© Getty ImagesA new study conducted by VCU researchers sheds light on the mechanisms underlying the formation of “successful” psychopaths.
Psychopathy is widely recognized as a risk factor for violent behavior,
but many psychopathic individuals refrain from antisocial or criminal acts. Understanding what leads these psychopaths to be "successful" has been a mystery.
A new study conducted by researchers at Virginia Commonwealth University sheds light on the mechanisms underlying the formation of this "successful" phenotype.
"Psychopathic individuals are very prone to engaging in antisocial behaviors but what our findings suggest is that some may actually be better able to inhibit these impulses than others," said lead author Emily Lasko, a doctoral candidate in the
Department of Psychology in the
College of Humanities and Sciences.
"Although we don't know exactly what precipitates this increase in conscientious impulse control over time, we do know that this does occur for individuals high in certain psychopathy traits who have been relatively more 'successful' than their peers."The study, "
What Makes a 'Successful' Psychopath? Longitudinal Trajectories of Offenders' Antisocial Behavior and Impulse Control as a Function of Psychopathy," will be published in a forthcoming issue of the journal
Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment.When describing certain psychopathic individuals as "successful" versus "unsuccessful," the researchers are referring to life trajectories or outcomes.
A "successful" psychopath, for example, might be a CEO or lawyer high in psychopathic traits, whereas an "unsuccessful" psychopath might have those same traits but is incarcerated.
The study tests a compensatory model of "successful" psychopathy, which theorizes that relatively
"successful" psychopathic individuals develop greater conscientious traits that serve to inhibit their heightened antisocial impulses."The compensatory model posits that people higher in certain psychopathic traits (such as grandiosity and manipulation) are able to compensate for and overcome, to some extent, their antisocial impulses via increases in trait conscientiousness, specifically impulse control," Lasko said.
To test this model, the researchers studied data collected about 1,354 serious juvenile offenders who were adjudicated in court systems in Arizona and Pennsylvania.
"Although these participants are not objectively 'successful,' this was an ideal sample to test our hypotheses for two main reasons," the researchers write. "First, adolescents are in a prime developmental phase for the improvement of impulse control. Allowing us the longitudinal variability we would need to test our compensatory model. Second, offenders are prone to antisocial acts, by definition, and their rates of recidivism provided a real-world index of 'successful' versus 'unsuccessful' psychopathy phenotypes."
The study found that higher initial psychopathy was associated with steeper increases in general inhibitory control and the inhibition of aggression over time. That effect was magnified among "successful" offenders, or those who reoffended less.
Its findings lend support to the compensatory model of "successful" psychopathy, Lasko said.
"Our findings support a novel model of psychopathy that we propose, which runs contradictory to the other existing models of psychopathy in that it focuses more on the strengths or 'surpluses' associated with psychopathy rather than just deficits," she said. "Psychopathy is not a personality trait simply composed of deficits — there are many forms that it can take."
Lasko is a researcher in VCU's
Social Psychology and Neuroscience Lab, which seeks to understand why people try to harm one another.
David Chester, Ph.D., director of the lab and an assistant professor of psychology, is co-author of the study.
The study's findings could be useful in clinical and forensic settings, Lasko said, particularly for developing effective prevention and early intervention strategies in that it could help identify strengths that psychopathic individuals possess that could deter future antisocial behavior.
Reader Comments
In the cases where the psychopath either does not have the intelligence, and/or has grown up in an environment where not donning that mask has proved fruitful, he or she will be a criminal.
In all cases, though, the psychopath is damaging people around him or her - either directly and physically, or indirectly and mentally. Teaching them to become better at avoiding detection, which is the prevailing philosophy of the mental health services in the "treatment" people diagnosed with pschopathy or sociopathy - and, in my opinion, "borderline" and "bipolar", is only going to let them continue hurting other people and get away with it.
RC
Since my run in with a psychopath, I've vehemently advocated sticking every last one of them on an extremely remote island (arctic or antarctic would be my preference) with no means of escape. Drop food on them every other month and stand well back.
They are not human. They are irremediable, accord humans no human rights, and live to prey on us.
By the way, if the psychopath is one you are attracted to, hooking up with him or her may be a ride of your life, and very fun. Just don't expect it to leave no marks afterwards.
"...Australia’s 20,000 wildlife carers volunteer an average of 898 hours and spend $3,213 of their own money every year and now they are also experiencing collective grief.Imagine saving a kangaroo from certain death, waking up every three hours to bottle-feed the kangaroo, pouring your time, love and savings into its’ rehabilitation, seeing the strength and health slowly return, nervously releasing the kangaroo back into the wild and praying your baby will be safe, and then … discovering that it has been shot by a commercial hunter. Keightley explained, “We are shattered, frustrated and bitterly disappointed. It is emotionally debilitating for the carer to know that chances of survival are slim for our kangaroos, and beyond comprehension that they may be soon under the shooters’ spotlight, running for their lives and then killed in often an inhumane way, only to be minced into pet food and exported to a far away country. It is the stuff of nightmares that won’t let you sleep, yet it is much worse for the kangaroos, who are loving, loyal, peaceful beings, entitled to a life just as much as we are, yet remain victims of the largest slaughter of terrestrial wildlife anywhere in the world...” [Link]
The real issue, IMO is those that succumb to those that prey upon them. Awareness is a key issue.
Since my children were toddlers I have repeatedly instilled the idea that no one, be it a security guard, or a priest or nun, a neighbor, or a man looking for his puppy, can tell you where to go or what to do.
Even people you know still have to be treated with skepticism. I have trusted individuals but they are very few. I also have a great many acquaintances that don't deserve my trust.
And then there are the rest. I don't really like people. That's not the first time I have said that. It's easier to come from that side than to be the all trusting fool.