The results provide evidence for the reliability and construct validity of the Swedish translation of the TriPM in a pretrial forensic setting.

Expression and detection of triarchic psychopathy traits in the self-defining memories of U.S. undergraduates

Research linking psychopathic personality to autobiographical memory and narrative identity is limited. We present preliminary evidence suggesting that traits from the triarchic model of psychopathy (measured via self-report) predict self-reported affect as well as researcher-coded affective themes, event specificity, and meaning making in self-defining memories (SDMs). We observed this in a small sample that was well-powered for multilevel modeling (1200 SDMs total obtained from 120 undergraduate participants from the U.S.). Additionally, we present preliminary evidence – using an extreme-groups approach – that raters can detect the expression of the triarchic psychopathy traits in written SDM transcripts. Ten research assistants (working independently, and without prior training in assessment) used prototype descriptions of the triarchic traits to rate 40 participants on each trait. Their ratings correlated meaningfully with a range of relevant self-reported traits. Thus, aspects of psychopathy could be detected, albeit imperfectly, solely from written autobiographical memories. This research contributes to the literatures on person perception, psychopathy, and narrative identity. It also supports the status of autobiographical narratives as a unique source of data in personality research and clinical inference.

Associations between the triarchic traits and mental health symptoms: the role of coping styles as mediators.

We investigated relationships between the triarchic model of psychopathy, coping styles, and externalizing and internalizing symptoms, and verified the mediating effect of coping styles. Participants were 957 adults responding to the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, Inventory of depression and anxiety symptoms expanded version, and Crime and Analogous Behavior Scale. Data were analyzed using four path analyses to test our hypothesis, indicating each triarchic trait is differently associated with psychological symptoms and coping styles. We also observed the preference for some coping styles affecting the association between triarchic traits and psychological symptoms. Our findings suggest that coping styles affect only the associations between boldness*distress and boldness*fear, indicating that specific coping strategies can account for variations in distress and fear linked to boldness.

Construct Validity of Triarchic Model Traits in the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study Using the Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire.

The triarchic model of psychopathy emphasizes the role of three phenotypic personality domains (boldness, meanness, and disinhibition) that have been operationalized using the well-established Multidimensional Personality Questionnaire. The present study sought to further validate the MPQ-Tri scales and examine their temporal stability and predictive validity across two time points (ages 18 and 26) from the Dunedin Multidisciplinary Health and Development Study, a population-representative and longitudinal sample (N = 1,037). This investigation necessitated modification of the MPQ-Tri scales to enable their use in a broader range of samples, including the Dunedin Study. The revised MPQ-Tri scales demonstrated good temporal stability, and correlation and multiple linear regression analyses predominantly revealed associations consistent with theoretical expectations. Overall, the findings provide support for the MPQ-Tri scales as reliable, stable, and valid measures of the triarchic constructs, which provide a unique opportunity to examine highly novel research questions concerning psychopathy in a wide variety of samples.

The implicit measurement of psychopathy

This study explored whether psychopathic traits might be measured using indirect or “implicit” measures. Three Implicit Association Tests, reflecting each domain of the Triarchic model of psychopathy: Boldness, Meanness and Disinhibition, were completed by mixed-gender, community-based samples (ns = 334, 376, 358). Each IAT demonstrated good internal reliability and showed concurrent validity. Associations with self-report scores on a validated explicit measure of Triarchic psychopathy exceeded those generally reported in the personality IAT literature. The IATs displayed discriminant validity, only correlating with their counterpart domain scores, predictive validity to some explicit measures of known correlates of psychopathy (e.g., aggression), and were robust to socially desirable responding. With further development, the IATs may be a useful research tool alongside self-report psychopathy measures.

Associations between the triarchic traits and mental health symptoms: the role of coping styles as mediators.

We investigated relationships between the triarchic model of psychopathy, coping styles, and externalizing and internalizing symptoms, and verified the mediating effect of coping styles. Participants were 957 adults responding to the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, Inventory of depression and anxiety symptoms expanded version, and Crime and Analogous Behavior Scale. Data were analyzed using four path analyses to test our hypothesis, indicating each triarchic trait is differently associated with psychological symptoms and coping styles. We also observed the preference for some coping styles affecting the association between triarchic traits and psychological symptoms. Our findings suggest that coping styles affect only the associations between boldness*distress and boldness*fear, indicating that specific coping strategies can account for variations in distress and fear linked to boldness.

