Why do many individuals have a deep interest in psychopaths, and why are there so many TV shows and movies made with psychopaths as central figures? Does such interest represent a voyeuristic thrill, like viewing a great ape held captive in the zoo? Or perhaps, do we find that we can put ourselves in the shoes of the psychopath, so to speak, understanding in some sense their dark personality tendencies? Or might it be the case that we sometimes come in contact with individuals in our society who have personalities that appear to be similar to the psychopath?
For example, how are we to understand the story of a grandmother who ran her grand daughter to death (http://wapo.st/1EtBHw1)? Similarly, what are we to make of the case of a 16 year old held on Rikers Island for 3-years without being convicted of a crime (http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/kalief-browder-1993-2015)? Sadly, the person (Kalief Browder) in this second story recently took his own life, given the tremendous trauma he suffered. Who were the individuals that took part in this young man's traumatization? I am not suggesting that the individuals involved in these stories are clinically diagnosable psychopaths, but how are we to understand such dark behaviors carried out against these two young souls? Please allow me a few paragraphs to make my point.
In my “Measuring” blog entry (6/4/2015) I highlighted that individuals who meet clinical criteria for a diagnosis of psychopathic personality manifest elevations on all four of the personality dimensions of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003) across time and situations. Thus, highly psychopathic persons display chronic disturbances in Interpersonal and Affective functioning (e.g., calloused, deceptive manipulation of other people) along with a reckless, impulsive behavioral Lifestyle and overt Antisociality (e.g., poor behavioral controls, versatile violent, aggressive, or criminal tendencies).
Technically, an individual who is rated at 30 or above on the PCL-R is considered diagnostically psychopathic. The PCL-R contains 20 items, with each psychopathic trait item rated as 0 (not present), 1 (partially present), or 2 (present). The psychopathic individual will meet most of the items within the Interpersonal (4 items), Affective (4 items), Lifestyle (5 items), and Antisocial (5 items) dimensions. (Note two items--promiscuous sexual behavior, many short-term marriages--are not used in the four-dimensional model of psychopathy).
There are two other PCL interviews that can be used for clinical assessments of delinquent youth (PCL-Youth Version) or as a screener for psychiatric samples or individuals living in the general community (PCL-Screening Version). The PCL-YV also contains 20 items, though for many developmental and legal reasons, delinquent youth who are rated 30 or higher are not diagnosed as psychopaths but instead described in terms of their psychopathic propensities (Neumann, Kosson, Forth, & Hare, 2006). The PCL-SV contains 12 items (each scored as 0, 1, or 2) and a score of 18 or above is suggestive of a psychopathy diagnosis which must be verified via a formal PCL-R interview by a trained professional (Hare & Neumann, 2008).
While 15-25% of adult male offenders will meet diagnostic criteria for psychopathy (and approximately 8% of adult female offenders), the vast majority of individuals in the general population will not come close to a score of 30 (PCL-R/PCL-YV) or 18 (PCL-SV). However, an extensive series of genetic and sophisticated statistical studies reveal that psychopathic traits are continuously distributed, much like intelligence ranges from low to high among individuals in society. Therefore it is the case that many individuals, throughout all segments of society, may display a relative elevation of psychopathic propensities (Neumann, Hare, & Pardini, 2014).
For instance, Robert Hare and I conducted a study of over 500 individuals living in a major metropolitan area of the United States (Neumann & Hare, 2008). We found that two-thirds of this large community sample had a score of 2 or less on the PCL-SV (thank goodness!). However, approximately 1-2% of individuals were rated at an elevated level of psychopathic propensities. This means that every 1-2 people out of 100 manifest elevated psychopathic traits (Yikes!). In this same study, we found that the psychopathy dimensions predicted increases in violent/aggressive behavior and alcohol use, as well as decreased intelligence, consistent with our research on offenders. Similarly, we have examined large samples of individuals within various corporate or business settings. In one study (Babiak, Neumann, & Hare, 2010), we found that nearly 4% of a high-profile corporate sample had PCL-R scores of 30 or above. That’s 2-4 times the rate of elevated psychopathic propensities found in the general community! In this study, and a related corporate psychopathy study (Matheiu, Neumann, Hare, & Babiak, 2014), we found that the individuals with psychopathic propensities wreaked havoc on the lives of their fellow employees.
