Lecture 16 (REVISED) - PSYCHOPATHY

what are the components of the cleckley psychopath?

• superficial charm

• unreliability

• untruthfulness and insincerity

• lack of remorse or shame

• poor judgement

• failure to learn by experience

• risk taking behavior

who developed the cleckley psychopath?

hervey cleckley

psychopathy evaluation

• pathologic egocentricity

• poor affective reactions

• impaired personal relationships

• sex life impersonal and poorly integrated

• failure to follow any life plan

how does the dsm-5 describe aspd?

• pervasive pattern of disregard for and violation of rights of others

age for aspd

• begins in early adolescence (evidence of conduct disorder before age 15) and continues to adulthood

• must be 18 at time of diagnosis

dsm-5 requirements for aspd (3+ of following)

• failure to conform to social norms by engaging in repeated illegal acts

• deceitfulness, repeated lying, or conning of others for personal gain or pleasure

• impulsivity or failure to plan ahead

• irritability and aggressiveness

• reckless disregard for the safety of self or others

• consistent irresponsibility (eg. failure to sustain work or honor financial obligations)

• lack of remorse (eg. indifference or rationalization hurting or mistreating others)

hare psychopathy checklist

• structured interview

• collateral information (family, friends)

• assess nature and severity of psychopathy

• forensic application

HARE PCL-R broad criteria

• superficial charm

• grandiosity

• deceitfulness

• lack of remorse

• lack of empathy

• doesn’t accept responsibility

• impulsivity

• poor behavioral control

• lacks goals

deceitfulness

• pathological lying

• will cheat and con others

• manipulates others to achieve goals

lack of remorse

• no capacity for guilt

• no concern for others

• no concern about negative consequences

lack of empathy

• disregard for welfare of others

• may appear cold and callous

• unable to experience strong emotions

doesn’t accept responsibility

• avoids taking responsibility for harmful actions

• rationalizes harmful behavior

• minimizes negative consequences for others

• sometimes denies fault altogether

impulsivity

• acts without considering consequences

• easily bored

• short attention span

poor behavior control

• easily angered or frusturated

• may be verbally/physically abusive

lacks goals

no realistic long term goals, no consideration for the future

what brain regions does psychopathy indicate

• orbitofrontal cortex

• amygdala

• anterior and posterior cingulate

• limbic structures