Moderation effects in personality disorder research.

Tests of statistical interactions (or tests of moderation effects) in personality disorder research are a common way for researchers to examine nuanced hypotheses relevant to personality pathology. However, the nature of statistical interactions makes them difficult to reliably detect in many research scenarios. The present study used a flexible, simulation-based approach to estimate statistical power to detect trait-by-trait interactions common to psychopathy research using the Triarchic model of Psychopathy and the Psychopathic Personality Inventory. Our results show that even above-average sample sizes in these literatures (e.g., N = 428) provide inadequate power to reliably detect trait-by-trait interactions, and the sample sizes needed to detect interaction effect sizes in realistic scenarios are extremely large, ranging from 1,300 to 5,200. The implications for trait-by-trait interactions in psychopathy are discussed, as well as how the present findings might generalize to other areas of personality disorder research. We provide recommendations for how to design research studies that can provide informative tests of interactions in personality disorder research, but also highlight that a more realistic option is to abandon the traditional approach when testing for interaction effects and adopt alternative approaches that may be more productive. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Spatial Attention to Emotional Images and Psychopathic Personality Traits

Psychopathy has often been thought to be associated with a deficit in processing of the affective content of stimuli. This hypothesis was tested by examining if stimuli that depicted a threat to the viewer, or stimuli that depicted distressing scenes, would produce an automatic shift in spatial attention, and whether this effect would be modified by individual differences in trait psychopathy as conceptualised by the triarchic model of psychopathy. Using a large mixed gender community sample (N = 286) it was found that spatial attention was averted away from threat stimuli for both short (200 ms) and long (500 ms) periods from cue to target, while the distress cues did not produce any spatial attention shifts. The trait of Meanness was found to be associated with a reduction in the effect of threat stimuli, while the trait of Disinhibition was found to be associated with an increase in this threat effect. However, the dot-probe task showed poor reliability. We conclude that the callous unemotional aspects of psychopathy, as captured by the Meanness scale, are underpinned by a lack of response to affective information, whereas impulsive/irresponsible traits of psychopathy, as captured by the Disinhibition scale, are underpinned by an exaggerated response to such affective information.

Psychopathy and heart rate variability: A new physiological marker for the adaptive features of boldness.

The boldness disposition of the triarchic model of psychopathy is theorized to entail, aside from mal-adaptive proclivities (narcissism, fearless risk-taking), some adaptive features (e.g., immunity to stressful events, high self-esteem, and emotional resilience) that seem to predispose high boldness individuals to an effective emotional regulation in response to environmental demands. The high frequency band of heart rate variability -an index of parasympathetic cardiac vagal activity-is a well-validated physiological index of emotional self-regulation and mental health resilience. The aim of this study was to examine the unique predictive contributions of triarchic dispositions of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition on resting vagally mediated heart rate variability (vmHRV) in a sample of 241 undergraduates (60 men) assessed via the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (TriPM; Patrick, 2010). A hierarchical regression analysis was conducted on vmHRV in which TriPM Boldness, Meanness, and Disinhibition scores were entered as predictors, along with gender, age, body mass index, mean resting heart rate, and respiratory activity. Results showed that only TriPM Boldness -but not Meanness or Disinhibition-scores significantly predicted vmHRV (positively), thus evidencing that adequate emotional self-regulation is one of the adaptive features encompassed by the boldness disposition. These findings encourage further use of vmHRV as a physiological marker of boldness and contribute to shedding light on the nomological network surrounding the construct of boldness in psychopathy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Evaluation of the moderated-expression and differential configuration hypotheses in the context of "successful" or "noncriminal" psychopathy.