So, based on the results of these and many other related studies, we have to ask ourselves, why is it that some individuals in the general population have these dark psychopathic-like personalities? Is this due to a genetic mutation (nature) or a reflection of our violent world (nurture)? As it turns out, both nature and nurture are involved in the expression of psychopathic propensities (more on this later). As such, we all have the potential to manifest dark psychopathic-like propensities.
Yet, we are a social species and depend fundamentally on one another. We have basic human tendencies to be genuine, empathic, and prosocial toward other individuals. However, it is clear that we also have the ability to harden our hearts and manipulate others, as well as act impulsively, or be violent and aggressive toward other people. Thus, we all potentially have a dark-side to our human character, though only a fraction display elevated levels of psychopathic-like propensities. In my opinion, and I suspect in the minds of most people, it is far better for us all if we find in each day opportunities to be genuine, empathic, and prosocial, and teach our children the value of these propensities as well. But, at the same time, as a society, we must recognize and learn to deal with the dark side of our humanity. I’d recommend following the lead of Frans de Waal in his 2009 book titled, The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society.
Cheers,
c
References
Babiak, P., Neumann, C. S., & Hare, R. D. (2010). Corporate Psychopathy: Talking the Walk. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 28, 1-20. DOI: 10.1002/bsl.925
de Waal, Frans (2009). THE AGE OF EMPATHY: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society. New York: Harmony
Hare, R. D. (2003). The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, 2nd edition. Toronto, ON: Multi-Health Systems.
Hare, R. D., & Neumann, C. S. (2008). Psychopathy as a clinical and empirical construct. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 4, 217-46. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091452
Neumann, C. S., Kosson, D. S., Forth, A. E., & Hare, R. D. (2006). Factor structure of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) in incarcerated adolescents. Psychological Assessment, 18, 142-154. DOI: 10.1037/1040-3590.18.2.142
Mathieu, C., Neumann, C. S., Hare, R. D., & Babiak, P. (2014). A Dark Side of Leadership: Perceptions of Psychopathic Traits in Supervisors and Their Influence on Employee Well-being and Job Satisfaction. Personality and Individual Differences, 59 (2014) 83–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.11.010.
Neumann, C. S., & Hare, R. D. (2008). Psychopathic traits in a large community sample: links to violence, alcohol use, and intelligence. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 76(5), 893.
Neumann, C. S., Hare, R. D., & Pardini, D. A., (2014). Antisociality and the Construct of Psychopathy: Data from Across the Globe. Journal of Personality, DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12127.
For example, how are we to understand the story of a grandmother who ran her grand daughter to death (http://wapo.st/1EtBHw1)? Similarly, what are we to make of the case of a 16 year old held on Rikers Island for 3-years without being convicted of a crime (http://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/kalief-browder-1993-2015)? Sadly, the person (Kalief Browder) in this second story recently took his own life, given the tremendous trauma he suffered. Who were the individuals that took part in this young man's traumatization? I am not suggesting that the individuals involved in these stories are clinically diagnosable psychopaths, but how are we to understand such dark behaviors carried out against these two young souls? Please allow me a few paragraphs to make my point.
In my “Measuring” blog entry (6/4/2015) I highlighted that individuals who meet clinical criteria for a diagnosis of psychopathic personality manifest elevations on all four of the personality dimensions of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 2003) across time and situations. Thus, highly psychopathic persons display chronic disturbances in Interpersonal and Affective functioning (e.g., calloused, deceptive manipulation of other people) along with a reckless, impulsive behavioral Lifestyle and overt Antisociality (e.g., poor behavioral controls, versatile violent, aggressive, or criminal tendencies).
Technically, an individual who is rated at 30 or above on the PCL-R is considered diagnostically psychopathic. The PCL-R contains 20 items, with each psychopathic trait item rated as 0 (not present), 1 (partially present), or 2 (present). The psychopathic individual will meet most of the items within the Interpersonal (4 items), Affective (4 items), Lifestyle (5 items), and Antisocial (5 items) dimensions. (Note two items--promiscuous sexual behavior, many short-term marriages--are not used in the four-dimensional model of psychopathy).
There are two other PCL interviews that can be used for clinical assessments of delinquent youth (PCL-Youth Version) or as a screener for psychiatric samples or individuals living in the general community (PCL-Screening Version). The PCL-YV also contains 20 items, though for many developmental and legal reasons, delinquent youth who are rated 30 or higher are not diagnosed as psychopaths but instead described in terms of their psychopathic propensities (Neumann, Kosson, Forth, & Hare, 2006). The PCL-SV contains 12 items (each scored as 0, 1, or 2) and a score of 18 or above is suggestive of a psychopathy diagnosis which must be verified via a formal PCL-R interview by a trained professional (Hare & Neumann, 2008).
