Introduction. Serious violent offenders and their offending behaviour stood in focus of thisstudy. Scientific literature tends to classify offenders into non-violent or violent; however,it is known that within the area of violent crime, dimensions of offending behaviour such asgoal-directedness, provocation and planning can be expressed differently. The present studyuses these dimensions to evaluate the construct of serious violent offending by analysingdifferent cases, comparing their offending behavioural profiles and evaluating at what levelthese profiles are consistent with the common psychopathic offending behaviour.Methods. Verdicts and Preliminary investigation protocols of nine Swedish offenderslabelled as seriously violent were used to gather the information from scene investigations,autopsy reports and offender/victim interrogations in order to describe the crime history andcrime dynamics of the cases which served as a basis for assessing different dimensions,using the values from a violent incident coding sheet.Results. Cases of serious violent offending displayed heterogeneity rather thanhomogeneity in the offending behaviour. Homicide offenders demonstrated a mixed patternof behaviour compared to sex offenders who showed a more homogeneous profile withtypically goal-directed, unprovoked and impulsive behaviour, also being more consistentwith the offending behaviour commonly displayed by psychopathic offenders.Conclusion. Based on the dimensions analysed, a universal serious violent offendingbehavioural profile does not seem to exist. More criminological research with a largernumber of subjects is required, however, findings from this study make it arguable tosuggest that sex offenders might benefit from treatment focusing on improving their selfcontrolcompared to homicide offenders where aspects of emotional regulation seem to beof even greater importance. / <p>2016-05-27</p>

The construct of psychopathy holds promise as a discriminating variable in the classification and explanation of childhood antisocial behavior. The new generation of psychopathy measures, designed to measure this construct in adolescent populations, must meet acceptable standards of reliability and validity prior to the clinical application of the construct with adolescent offenders. The purpose of this study is to examine the construct and predictive validity of adolescent psychopathy as measured by the PCL:YV, PSD, SALE, and SRP-II. Data from two samples of detained adolescent offenders (short-term and long-term detention) are utilized to investigate construct validity via MTMM. In addition, external validity indices including institutional violations (fighting, seclusions, and treatment refusals) and community supervision (probation contacts, drug testing, and re-arrests) are operationalized and measured in order to examine the predictive validity of adolescent psychopathy. Results of construct validity offer modest support for the two-factor model of psychopathy. For external validity, Factor 2 accounted for greater variance in the prediction of institutional infractions and subsequent placements in a secure facility; however, its overall predictive validity was low. The results suggest that the current measures assess psychopathic traits and behaviors which may be stable in adults but are likely to be normative and transient in many adolescents.

Psychopaths constitute only an estimated 1% of the population, yet they are responsible for a disproportionately large number of violent and nonviolent crimes. The literature addressing this syndrome among male offenders is quite extensive. In contrast, psychopathy and its underlying factor structure remains understudied among female offenders. Research has suggested marked gender differences in the prevalence, clinical characteristics, and underlying dimensions of psychopathy. This study examined the dimensions of psychopathy in a female offender sample. The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised and the Self Report Psychopathy-II (SRP-II) were administered to 119 female inmates at Tarrant County Jail in Fort Worth, TX. Confirmatory factor analyses of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) did not support the use of the traditional two factor male model or a recently proposed two- factor female model. This thesis also addressed females' self-appraisal of PCL-R Factor 1 characteristics as well as the usefulness of the self-administered Self-Report Psychopathy-II as a screen for psychopathy.

A vigorous debate persists in the literature about the efficacy of clinical judgment and actuarial models of risk assessment. This study was designed to augment those commonly used methods by integrating a variety of factors that produce risk and protective effects among 101 youthful offenders. Adolescents and young adults in a maximum-security facility were interviewed with the Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL:YV), and completed self-reports of psychopathy, impulsivity, and perceived parental care and protection. This selection of empirically-supported predictors was enhanced by criminal history and family information obtained through extensive file review. Markedly different prediction models emerged based on age. ADHD and PCL Factor 2 predicted adolescents' institutional maladjustment. In contrast, young adults' institutional behavior was influenced by impulsivity, family substance abuse, and gang membership. Treatment progress also differed depending on age; the absence of certain risk factors predicted success for adolescents, while academic achievement and intelligence facilitated young adults' advancement. Importantly, support was demonstrated for the moderating effects of protective factors on violence. Finally, the predictive validity of newly-developed psychopathy self-reports was examined in relation to the PCL:YV. Both the SALE PS-24 and the APSD were modestly effective at differentiating between high and low levels of psychopathy.