The concept of "successful" psychopathy has intrigued the field, yet relatively little actual science exists to understand what makes those high in psychopathic traits more or less successful, or even what constitutes "success." In the current study, we examined the validity of the moderated expression hypothesis, including an elaborated version that considers differential configuration of psychopathy traits, as accounting for differences in criminal and noncriminal (the most common operationalization of "success") expressions of psychopathy. The latter was conceptualized from the perspective of the triarchic psychopathy model. We recruited a community sample (n = 212) that had been overweighted toward psychopathic personality traits. The triarchic psychopathy domains of boldness, meanness, and disinhibition were modeled as latent constructs based on scores from multiple psychopathy measures. We examined affective processing dysfunction, various executive cognitive deficits, substance misuse, and socioeconomic indicators (income, education) as potential moderators of associations between psychopathy and criminality. We estimated a series of latent regression models in which we tested interaction effects between hypothesized moderators and a latent criminality variable. We found that affective processing dysfunction, substance misuse, and the triarchic psychopathy domain of disinhibition all moderated the association between meanness and criminality, in that the latter association was stronger as these moderators increased in severity. Disinhibition was also moderated by substance misuse and boldness by both personal income and commission errors from a go/no-go task, though in the case of the latter domain, these moderators served as protective factors against criminality. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Role of Triarchic Traits in Relations of Early Resting Heart Rate With Antisocial Behavior and Broad Psychopathology Dimensions in Later Life

Low resting heart rate (HR) is a known risk indicator for the development of antisocial behavior (ASB) and other clinical problems. Stimulation seeking and fearlessness have been explored as factors underlying the HR/ASB relationship, but these have often been conflated, which has complicated interpretation. We examined HR’s associations with ASB and other outcomes in terms of biobehavioral traits described by the triarchic model of psychopathy using data ( N = 710) from a longitudinal study of ASB risk. Low resting HR in childhood was related to adult ASB, and covariance between ASB and traits of disinhibition and boldness largely accounted for this association. In addition, low childhood HR was related to greater externalizing problems and fewer internalizing problems in adulthood; disinhibition accounted for the former association, and boldness accounted for the latter. Findings indicate a role for both disinhibition and boldness in associations between early HR and later clinical outcomes and have implications for theory and practice.

Triarchic psychopathic traits versus self-control: Comparing associations with youth antisocial outcomes.

Psychopathy and low self-control are useful constructs for understanding antisociality/criminality. The triarchic model of psychopathy in particular is a recent and promising conceptualisation, composed of boldness, disinhibition, and meanness - three personality traits that have never been studied in tandem with low self-control. To test relationships between the triarchic personality traits of boldness, disinhibition and meanness and low self-control with delinquent or antisocial acts. In a cross-sectional, self-report study a schools' cohort of 14- to 18-year-olds (Mean 15.91years, SD=0.99years) was recruited from regions in South Portugal and Lisbon, representative of the general population of this age in sex distribution and education. After parental consent, teenage volunteers in small groups completed psychopathy and self-control self-rating scales and then a questionnaire about their criminal or delinquent activities, all on one single occasion and in confidence from school staff or parents. Path analysis was used to test relationships. 567 young people, 256 (45%) of them girls, completed all ratings, 89% of those invited to do so. Low self-control had the strongest relationship with antisocial/criminal acts, followed by the disinhibition or meanness traits of the triarchic psychopathy construct. The boldness trait of the triarchic psychopathy construct had the weakest relationship. Our findings suggest that the most effective targets for intervention to prevent or limit antisocial behaviours by young people are likely to be self-control and disinhibition. Behavioural interventions that improve social skills and verbal problem-solving that encourage listening and waiting in response to environmental stimuli are likely to effect reduction of impulsive and aggressive reactions to others and so reduce conduct problems. Since disinhibition and self-control are such overlapping constructs, improvements in one area will generally facilitate improvements in the other area.

Suicide behaviours in incarcerated males: Links to psychopathic traits, forms of aggression to others, personal characteristics, and current penitentiary variables

Self-injurious behaviours and suicide attempts among incarcerated people are higher when compared with the general population. The current research is designed to examine the prevalence of self-injurious behaviours and suicide attempts among incarcerated males in Spain, and the factors associated with these behaviours. 201 men imprisoned in Spain completed anonymous self-report measures of demographic variables (e.g., age, marital status), the Triarchic Psychopathy Model (boldness, meanness, and disinhibition) and impulsive/premeditated aggression and aggressive behaviour (including physical, verbal, hostility, and anger). Official records were also consulted for information related to criminality (i.e., prior imprisonment and type of offence). Overall, 37.5% of residents reported having injured themselves at a time of anger or despair and 24.9% reported attempting suicide at any point in their lives. Lower scores in meanness, higher scores on impulsive aggression, serious illnesses and previous imprisonment were associated with an increased risk of self-injurious and/or suicide attempting behaviours. Being married acted as a protective factor of attempting suicide. Trait variables related to psychopathy (lower meanness) and aggression (higher impulsive aggression) were associated with increased frequency of suicide attempts in prisoners even after controlling for personal and criminal variables. The prevention of high rates of suicide in prisons needs the treatment of those cognitive variables in addition to more contextual personal and criminal variables.