While 15-25% of adult male offenders will meet diagnostic criteria for psychopathy (and approximately 8% of adult female offenders), the vast majority of individuals in the general population will not come close to a score of 30 (PCL-R/PCL-YV) or 18 (PCL-SV). However, an extensive series of genetic and sophisticated statistical studies reveal that psychopathic traits are continuously distributed, much like intelligence ranges from low to high among individuals in society. Therefore it is the case that many individuals, throughout all segments of society, may display a relative elevation of psychopathic propensities (Neumann, Hare, & Pardini, 2014).
For instance, Robert Hare and I conducted a study of over 500 individuals living in a major metropolitan area of the United States (Neumann & Hare, 2008). We found that two-thirds of this large community sample had a score of 2 or less on the PCL-SV (thank goodness!). However, approximately 1-2% of individuals were rated at an elevated level of psychopathic propensities. This means that every 1-2 people out of 100 manifest elevated psychopathic traits (Yikes!). In this same study, we found that the psychopathy dimensions predicted increases in violent/aggressive behavior and alcohol use, as well as decreased intelligence, consistent with our research on offenders. Similarly, we have examined large samples of individuals within various corporate or business settings. In one study (Babiak, Neumann, & Hare, 2010), we found that nearly 4% of a high-profile corporate sample had PCL-R scores of 30 or above. That’s 2-4 times the rate of elevated psychopathic propensities found in the general community! In this study, and a related corporate psychopathy study (Matheiu, Neumann, Hare, & Babiak, 2014), we found that the individuals with psychopathic propensities wreaked havoc on the lives of their fellow employees.
So, based on the results of these and many other related studies, we have to ask ourselves, why is it that some individuals in the general population have these dark psychopathic-like personalities? Is this due to a genetic mutation (nature) or a reflection of our violent world (nurture)? As it turns out, both nature and nurture are involved in the expression of psychopathic propensities (more on this later). As such, we all have the potential to manifest dark psychopathic-like propensities.
Yet, we are a social species and depend fundamentally on one another. We have basic human tendencies to be genuine, empathic, and prosocial toward other individuals. However, it is clear that we also have the ability to harden our hearts and manipulate others, as well as act impulsively, or be violent and aggressive toward other people. Thus, we all potentially have a dark-side to our human character, though only a fraction display elevated levels of psychopathic-like propensities. In my opinion, and I suspect in the minds of most people, it is far better for us all if we find in each day opportunities to be genuine, empathic, and prosocial, and teach our children the value of these propensities as well. But, at the same time, as a society, we must recognize and learn to deal with the dark side of our humanity. I’d recommend following the lead of Frans de Waal in his 2009 book titled, The Age of Empathy: Nature’s Lessons for a Kinder Society.
Cheers,
c
References
Babiak, P., Neumann, C. S., & Hare, R. D. (2010). Corporate Psychopathy: Talking the Walk. Behavioral Sciences and the Law, 28, 1-20. DOI: 10.1002/bsl.925
de Waal, Frans (2009). THE AGE OF EMPATHY: Nature's Lessons for a Kinder Society. New York: Harmony
Hare, R. D. (2003). The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, 2nd edition. Toronto, ON: Multi-Health Systems.
Hare, R. D., & Neumann, C. S. (2008). Psychopathy as a clinical and empirical construct. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 4, 217-46. DOI: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091452
Neumann, C. S., Kosson, D. S., Forth, A. E., & Hare, R. D. (2006). Factor structure of the Hare Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV) in incarcerated adolescents. Psychological Assessment, 18, 142-154. DOI: 10.1037/1040-3590.18.2.142
Mathieu, C., Neumann, C. S., Hare, R. D., & Babiak, P. (2014). A Dark Side of Leadership: Perceptions of Psychopathic Traits in Supervisors and Their Influence on Employee Well-being and Job Satisfaction. Personality and Individual Differences, 59 (2014) 83–88. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2013.11.010.
Neumann, C. S., & Hare, R. D. (2008). Psychopathic traits in a large community sample: links to violence, alcohol use, and intelligence. Journal of consulting and clinical psychology, 76(5), 893.
Neumann, C. S., Hare, R. D., & Pardini, D. A., (2014). Antisociality and the Construct of Psychopathy: Data from Across the Globe. Journal of Personality, DOI: 10.1111/jopy.12127.