Psychopathy

Psychopathy is one of two genera under the family of Antisocial Personality Disorder (ASPD), a psychological disorder in the fifth edition of DSM-V. Even though psychopaths are considered to be under the umbrella of ASPD, psychopathy is not a disorder in itself (at least not according to the DSM). But we know, insofar as psychological research has shown, that psychopathy exists and that it is distinct from ASPD. And we also know that “if a thing exists, it exists in some amount. If it exists in some amount, it can be measured.” So even if the DSM does not have any diagnostic criteria for psychopathy — it is simply described as a pattern of disregard for, and violation of, the rights of others (DSM-V, 2013) — we should able to create a psychological test that can measure it. What would such a test look like? Psychological tests have been created to measure psychopathy (e.g. The Psychopathy-Checklist Revised (PCL-R) (Hare, 1991; 2003)), but for the purposes of this post I want to try and create my own test.

A psychological test 1) samples behaviour, 2) the behavioural sample is obtained under standardized conditions, and 3) there are established scoring rules. Before I can apply these elements to my test, I first have to define the construct I want to measure. A psychopath is some in who the normal processes of socialization have failed to produce the mechanisms of conscience and habits of law-abidingness that normally constrain antisocial impulses. Then come my test items; what would be the best way to assess mechanisms of conscience and law-abiding habits? I could interview individuals with ASPD and create an event calendar of their interactions with law-enforcers or provide them with vignettes and assess whether their responses suggest any antisocial behaviour. Unfortunately psychopaths are known to lie a lot so asking them directly may not be the best way to test them. Perhaps I could conduct interviews with individuals who are close to my participants or do a thorough criminal record check, or follow them around for a significant amount of time and observe their behaviour. Obviously that last option would be somewhat tedious (and most likely not legal). As we’ve discussed in class the best way to measure psychopathy would probably be to combine different test formats which would allow us to systematically sample our behaviour of interest.

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