An investigation of the triarchic model of psychopathy and self-reported Cluster B personality disorder traits.

Cluster B personality traits often co-occur with psychopathic traits. However, few investigations have been conducted to understand the high co-occurrence of antisocial (ASPD), borderline (BPD), narcissistic (NPD), and histrionic (HPD) personality disorder traits and psychopathy. The triarchic model of psychopathy is a framework that focuses on dispositional constructs (meanness, boldness, and disinhibition) with neurobiological and developmental correlates that may be particularly useful in elucidating the overlap between Cluster B personality traits and psychopathy. This study investigated how the triarchic model relates to Cluster B personality traits. Two independent samples completed self-report measures of personality disorder traits. Sample 1 consists of 508 adults, and Sample 2 consists of 529 undergraduate students. Disinhibition positively predicted all Cluster B PDs. Meanness positively predicted ASPD, NPD, and BPD, and negatively predicted HPD. Boldness positively predicted ASPD, NPD, and HPD and negatively predicted BPD. Overall, our study provides insights into how these disorders may fit within new dimensional models of psychopathology and provides information regarding how transdiagnostic features (e.g., boldness) exist among the Cluster B personality disorder traits. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Psychopathy: Current Knowledge and Future Directions.

Research on psychopathy has progressed considerably in recent years against the backdrop of important advances in the broader field of clinical psychological science. My major aim in this review is to encourage integration of investigative work on dispositional, biobehavioral, and developmental aspects of psychopathy with counterpart work on general psychopathology. Using the triarchic model of psychopathy as a frame of reference, I offer perspective on long-standing debates pertaining to the conceptualization and assessment of psychopathy, discuss how dispositional facets of psychopathy relate to subdimensions of internalizing and externalizing psychopathology, and summarize findings from contemporary biobehavioral and developmental research on psychopathy. I conclude by describing a systematic strategy for coordinating biobehavioral-developmental research on psychopathy that can enable it to be informed by, and help inform, ongoing research on mental health problems more broadly.

"Examining the incremental and interactive effects of boldness with meanness and disinhibition within the triarchic model of psychopathy": Correction.

Reports an error in "Examining the incremental and interactive effects of boldness with meanness and disinhibition within the triarchic model of psychopathy" by Dylan T. Gatner, Kevin S. Douglas and Stephen D. Hart (Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 2016[Jul], Vol 7[3], 259-268). In the original article, there were several errors in the reporting of data from the Social Emotional Questionnaire. In the "Outcome Measures" section of the Method, under the "Social and emotional functioning" heading, the Sociability subscale was incorrectly identified as the Social Conformity scale. The sentence referencing the data should have read, "However, the Antisocial Behavior (α = .39, MIC = .14) and Sociability (α = -.09, MIC = .02) subscales had poor internal consistency; the Sociability subscale was removed from our analyses." In the last paragraph of the "Research Question 2: Incremental Value of Boldness" section in the Results, the data for the Sociability scale have been replaced with the data for the Social Conformity scale. Additionally, the data reported for the Sociability scale in Tables 2 and 3 have been replaced with the data reported for the Social Conformity scale. (The following abstract of the original article appeared in record 2016-13473-001). The triarchic model of psychopathy (Patrick, Fowles, & Krueger, 2009) comprises 3 phenotypic domains: Meanness, Disinhibition, and Boldness. Ongoing controversy surrounds the relevance of Boldness in the conceptualization and assessment of psychopathy. In the current study, undergraduate students (N = 439) completed the Triarchic Psychopathy Measure (Patrick, 2010) to examine the association between Boldness and a host of theoretically relevant external criteria. Boldness was generally unrelated to either prosocial or harmful criteria. Boldness rarely provided incremental value above or interacted with Meanness and Disinhibition with respect to external criteria. Curvilinear effects of Boldness rarely emerged. The findings suggest that Boldness might not be a central construct in the definition of psychopathic personality disorder. Implications for the 5th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (American Psychiatric Association, 2013) psychopathic specifier are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).