The subtypes of psychopathy and their relationship to hostile and instrumental aggression

162 Pages·2015·0.47 MB·English

UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff SSoouutthh FFlloorriiddaa
DDiiggiittaall CCoommmmoonnss @@ UUnniivveerrssiittyy ooff
SSoouutthh FFlloorriiddaa
USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations USF Graduate Theses and Dissertations
10-24-2004
TThhee SSuubbttyyppeess ooff PPssyycchhooppaatthhyy aanndd TThheeiirr RReellaattiioonnsshhiipp ttoo HHoossttiillee
aanndd IInnssttrruummeennttaall AAggggrreessssiioonn
Diana M. Falkenbach
University of South Florida
Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd
Part of the American Studies Commons
SScchhoollaarr CCoommmmoonnss CCiittaattiioonn
Falkenbach, Diana M., "The Subtypes of Psychopathy and Their Relationship to Hostile and Instrumental
Aggression" (2004). USF Tampa Graduate Theses and Dissertations.
https://digitalcommons.usf.edu/etd/1028
This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the USF Graduate Theses and Dissertations at
Digital Commons @ University of South Florida. It has been accepted for inclusion in USF Tampa Graduate Theses
and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ University of South Florida. For more
information, please contact [email protected].
The Subtypes of Psychopathy and Their Relationship to Hostile and Instrumental
Aggression.

by

Diana M. Falkenbach

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment
of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Philosophy
Department of Psychology
College of Arts and Sciences
University of South Florida

Co-Major Professor: Norman Poythress, Ph.D.
Co-Major Professor: James Epps, Ph.D.
Cythia Cimino, Ph.D
Kevin Thompson, Ph.D
Paul Spector, Ph.D

Paul Stiles, Ph.D

Date of Approval:
October 28, 2004

Keywords: Antisocial Personality Disorder, violence, Sub-types, Cluster Anlysis

© Copyright 2004, Diana M. Falkenbach
i
DEDICATION
Finishing this dissertation would not have been possible without the loving support of so
many people. Essentially, I dedicate this dissertation to those who have read it – all my
editors:
To my mom and dad - who showed me how to love and live life to the fullest, told me I
could be anything and do anything I wanted to, and have provided endless support in all
areas of my life.
To my Dad who, despite my constant argumentativeness as a kid, is my hero. He
taught me resolve and determination, and most of all how to think for myself. Thanks,
Daddy. You're the best!
To my Mom- my friend, therapist, assistant, and so much more - who gave me the
beautiful, loving, open and trusting model of life that I live to this day. She is the
"wind beneath [all of our] wings". Mom, you are there for everyone, everyday. I
love you.
To my sister Joanna-who always makes me feel connected to family even when I am far
away (physically and mentally). Jo, your constant smile and unconditional love always
brings joy to my life.
To my niece Delaney, whose scribbles on my drafts kept me from taking everything too
seriously, and who, as an infant, kept me company through long hours of writing.
To Mama and Papa-who have always been my biggest fans. Mama, though Papa has
passed on, the footprint you both left on my life is forever enduring.
To all my friends – who just never stopped giving of themselves in countless ways and
who put up with all my craziness. Your friendships make me the luckiest person alive!
Finally to Scott –Whose unfailing support and belief in me got me through the many
stages of grad school and this dissertation. Scott, you truly bring out the best in me in all
I do. You have gone through a very tough time with me and carried most of the burden.
Despite that, you remain my sun on a cloudy day. You are there for me all the times when
I need you. You are my best friend, and so much more!
Today I finally join real life again with all of you. THANK YOU SO
MUCH!
ii
TABLE OF CONTENTS

