CLINICAL AND EMPIRICAL CONCEPTIONS OF PSYCHOPATHY, AND THE SELECTION OF SUBJECTS FOR RESEARCH (FROM PSYCHOPATHIC BEHAVIOR - APPROACHES TO RESEARCH, 1978, BY R D HARE AND D SCHALLING - SEE NCJ-57500)

• NCJ Number: 57501
• Author(s): R D HARE; D N COX
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 21 pages
• Corporate Author: John Wright and Sons, Ltd
• Publication Format: Document
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

CLINICAL CONCEPTIONS OF PSYCHOPATHY AND THE PSYCHOPATHIC PERSONALITY ARE CONSIDERED ALONG WITH DATA BEARING ON THE EMPIRICAL VALIDITY OF THE CONCEPTS AND THE VARIOUS WAYS IN WHICH SUBJECTS ARE SELECTED FOR RESEARCH PURPOSES.

Abstract

CLINICIANS IDENTIFY SEVERAL TRAITS CHARACTERISTIC OF PSYCHOPATHS AND DISTINGUISH BETWEEN TWO DISTINCT GROUPS: PRIMARY PSYCHOPATHS AND NEUROTIC OR DYSOCIAL PSYCHOPATHS. PRIMARY PSYCHOPATHS TEND TO CONFORM TO CLECKLEY'S CHECKLIST OF PERSONALITY CHARACTERISTICS-CHARMING, INTELLIGENT, AND CALM, BUT UNRELIABLE, PATHOLOGICALLY EGOCENTRIC, UNLOVING, AND, AMONG OTHER THINGS, UNABLE TO LEARN FROM EXPERIENCE--WHILE NEUROTIC PSYCHOPATHS SEEM MOTIVATED BY SOME UNDERLYING EMOTIONAL DISTURBANCE. EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM RESEARCH ON PHYSIOLOGICAL AND BEHAVIORAL CORRELATES AND MULTIVARIATE ANALYSES WHICH HAVE BEEN SUCCESSFUL IN DELINEATING FACTORS AND TYPOLOGIES SUPPORT THESE CLINICAL OBSERVATIONS ABOUT PSYCHOPATHIC BEHAVIOR. TWO MAIN FACTORS HAVE CONSISTENTLY BEEN ISOLATED: PSYCHOPATHIC DELINQUENCY, REFLECTING TOUGH, AMORAL, AND REBELLIOUS QUALITIES COUPLED WITH IMPULSIVITY, DISTRUST OF AUTHORITY, AND FREEDOM FROM FAMILY TIES, AND NEUROTIC DELINQUENCY, REFLECTING IMPULSIVE AND AGGRESSIVE TENDENCIES ASSOCIATED WITH TENSION, GUILT, REMORSE, DEPRESSION, AND DISCOURAGEMENT. SEVERAL STUDIES PROVIDE PARTICULAR SUPPORT FOR THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN PSYCHOPATHIC AND NEUROTIC FORMS OF ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR. USING THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY, FINNEY (1966) ISOLATED FACTORS RELATING TO ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR AND TO ANXIETY, STRESS, AND GUILT. HE WAS ALSO ABLE TO DISTINGUISH BETWEEN PSYCHOPATHY (HIGH IN ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR, LOW IN GUILT), NEUROTIC INHIBITION (LOW IN ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR, HIGH IN GUILT), AND NORMALCY (LOW IN ANTISOCIAL BEHAVIOR, LOW IN GUILT). THE MOST SERIOUS DIFFICULTY IN EVALUATING THE RESULTS OF RESEARCH IN THIS AREA IS THE USE OF A VARIETY OF SUBJECT-SELECTION TECHNIQUES. SOME OF THESE PROCEDURES ARE GLOBAL RATINGS OF PSYCHOPATHY, CHECKLISTS, SELF-REPOR INVENTORIES, MULTIPLE MEASURES, AND PERSONALITY DIMENSIONS (E.G., LOW SOCIALIZATION. LOW ANXIETY). OTHER MAJOR PROBLEMS ARE SELECTING WHAT SORT OF CONTROL OR COMPARISON GROUP TO USE AND DETERMINING THE DEGREE TO WHICH GROUPS USED MAY BE DIFFENTIALLY EXPERIENCING THE EFFECTS OF DRUGS OR ALCOHOL. REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (KBL)