This study employed a repeated-measures simulation design to examine (a) the specific effects of malingering on a recently developed measure of psychopathy, the Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI), and (b) the broader association between psychopathic traits and dissimulation. One hundred and forty-three participants completed the PPI twice (both under standard instructions and with instructions to feign psychosis), and also completed post-test questionnaires assessing their attitudes toward engaging in malingering across several hypothetical settings. When attempting to feign psychosis, participants produced elevated scores on a validity scale designed to identify deviant responding, and use of a cross-validated cutoff score with this scale produced high sensitivity and specificity rates across the honest and malingering conditions. Furthermore, PPI scores (in the honest condition) were significantly correlated with a willingness to engage in dissimulation across various hypothetical forensic/correctional scenarios. Results are discussed in terms of the "fakability" of the PPI, as well as the relationship between psychopathic personality features and malingering more generally.

Download full-text PDF

Source
http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/107319110000700307DOI Listing

Publication Analysis

Top Keywords

psychopathic personality
12
relationship psychopathic
8
psychopathic traits
8
personality inventory
8
feign psychosis
8
psychopathic
5
malingering
5
investigation relationship
4
traits malingering
4
malingering psychopathic
4

Similar Publications

Antisocial personality disorder:Failure to balance excitation/inhibition?

Neuropharmacology

January 2025

Division of Molecular Psychiatry, Center of Mental Health, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany; Department of Psychiatry, Psychosomatics and Psychotherapy, Center of Mental Health, University Hospital Würzburg, Würzburg, Germany.

While healthy brain function relies on a dynamic but tightly regulated interaction between excitation (E) and inhibition (I), a spectrum of social cognition disorders, including antisocial behavior and antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), frequently ensuing from irregular neurodevelopment, may be associated with E/I imbalance and concomitant alterations in neural connectivity. Technological advances in the evaluation of structural and functional E/I balance proxies in clinical settings and in human cell culture models provide a general basis for identification of biomarkers providing a powerful concept for prevention and intervention across different dimensions of mental health and disease. In this perspective we outline a framework for research to characterize neurodevelopmental pathways to antisocial behavior and ASPD driven by (epi)genetic factors across life, and to identify molecular targets for preventing the detrimental effects of cognitive dysfunction and maladaptive social behavior, considering psychosocial experience; to validate signatures of E/I imbalance and altered myelination proxies as biomarkers of pathogenic neural circuitry mechanisms to determine etiological processes in the transition from mental health to antisocial behavior and ASPD and in the switch from prevention to treatment; to develop a neurobiologically-grounded integrative model of antisocial behavior and ASPD resultant of disrupted E/I balance, allowing to establish objective diagnoses and monitoring tools, to personalize prevention and therapeutic decisions, to predict treatment response, and thus counteract relapse; and finally, to promote transformation of dimensional disorder taxonomy and to enhance societal awareness and reception of the neurobiological basis of antisocial behavior and ASPD.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Dark Triad (DT), encompassing narcissism, Machiavellianism and psychopathy traits, poses significant societal challenges. Understanding the neural underpinnings of these traits is crucial for developing effective interventions and preventive strategies. Our study aimed to unveil the neural substrates of the DT by examining brain scans from 201 individuals (mean age: 32.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

The Proposed Specifiers for Conduct Disorder (PSCD) is a promising novel scale that measures psychopathic traits and includes an additional conduct disorder factor that taps the antisocial dimension of psychopathy. The current study sought to broaden the application of PSCD by examining the factor structure, convergent and discriminant validity, and connections to delinquency in a young adult sample ( = 450;  = 31.91 years,  = 13.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Studies that focus on whether psychopathy statistically predicts reoffending are not informative of the process that connects the putative cause (psychopathy) to the expected outcome (offending). Understanding the causal mechanisms responsible for the relationship between psychopathy and offending has received minimal empirical attention even though fourth-generation risk assessment protocols and treatment strategies regularly require a specific focus on psychopathy. Theory can help guide an improved understanding of the causal mechanisms underlying the relationship between psychopathy and offending.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Consistent evidence has documented the cross-sectional and longitudinal associations of externalizing psychopathology with personality and behavioral traits, suggesting the presence of a broad, underlying liability to externalizing. In one of the first studies of its kind, we use a large, representative sample of youth ( = 2,245 twins and their siblings) to evaluate the evidence of an externalizing spectrum model, which includes psychopathology, personality, and behavioral traits and spans normal and pathological variation. We examine evidence for the inclusion of 15 candidate traits, from the domains of general and pathological personality, temperament, and aggression, in a model that includes dimensions of common childhood externalizing psychopathology.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Want AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?

Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!