Comment: Psychopathy is a concept regularly thrust into the media spotlight with clickbait articles about whether your boss is a psychopath or whether you’re dating one.
Whether it’s in relation to a real person or a fictional character, ‘psychopath’ and ‘psychopathic tendencies’ are often used to describe someone with an extreme personality type and engaging in extreme antisocial behaviour.
It is also often implied that people high on psychopathy are resistant to treatment and are unlikely to change their ways. But research on this is not conclusive and newer approaches provide grounds for a more optimistic outlook.
What is ‘psychopathy’?
Psychopathy, unlike singular personality traits such as extraversion or honesty, is a group of related traits. It is primarily characterised by antagonism, lack of empathy, and impulsivity.
As with any aspect of personality, everyone falls somewhere on the continuum for psychopathy. But people who display to a strong extent many of the traits considered to be central to psychopathy could be described as being at the higher end of a psychopathy continuum.
Psychopathic traits can fit roughly into three main categories: interpersonal, emotional, and irresponsible traits.
Interpersonal traits include manipulation and aggressiveness towards others, superficial charm, and deceitfulness. Emotion-related traits include deficient emotional responses (eg lacking in depth or absent entirely), an impaired ability to empathise with others’ feelings, and a lack of remorse.
Irresponsible traits include impulsive and inconsiderate behaviours, a failure to learn from negative consequences of one’s behaviour, and a tendency to take risks even in the face of threats.
How does psychopathy develop?
There isn’t a simple answer to this question and a growing body of research indicates it has complex origins.
Several studies have suggested that individuals high on psychopathy often show specific differences in patterns of brain function, such as in the frontal lobe, the part of the brain important for planning, impulse control, and self-regulation.
The social environment also has a role to play. For instance, aversive childhood experiences, trauma, and harsh parenting can have a profound impact on emotional functioning in adulthood, potentially leading to a detachment of emotion from cognition and behaviour.
Ultimately, it is likely that a range of biological, cognitive, social, and environmental factors contribute to the development of psychopathy.
Can psychopathy be treated?
Many people with psychopathic traits come into conflict with the law. As such, much of what we know about this personality pattern comes from research conducted in prisons and secure forensic hospitals.
Past studies suggested that conventional medications and psychological therapy were ineffective and this has led to a view that psychopathy can’t be treated. However, recent studies indicate it might be more effective to focus on changing specific symptoms and outcomes such as reducing aggressive behaviour, increasing emotional and behavioural stability, and helping people reintegrate into society after leaving prison.
One such treatment programme is the high-risk personality programme, developed in New Zealand by Nick J Wilson and Armon Tamatea. This programme is designed to help high-risk offenders in New Zealand who generally have high levels of psychopathy. It focuses on reducing incidents of serious violent offending by targeting behaviours such as emotional reactivity and antisocial interpersonal behaviours.
The programme has had measurable success, such as lowered risk ratings for 80 percent of participants. Though reoffending patterns had mixed results, the frequency and seriousness of future crimes decreased. Many of the prison staff members commented on positive changes in behaviour that the participants took back to their units.
Further research into treatment programmes is needed to continue to improve outcomes for those high on psychopathy and those affected by it. Well-designed treatment programmes, such as those that adhere to the Good Lives Model and include Schema therapy approaches, are more likely to improve outcomes for people higher on psychopathy.
These outcomes include more prosocial behaviour while still in prison, enhanced reintegration into wider society upon release, and improved chances of getting jobs and staying out of the criminal justice system longer-term. This is achieved by collaborative planning between clinician and client, so rehabilitation can be tailored to the individual’s unique presentation of psychopathic traits.
There are also treatment options for people with high levels of psychopathy traits who do not show antisocial behaviour that is illegal or violent. However, many more general approaches, such as working on reactive behaviour, emotion regulation, and empathy may be beneficial, with some suggesting a multimodal approach may prove more effective for this population. Possible pathways to access this are talking to a GP or a therapist who will be able to provide individual therapy.
If you’d like to learn more about psychopathy, including more details about psychopathic traits and how they relate to other psychological issues, visit https://psychopathyis.org/. If you have been affected by someone with psychopathic traits you can try this helpful page: https://aftermath-surviving-psychopathy.org/.
This article was originally published on Newsroom.
Aaron Hissey is a PhD candidate in Psychology, Emma Buurmans has recently completed a Master’s degree in Forensic Psychology, Brianna Burt is an undergraduate student in Psychology, and Hedwig Eisenbarth is an associate professor in the School of Psychology at Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington; Armon Tamatea is a senior lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Waikato.