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Predicting Behavior from Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Traits in a Student Sample

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Predicting Behavior from Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Traits in a Student Sample East Tennessee State University Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University Electronic Theses and Dissertations Student Works 5-2008 Predicting Behavior from Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Traits in a Student Sample. Maryann Stone East Tennessee State University Follow this and additional works at: https://dc.etsu.edu/etd Part of the Personality and Social Contexts Commons Recommended Citation Stone, Maryann, "Predicting Behavior from Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Traits in a Student Sample." (2008). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. Paper 1940. https://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1940 This Thesis - Open Access is brought to you for free and open access by the Student Works at Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Predicting Behavior from Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Traits in a Student Sample _____________________ A thesis presented to the faculty of the Department of Criminal Justice and Criminology East Tennessee State University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts in Criminal Justice and Criminology _____________________ by Maryann Stone May 2008 _____________________ Wayne Gillespie, Ph.D., Chair Steven Ellwanger, Ph.D. John Whitehead, Ph.D. Keywords: Psychopathy, Antisocial Personality, Behavior ABSTRACT Predicting Behavior from Psychopathic and Antisocial Personality Traits in a Student Sample by Maryann Stone Psychopathic personality is associated with a myriad of social and behavioral problems including violence, criminal activity, and overall failure to conform to social standards. In this study, psychopathic and antisocial personality traits are measured in a sample of college students via self-report surveys using questions derived from Hare’s Psychopathic Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; 1991). Reliability and factor analyses were used to validate the inventory and create factor-based indices that were used to predict antisocial behavioral outcomes including violence, seeking revenge on persecutors, and suicidal ideation, in addition to other analogous and deviant behaviors. Findings showed a relationship between personality and behavior indicating that characteristics of one’s personality may aid in the prediction and prevention of deviant behaviors. Implications for public policy, including the identification of traits that may be related to the propensity for such behaviors, are reviewed in the context of school shootings such as the incident at Columbine High School. 2 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS While this process feels like it has taken quite a long time to complete, the past two years have gone by extremely fast. There are several people whom I would like to thank, knowing that without them I would not be where I am today, nor would this experience have had such a profound impact on my life. First, I would like to thank my family—Mom, Dad, and Robby—for their unending and unconditional love and support. You have continued to believe in me and have given me endless encouragement, which has given me the strength and ability to achieve my goals and become the person that I am today. I love you with all my heart. I would not have been able to make it through this program if it had not been for meeting some very special friends. Kat, I am so lucky to have met such a good friend—it seems like we have known each other forever. I will forever cherish our five-minute phone calls that always turn into two-hour venting sessions! Thanks for always listening and assuring me that I would make it through. Wherever we end up in our lives, I know that we will remain the best of friends. To my other CJGAs, the experience of graduate school would not have been half of what it has been had I not had your support, friendship, and entertainment in the office. Our study sessions have been invaluable in more ways than one, and all the time in the office has been more than educational, to say the least! You all have kept me smiling and laughing through it all. I will forever be indebted to my committee members. I would like to express my extreme gratitude to Dr. Gillespie. You have been a wonderful professor, mentor, and friend. I appreciate all of your time, support, and help that you have put into this project, 3 as well as the patience and guidance you have expressed. You have helped me to grow both academically and as a person, and I will forever be grateful. Dr. Ellwanger, thank you for your vast amounts of help and expertise. I have learned a lot by completing this project and would likely not have gotten through it without your invaluable insight. Dr. Whitehead, I would also like to thank you for all of your help, not only on this project, but during the past two years as well. Your kind demeanor inspires and motivates others to be the best they can be. 4 CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................2 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS ................................................................................................3 LIST OF TABLES ............................................................................................................9 Chapter 1. INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................................10 Terminology...........................................................................................................12 Current Study ........................................................................................................16 Purpose ............................................................................................................16 Study Design ...................................................................................................18 Demographics .................................................................................................20 Objectives .......................................................................................................21 Limitations ......................................................................................................21 2. LITERATURE REVIEW ..........................................................................................23 Origins of Psychopathy..........................................................................................24 Personality and Behavior .......................................................................................30 Diagnosis ...............................................................................................................37 The PCL-R—The Gold Standard of Diagnosis ..............................................39 The Common Perception of the Psychopath .........................................................41 Sanity ....................................................................................................................44 Gender Differences ...............................................................................................45 Divergence from the Norms of Society ................................................................52 Subtypes of Psychopathy ......................................................................................53 The Subcriminal Psychopathy ..............................................................................57 5 Research on Student and Noncriminal Samples ...................................................61 Characteristics Associated with School Shootings ...............................................64 The Four-Pronged Assessment Model ............................................................66 Warning Signs .................................................................................................66 Prong One .................................................................................................67 Prong Two .................................................................................................68 Prong Three ...............................................................................................68 Prong Four ................................................................................................69 Summary ...............................................................................................................72 3. METHODOLOGY ...................................................................................................74 Participants ............................................................................................................74 Measures ...............................................................................................................77 Demographics .................................................................................................77 Psychopathic Characteristics ..........................................................................77 Glibness and Superficial Charm ...............................................................79 Grandiose Sense of Self-Worth ................................................................80 Need for Stimulation and Proneness to Boredom .....................................80 Pathological Lying ....................................................................................81 Conning and Manipulative ........................................................................81
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