The PCL-R and its factors
Robert Hare's Psychopathy Checklist-Revised is an interview-based and file-based rating used by trained clinicians, especially in forensic settings. Analysis commonly separates two broad factors. Factor 1 reflects interpersonal and affective traits, such as glibness and lack of remorse. Factor 2 reflects an impulsive, irresponsible lifestyle and antisocial behavior.
Self-report and newer models
Other tools make it easier to study psychopathic traits in the general population.
- The Psychopathic Personality Inventory, developed by Lilienfeld and Andrews
- The Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale
- The Triarchic Psychopathy Measure, built around boldness, meanness, and disinhibition
Controversies
Researchers dispute whether criminal behavior is a core part of psychopathy or a consequence of it, and whether boldness belongs in the construct at all. Psychopathy appears to vary by degree, and is not a sharply separate category. Self-report measures depend on honesty from respondents who may be inclined to deceive. PCL-R scores can vary with the side retaining an evaluator in legal cases, a finding known as adversarial allegiance. Scores are sometimes used in high-stakes decisions about sentencing or release, so limits on their reliability and predictive accuracy for individuals carry real consequences. Assessment should be carried out only by qualified professionals.
Further reading
- Levenson, M. R., Kiehl, K. A., & Fitzpatrick, C. M. (1995). Assessing psychopathic attributes in a noninstitutionalized population. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 68(1).
- Lilienfeld, S. O., & Andrews, B. P. (1996). Development and preliminary validation of a self-report measure of psychopathic personality traits in noncriminal populations. Journal of Personality Assessment, 66(3).
- Patrick, C. J., Fowles, D. C., & Krueger, R. F. (2009). Triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy: Developmental origins of disinhibition, boldness, and meanness. Development and Psychopathology, 21(3).