FORENSIC PSYCHOLOGY
LECTURE 4
Clinical and Forensic Assessment
of Psychopathy
Forensic Psychology
1
Learning Outcomes
 Review of Lecture 3 – History of Psychopathy,
Cleckley’s “Mask of Sanity”, Anti Social Personality
Disorder, Psychopathy, Hare Psychopathy
Checklist.
 Evaluate the usefulness of the Hare Psychopathy
Checklist –Revised (PCL-R).
 Examine the concept of assessing risk and
recidivism in forensic populations.
 Investigate the mind set of the psychopath.
Forensic Psychology
2
Hare PCL-R. . . . . Use and Misuse
Reliable and valid assessment of the clinical
construct of “psychopathy”
Personality and behaviour is different from other
offenders
 Violence and aggression is remorseless – without
“conscience”
 1% of the general population
Forensic Psychology
3
Hare PCL-R. . . . . Use and Misuse
Manifested by “persistent criminals, killers, drug
dealers, corrupt politicians, child abusers, con men,
doctors, terrorists, salesmen, unethical lawyers, gang
members....”
 Misused
by
experience, etc.
those
with
improper
training,
Concept of “Labelling”
Forensic Psychology
4
Subtypes of Psychopathy
Millon & Davis










The Unprincipled Psychopath
The Disingenous Psychopath
The Risk Taking Psychopath
The Covetous Psychopath
The Spineless Psychopath
The Explosive Psychopath
The Abrasive Psychopath
The Malevolent Psychopath
The Tyrannical Psychopath
The Malignant Psychopath
Forensic Psychology
5
PCL-R Validity Related Findings
Hare & Hart (1999)
Psychopaths commit criminal acts at an earlier
age.
Psychopaths
commit
a
greater
variety
of
offences.
Psychopaths offend at a higher rate than do non
psychopaths.
For non-violent offences, psychopaths may
burnout at age 35.
Forensic Psychology
6
PCL-R Validity Related Findings
Hare & Hart (1999)
 Even while serving a sentence, psychopaths
engage in more disruptive behaviour than do
non-psychopaths.
 Malingering
correlate
hospitals.
and psychopathy significantly
in insanity acquittees in forensic
 Escape behaviour and psychopathy correlate in
forensic patients.
Forensic Psychology
7
PCL-R Validity Related Findings
Hare & Hart (1999)
 Psychopathy is a predictor of violence and
recidivism.
 Psychopaths tend to engage in predatory
violence and may threaten strangers with
weapons motivated by vengeance, retribution or
sadism
Forensic Psychology
8
PCL-R Validity Related Findings
 Non psychopaths tend to engage in expressive
violence and may commit criminal acts that
include sexual assault or battery and are often
motivated by anger, jealously or sexual arousal.
 Among sex offenders, psychopathy is associated
with sexual sadism and violent recidivism.
Forensic Psychology
9
Risk Assessment
Hare PCL-R predictor of recidivism
Why should we assess dangerousness?
Evaluating criminal responsibility.
Pre-sentencing/pre pleading.
Post sentencing (Temporary Release)
Civil Commitment.
Appraisal of honesty/truth.
Forensic Psychology
10
Hare Psychopathy Checklist - Usefulness
Gacono
 Prescreening prevents inappropriate admissions
 Assessment of psychopathy protects staff from
violence
 Identification of high risk offenders can guide
staff in developing specialised plans for
monitoring, controlling and treating behaviour.
Forensic Psychology
11
Hare Psychopathy Checklist - Usefulness
 Assessment of psychopathy makes testing
important for security reasons
 Useful for the assessment of community risk
 Useful for the prevention of victimisation among
other patients
Forensic Psychology
12
Schemas
 “An organised
structure of information about a
particular domain of life – a structure that serves
the person as a pattern for selecting and
processing new information” (Craighead et al.
1997)
 Psychopathy
–
failure
of
schema
based
processes
 Dysfunctional schemas – “ I need to be the
aggressor or I will be the victim”
Forensic Psychology
13
Schemas
 Dysfunctional
information
psychopaths
 Non
schemas + ASPD/ADHD lead to
processing
deficiencies
in
psychopaths
distortions
with
ASPD
-
cognitive
 Psychopaths - cognitive deficiencies and failures
of schema based processes
Forensic Psychology
14
Thinking and Psychopathy
Kendall & Dobson (1993)
 Cognitive Deficiencies Vs. Cognitive Distortions
 Deficiencies
involve a lack or deficit in
information negative processing / the inability to
learn new information
Distortions involve intact information processes
but thoughts may be negative and dysfunctional
Psychopaths - Cognitive Deficiencies
Forensic Psychology
15
Thinking and Psychopathy
Kendall & Dobson (1993)
Deficit in response modulation – “brief and relatively
automatic shifts of attention from the organisation and
implementation of goal-directed behaviour to the
evaluation of the ongoing behaviour of the current
response set (Patterson & Newman, 1993)
Self regulation processes (self monitoring, self
evaluation and self reinforcement)
If functioning properly, behaviour is modified
If maladaptive, inappropriate behaviour continues –
psychopath.
Forensic Psychology
16
The Internal World of the Psychopath
Meloy & Gacono – Rorschach sample of
prison/hospital inmates who met criteria for ASPD
– children,adolescents, male and female inmates.
 Attachments deficits in all groups.
 Non aggressive responses to Rorschach
 Psychopaths high on narcissism
 Psychopaths
had
significant
cognitive
impairments.
Forensic Psychology
17
Analysis of Studies
Ross & Porporino – All shared a characteristic that
had an effect on the individuals thinking
 Deviant behaviour occurs because individuals
operate deficits in thinking.
 Self Control/Impulsivity
 Cognitive style problem
Forensic Psychology
18
Analysis of Studies
 Concrete thinking versus abstract thinking
 Conceptual rigidity
 Problematic interpersonal skills
 Ego centric
 Value system.
Forensic Psychology
19
Critique of Hare Psychopathy Checklist
Millon et al.
 Gunn – “psychopathic” synonymous with “bad”
- law sees psychopaths as “bad” rather than
“mad”.
Concept of labeling – feels psychopathy is a
moral term and serves as a trigger for rejection in
terms of treatment, etc.
Forensic Psychology
20
Critique of Hare Psychopathy Checklist
 Miller (1991) – labels and diagnosis as “social
prescriptions”.
 Toch - Psychopathy is a pejorative label and is
subjective – aimed at incapacitation of offenders.
Psychopathy highlights personality traits but
does not facilitate understanding of those traits.
Forensic Psychology
21