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

173 Pages·2015·0.48 MB·English

by  Maryann Stone

East Tennessee State University
Digital Commons @ East
Tennessee State University
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5-2008
Predicting Behavior from Psychopathic and
Antisocial Personality Traits in a Student Sample.
Maryann Stone
East Tennessee State University
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Teses and Dissertations. Paper 1940. htps://dc.etsu.edu/etd/1940
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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.
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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,
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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.
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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
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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
Lack of Remorse or Guilt .........................................................................81
Shallow Affect ..........................................................................................82
Callous or Lacking in Empathy ................................................................83
Parasitic Lifestyle ......................................................................................83
Poor Behavioral Controls ..........................................................................83
Promiscuous Sexual Behavior ..................................................................83
Early Behavior Problems ..........................................................................84
Lack of Realistic, Long-Term Goals ........................................................84
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Impulsivity ................................................................................................84
Irresponsibility ..........................................................................................85
Failure to Accept Responsibility for Own Actions ...................................85
Many Short-Term Marital Relationships ..................................................85
Juvenile Delinquency ................................................................................86
Revocation of Conditional Release ...........................................................86
Criminal Versatility ..................................................................................86
Reliability ........................................................................................................87
Antisocial Personality Traits ...........................................................................87
Antisocial Behaviors........................................................................................88
Variables ...............................................................................................................89
Dependent .......................................................................................................89
Independent .....................................................................................................89
Analyses ................................................................................................................91
Hypotheses ......................................................................................................91
Bivariate Statistics ..........................................................................................92
Multivariate Statistics .....................................................................................92
Summary ...............................................................................................................94
4. RESULTS ..................................................................................................................95
Univariate Description of Sample .........................................................................96
Frequencies .....................................................................................................96
Descriptives .....................................................................................................97
Reliability ........................................................................................................99
Scale Development ...............................................................................................102
Dimensions of Psychopathy ............................................................................102
Dimensions of Antisocial Personality .............................................................103
Behavioral Outcome Measures .......................................................................104
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Bivariate Analysis .................................................................................................104
Correlation ......................................................................................................104
Independent-Samples t-Tests ..........................................................................107
ANOVA ..........................................................................................................109
Multivariate Analysis ............................................................................................112
Multiple Regression ........................................................................................112
5. DISCUSSION ...........................................................................................................120
Methodology .........................................................................................................121
Limitations ............................................................................................................122
Findings .................................................................................................................126
Implications ...........................................................................................................132
The Personality of School Shootings ..............................................................133
Common Themes in Writings ...................................................................140
Rejection ...................................................................................................141
Involvement in a Criminal or Deviant Lifestyle .......................................141
Preventing Similar Incidents .................................................................................142
Treating a Psychopath .....................................................................................143
Identifying Traits and Using Them to Intervene ...................................................148
Future Research ....................................................................................................149
REFERENCES .................................................................................................................151
APPENDIX ....................................................................................................................161
Data Collection Instrument ...................................................................................161
VITA ....................................................................................................................171
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LIST OF TABLES
Page
Table
1. Factor 1: Selfish, Callous, and Remorseless Use of Others ......................................40
2. Factor 2: Chronically Unstable, Antisocial, and Socially Deviant Lifestyle ............40
3. Items in the Psychopathic Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) ............................................79
4. Frequencies ...............................................................................................................96
5. Descriptive Statistics for Components ......................................................................98
6. Reliability of Items on the Original PCL-R Measuring Psychopathic
Characteristics ...........................................................................................................99
7. Reliability of Items Measuring Other Antisocial Personality Traits ........................100
8. Reliability of Items Measuring Antisocial Behaviors ...............................................101
9. Reliability of Factors Determined from Factor Analysis ..........................................102
10. Pearson Correlation Matrix of Factors ......................................................................105
11. Pearson Correlation Matrix of Scales .......................................................................107
12. t-Test Comparison of Means of Psychopathy, Antisocial Personality, and
Behavior by Gender ...................................................................................................108
13. One-way ANOVA Comparison of Means of Scales by Living Arrangements ........111
14. One-way ANOVA Comparison of Means of Scales by Marital Status ....................111
15. One-way ANOVA Comparison of Means of Scales by Relationship Status ...........111
16. Multiple Regression Analysis of Criminal or Deviant Lifestyle ..............................113
17. Multiple Regression Analysis of Suicidal Ideation ..................................................114
18. Multiple Regression Analysis of College Lifestyle ..................................................115
19. Multiple Regression Analysis of Seeking Revenge on Persecutors .........................116
20. Multiple Regression Analysis of Behavior (scale) ...................................................117
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