The present study was designed to assess both the construct of psychopathy in a female jail sample as well as the quality of the measures that have been employed to assess this personality style. Utilizing the multitrait-multimethod matrix proposed by Campbell and Fiske (1959), the construct of psychopathy was measured via three instruments: (a) the Antisocial Scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory, (b) the Psychopathy Checklist - Revised, and (c) the Antisocial Scale of the Personality Disorder Examination. In addition, the predictive validity of each of these measures of psychopathy was evaluated to determine their ability to predict institutional violence and non-compliance. The results revealed significant convergence and divergence across the three instruments supporting the construct of psychopathy in a female jail sample. In addition, the measures of psychopathy demonstrated moderate predictive validity.

Mémoire numérisé par la Division de la gestion de documents et des archives de l'Université de Montréal.

Les Autochtones sont surreprésentés dans le système judiciaire canadien. Il a été constaté que certains individus ayant survécu à la colonisation développent un stress acculturatif, dont les effets se manifestent aux niveaux physique, psychologique et social (Berry et Annis, 1974). L'augmentation des conduites dysfonctionnelles et violentes consiste une des conséquences spécifiques pouvant résulter de ce stress (Kirmayer, Corin, Corriveau, & Fletcher, 1993). Selon les auteurs ayant étudié le crime chez les Autochtones, les facteurs statiques semblent être similaires pour les criminels non Autochtones et les Autochtones, mais ils sont présents à un degré plus intense chez ces derniers. De plus, les mêmes facteurs étiologiques sont identifiés dans les deux groupes. Parmi ceux-ci, la présence de traits de personnalité antisociale paraît prédire le développement de futurs comportements criminels. À partir des données recueillies pour un projet annexe, le Childhood Adolescent Taxon Scale a été complété pour 95 hommes Inuit vivant dans différentes communautés du Nunavut. Cette échelle permet le dépistage du deuxième facteur psychopathique identifié par Harpur, Hare et Hakstian (1989), majoritairement induit par les circonstances environnementales de l’individu. En comparaison avec la population générale canadienne, il a été démontré dans cette étude que le taux de psychopathie secondaire est plus élevé dans la population autochtone. Ces résultats mettent en évidence les effets destructeurs du mode de vie de ce peuple (imposé lors de la colonisation) et nous informent sur les cibles d’interventions futures. / Aboriginal people are overrepresented in the Canadian judicial system. It has been noted that individuals having survived colonization sometimes develop acculturative stress, whose effects manifest themselves on the physical, psychological and social levels (Berry and Annis, 1974). An increase in dysfunctional and violent conduct is one of the specific consequences of acculturative stress (Kirmayer, Corin, Corriveau, & Fletcher, 1993). According to authors having studied crime in the Aboriginal population, static factors seem to be similar for non-Aboriginal and Aboriginal criminals, but are more intensely present in the latter group. Furthermore, the same etiological factors have been identified to explain crime in these two groups. Among these, the presence of antisocial personality traits seems to be the most predictive of future criminal behavior. In this study, the Childhood Adolescent Taxon Scale was completed for 95 Inuit men living in different communities in Nunavut. This scale allows for the detection of the second psychopathic taxon identified by Harpur, Hare and Hakstian (1989), which is mostly induced by environmental circumstances. The results of this study demonstrate that the prevalence rate of secondary psychopathy is higher in the Aboriginal population when compared to general Canadian statistics. These results highlight the destructive consequences of modern day life as it is in Aboriginal communities (as was imposed during colonization) and can help identify targets for future interventions.

