Bewsey, Kyle. Exploring Psychopathic Personality Traits and Moral Development in a Non-Criminal S... more Bewsey, Kyle. Exploring Psychopathic Personality Traits and Moral Development in a Non-Criminal Sample. Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology), May 2013, 88 pp., 17 tables, references, 95 titles. This study explored psychopathic personality traits among a non-criminal, college undergraduate sample. Much research has been done on conceptualizing the construct of psychopathy, but this work has been conducted primarily with incarcerated individuals using a structured interview, The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991, 2003). The goal of the current study was to assess psychopathic traits among non-criminal individuals using The Self-Report Psychopathy Scale-Version Four (SRP-IV; Paulhus, Neumann, & Hare, in press), and compare how SRP-IV scores were associated with a well recognized semi-structured interview for psychopathy, The Psychopathy Checklist-Screening Version (PCL: SV; Hart, Cox, & Hare, 1995). The study also examined whether psychopathic personality traits could be predicted using a measure of normal-range personality, based on the five-factor model (FFM; Digman, 1990), and a measure developed by Loevinger (1976) related to ego development. Five-Factor Model Rating Form (FFMRF; Mullins-Sweat, Jamerson, Samuel, Olson, & Widiger, 2006) scores and Total Protocol Ratings (TPR score) on the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (WUSCT; Hy & Loevinger, 1996) were used to predict psychopathy scores. Correlations of SRP-IV scores and PCL: SV scores with FFMRF scores and WUSCT TPR scores were also examined for their uniformity. As predicted, there were significant, negative correlations between FFM domains, Agreeableness and Conscientious, and SRP-IV scores, as well as significant, negative correlations between WUSCT TPR scores and SRP-IV scores. These correlations ranged from small to strong for both SRP-IV overall scores and for SRP-IV factor scores (i.e., Interpersonal Manipulation, Callous Affect, Erratic Lifestyle, and Criminal Tendencies). Additionally, FFM domain scores and WUSCT TPR scores significantly predicted SRP-IV scores. FFM domains, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, and WUSCT TPR scores, were the strongest predictors of SRP-IV scores. Similar results were found when FFM domain scores and WUSCT TPR scores predicted SRP-IV factor scores. Results also indicated Agreeableness and Conscientious explained an additional 24% of the variance in psychopathy scores, after controlling for WUSCT TPR scores. Conversely, WUSCT TPR scores explained an additional 5% of the variance in psychopathy scores after controlling for Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Finally, as predicted, the differences in correlations between psychopathy scores (i.e., PCL: SV, SRP-IV), and Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and WUSCT TPR scores were not statistically significant providing evidence that correlates of psychopathic traits can be measured among non-criminal individuals using a self-report measure, the SRP-IV, and that these findings are concordant with those based on a standardized structured assessment for psychopathy. Limitations of the study, implications, and recommendations for future research are also discussed.
Psychopaths are often violent, aggressive, and manipulative. They pose a serious threat to our so... more Psychopaths are often violent, aggressive, and manipulative. They pose a serious threat to our social structures, and it is essential that we better understand the nature and origins of psychopathy. The present study examined the relationship between certain personality traits highly correlated with self-report measures of psychopathy (Payne,2004) and the strategies individuals use when playing a prisoner's dilemma. The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between the levels of cooperation used and success in a prisoner's dilemma with both broad personality domains and lower-level facets of the Five-Factor Model, as well as to explore news ways to conceptualize the psychopathic personality, and the possibility that it could be an adaptive and viable life strategy.A prisoner's dilemma is a non-zero sum game where participants face a hypothetical friend in a decision making scenario. Participants receive points based on choice of cooperating or competing wit...
... Lauren C. Drerup received her MA in Clinical Psychology from Western Carolina University, Cul... more ... Lauren C. Drerup received her MA in Clinical Psychology from Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, and she is currently a PhD student in the Clinical ... NC, and he is currently a PhD student in the Clinical Psy-chology program at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX ...
Bewsey, Kyle. Exploring Psychopathic Personality Traits and Moral Development in a Non-Criminal S... more Bewsey, Kyle. Exploring Psychopathic Personality Traits and Moral Development in a Non-Criminal Sample. Doctor of Philosophy (Clinical Psychology), May 2013, 88 pp., 17 tables, references, 95 titles. This study explored psychopathic personality traits among a non-criminal, college undergraduate sample. Much research has been done on conceptualizing the construct of psychopathy, but this work has been conducted primarily with incarcerated individuals using a structured interview, The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Hare, 1991, 2003). The goal of the current study was to assess psychopathic traits among non-criminal individuals using The Self-Report Psychopathy Scale-Version Four (SRP-IV; Paulhus, Neumann, & Hare, in press), and compare how SRP-IV scores were associated with a well recognized semi-structured interview for psychopathy, The Psychopathy Checklist-Screening Version (PCL: SV; Hart, Cox, & Hare, 1995). The study also examined whether psychopathic personality traits could be predicted using a measure of normal-range personality, based on the five-factor model (FFM; Digman, 1990), and a measure developed by Loevinger (1976) related to ego development. Five-Factor Model Rating Form (FFMRF; Mullins-Sweat, Jamerson, Samuel, Olson, & Widiger, 2006) scores and Total Protocol Ratings (TPR score) on the Washington University Sentence Completion Test (WUSCT; Hy & Loevinger, 1996) were used to predict psychopathy scores. Correlations of SRP-IV scores and PCL: SV scores with FFMRF scores and WUSCT TPR scores were also examined for their uniformity. As predicted, there were significant, negative correlations between FFM domains, Agreeableness and Conscientious, and SRP-IV scores, as well as significant, negative correlations between WUSCT TPR scores and SRP-IV scores. These correlations ranged from small to strong for both SRP-IV overall scores and for SRP-IV factor scores (i.e., Interpersonal Manipulation, Callous Affect, Erratic Lifestyle, and Criminal Tendencies). Additionally, FFM domain scores and WUSCT TPR scores significantly predicted SRP-IV scores. FFM domains, Agreeableness and Conscientiousness, and WUSCT TPR scores, were the strongest predictors of SRP-IV scores. Similar results were found when FFM domain scores and WUSCT TPR scores predicted SRP-IV factor scores. Results also indicated Agreeableness and Conscientious explained an additional 24% of the variance in psychopathy scores, after controlling for WUSCT TPR scores. Conversely, WUSCT TPR scores explained an additional 5% of the variance in psychopathy scores after controlling for Agreeableness and Conscientiousness. Finally, as predicted, the differences in correlations between psychopathy scores (i.e., PCL: SV, SRP-IV), and Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, and WUSCT TPR scores were not statistically significant providing evidence that correlates of psychopathic traits can be measured among non-criminal individuals using a self-report measure, the SRP-IV, and that these findings are concordant with those based on a standardized structured assessment for psychopathy. Limitations of the study, implications, and recommendations for future research are also discussed.
Psychopaths are often violent, aggressive, and manipulative. They pose a serious threat to our so... more Psychopaths are often violent, aggressive, and manipulative. They pose a serious threat to our social structures, and it is essential that we better understand the nature and origins of psychopathy. The present study examined the relationship between certain personality traits highly correlated with self-report measures of psychopathy (Payne,2004) and the strategies individuals use when playing a prisoner's dilemma. The purpose of this study was to identify relationships between the levels of cooperation used and success in a prisoner's dilemma with both broad personality domains and lower-level facets of the Five-Factor Model, as well as to explore news ways to conceptualize the psychopathic personality, and the possibility that it could be an adaptive and viable life strategy.A prisoner's dilemma is a non-zero sum game where participants face a hypothetical friend in a decision making scenario. Participants receive points based on choice of cooperating or competing wit...
... Lauren C. Drerup received her MA in Clinical Psychology from Western Carolina University, Cul... more ... Lauren C. Drerup received her MA in Clinical Psychology from Western Carolina University, Cullowhee, NC, and she is currently a PhD student in the Clinical ... NC, and he is currently a PhD student in the Clinical Psy-chology program at the University of North Texas, Denton, TX ...
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