La psychopathie est un désordre de la personnalité caractérisé par des traits de comportement, tels qu’un manque d’empathie, du narcissisme, une estime de soi élevée, etc. Souvent, ces traits sont considérés comme indésirables. Ces caractéristiques se manifestent chez l’homme et la femme, autant dans la population criminelle que non-criminelle. L’étude de la psychopathie et la relation entre celle-ci et d’autres désordres mentaux représente un domaine relativement novateur de la psychologie. Des études démontrent une forte corrélation négative entre la psychopathie et l'anxiété, et entre la psychopathie et la dépression. Au total, 92 étudiants actuels ou ayant récemment graduées, au niveau du baccalauréat, de la maîtrise, et du doctorat ont été recrutés pour participer à cette étude. Ces participants ont complété quatre questionnaires standardisées qui évaluent leur niveau de psychopathie, d’anxiété et de dépression. Les évaluations utilisées sont le « Levenson’s Self-Report Psychopathy scale », le « Childhood and Adolescent Taxon Self-Report », le « Beck Depression Inventory », et le « Beck Anxiety Inventory ». Les résultats suggèrent l'existence d'une forte corrélation positive entre la dépression et la psychopathie, entre l'anxiété et la psychopathie, et entre l'anxiété et la dépression. Des variables additionnelles, tels que le sexe et l’éducation antérieure, contribuent aussi de façon significatives à ce modèle. Les résultats sont analysés tout en considérant des études antérieures et l’importance de la comorbidité psychopathique dans la recherche à venir. / Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by behavioral traits that are often considered undesirable. These traits include callousness, lack of empathy, narcissism, and increased sense of self-worth. These characteristics of psychopathy manifest themselves in men and women alike, and within both criminal and noncriminal populations. The study of the relationship between psychopathy and other mental disorders is a relatively new area of research within the field of psychology. The present study attempted to expand this area of research, namely by examining the relationship between psychopathy, anxiety, and depression. Studies conducted on this relationship have thus far shown that both anxiety and depression disorder are significantly and negatively correlated with psychopathy. For the present study, a total of 92 currently enrolled or recently graduated undergraduate and graduate students were recruited for participation. The participants completed four standardized scales that assessed their level of psychopathy, anxiety, and depression disorder. Participants were assessed using the Levenson’s Self-Report Psychopathy scale, the Childhood and Adolescent Taxon Self-Report, the Beck Depression Inventory, and the Beck Anxiety Inventory. The results suggested that both anxiety and depression are positively and significantly correlated with psychopathy as well as with each other. Additional variables, such as gender and educational origins, were found to contribute significantly to the model. The discussion of the results of the present study includes the findings of previous, related research as well as the importance of psychopathic comorbidity analyses in future research.

The aim of this study was to confirm the hypothesis of Eysenck proclaiming that the psychopaths are more extraverted than the ordinary population. The author reached the conclusion that Eysenck understood psychopathy as a concept similar to the dissocial personality disorder. Based on these grounds it was deemed reasonable to test the hypothesis on individuals with such a diagnosis. The author choose the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-R) and the 4Elements Questionnaire which allowed her to test the hypothesis with regards to the various aspects of the dimension of extraversion. The research confirmed that the individuals diagnosed with the dissocial personality disorder reach higher values on the scale measured by the EPQ-R than are the values shown for the general population. A significant positive correlation was also found between the scale of extraversion measured by the EPQ-R and the element of fire measured by the 4Elements test. However, no correlation was found between extraversion and the element of air. Based on these results the author concludes that the individuals with the dissocial personality disorder are more extraverted than the general population, primarily due to the higher scores in the items monitoring impulsivity, liveliness and ascendance.

There is a growing body of research suggesting that the presence of psychopathic traits, and more specifically, callous-unemotional traits in youth, may constitute a distinct developmental pathway to aggressive behavior. However, ethnic groups are understudied in this literature such that it is unclear whether the correlates of psychopathic traits (i.e., violence, aggression, emotional processing deficits) are equally associated with these traits across different ethnic groups. Also, most theories on the development of psychopathy have provided biologically-based explanations for the cognitive-affective deficits that are considered to be core features of psychopathy. However, research suggests that exposure to adverse contextual environments is also associated with emotional processing deficits and could be important in the etiology of psychopathic traits. The current study examined callous-unemotional traits, emotional processing using the emotional pictures dot-probe task, and exposure to adverse contextual environments (i.e., community violence, abuse) in sixty African American and twenty Caucasian detained boys (n = 80). The results of the current study revealed that aggression, delinquency, and violence were associated with psychopathic traits and this did not differ across ethnic groups. Also, there was an interaction between psychopathic traits and aggression that supported past research and indicated that aggressive youth high on psychopathic traits showed a reduced responsiveness to distressing stimuli but aggressive youth low on psychopathic traits showed an enhanced responsivity to distressing stimuli. The association with contextual factors revealed that exposure to community violence was correlated with both psychopathic traits and emotional response to distress stimuli. There was also an interaction between psychopathic traits and exposure to community violence that was similar to the interaction found between psychopathic traits and aggression. That is, psychopathy was inversely related to emotional responses to distressing stimuli, but only for youth high on exposure to violence. Both of these interactions suggested that there was a group of youth high on callous-unemotional traits that also showed strong emotional responses to distressing stimuli. Analyses indicated that this group of youth experienced greater levels of abuse, consistent with research showing that abused children tend to be hypervigilant to emotional stimuli but may also show deficits in empathy. These findings suggest that there may be multiple developmental pathways to psychopathy and have important implications for how treatment approaches should be uniquely tailored to the needs of youth in each pathway.