List of Tables iv
List of Figures v

Abstract vi

Introduction 1
Review of the Literature 2
Psychopathy 2
Antisocial Personality Disorder and Psychopathy 2
Definition of Psychopathy and Correlates 5
PCL-R 8
Factors of Psychopathy 9
Subtypes 9
History of Subtypes 10
Karpman 11
Lykken 11
Research on Subtypes and Cluster Analyses 15
Haapasalo & Pulkkinen. 15
Alterman, et al., 1998 16
Cluster Analysis Conclusions. 18
Subtypes-Factors Distinction and Correlates 18
Learning 20
Fear and Anxiety 21
BAS/BIS 24
Implications for Subtyping 27
Aggression 28
The Development of Aggressive Behavior 29
Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis 29
i
Social Learning Theory 31
Hostile (Reactive) and Instrumental Aggression 32
Psychopathy and Aggression Overlap 34
PCL-R Factor Scores and Violence and Aggression 36
Instrumental Versus Hostile Aggression Questions 37
Interaction Between Psychopathy Type and Aggression Type 40
The Assessment of Psychopathy in Non-Institutionalized Samples 42
Self Report Measures 42
Studies of Psychopathy Using Non-Institutionalized Samples 43
Current Study 45
Hypotheses 48
Cluster Analysis 48
Aggression Hypotheses 49
Methods 50
Participants 50
Measures 51
Predictor and Clustering Measures 51
Levenson’s Psychopathy Scale 51
Behavioral Inhibition System/Behavioral Activation System Scales 52
State-Trait Anxiety Inventory 53
Validation Measures 53
Aggression Questionnaire 53
Aggressive Incidents Coding Form 54
Psychopathic Personality Inventory 55
Procedures 56
Analysis 58
Cluster Analysis 58
Aggression Analyses 62
Results 64
ii
Preliminary Analyses 65
Validity 65
Scale Descriptions 66
Correlation Analyses 67
Aggression 69
Aggression Coding 69
Primary Analyses 71
Cluster Analyses 71
Aggression Analyses 78
Discussion 81
Primary Psychopathic Traits Group 83
Secondary Psychopathic Traits Group 86
Clusters Conclusions 89
Aggression 90
Limitations and Future Research 93
Measurement Issues 93
Other Issues 95
References 97
Appendicies 116
Appendix A: Demographics 117
Appendix B: LPS 118
Appendix C: BIS/BAS Scales 121
Appendix D: STAI 124
Appendix E: Aggression Questionnaire 127
Appendix F: Aggressive Incidents Report form and Coding Form 129
Appendix G: PPI 139
About the Author 152
iii
LIST OF TABLES

Table 1 Comparisons of APD, Cleckley’s Psychopathy Criteria and PCL-R Items 4
Table 2 Three Clusters Derived by Haapasalo & Pulkkinen, (1992) 16
Table 3 Clusters Revealed by Alterman et al. (1998) 18
Table 4 Subscales of the PPI 56
Table 5 Model-based Clustering Criteria with Corresponding Assumptions 61
Table 6 Pearson Correlations Between all Measures 66
Table 7 Mean, Standard Deviations, and Ranges on Measures 67
Table 8 Zero Order and Partial Correlation, and Differences between Correlations 68
Table 9 AWE Values for Alternative Cluster Models 72
Table 10 Difference Between the Clusters on Clustering Variables 74
Table 11 Demographic Characteristics of Four Clusters 76
Table 12 Differences Between the Clusters on Aggression 78

iv
LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 1 Lykken’s Antisocial Personalities (1995) 13

Figure 2 Profiles of the three main proposed clusters of psychopathy 48

Figure 3 Mean Z-Scores for Four Clusters 75

Figure 4 Proportions of Instrumental Versus Reactive Aggression for Psychopathic
Trait Groups 80
v
The Subtypes of Psychopathy and Their Relationship to
Hostile and Instrumental Aggression

Diana M. Falkenbach

ABSTRACT

Psychopathy is not a diagnostic category, however theories of psychopathy have
been discussed throughout psychological history. While the construct of psychopathy is
associated with important psychological outcomes, there are inconsistencies in the
literature with regard to correlates, etiology and treatment. These inconsistencies suggest
that there may be several subtypes of psychopathy. This paper discusses the
heterogeneity of psychopathy and considers the existence of psychopathic traits in
nonclinical populations. Measures of etiology (Behavioral Activation System and
Behavioral Inhibition System; Gray, 1985), psychopathy (Levenson’s psychopathy
measure; Levenson, Keihl, & Fitzpatrick, 1995) and anxiety (State Trait Anxiety
Inventory; Speilberger, Gorsuch & Lushene, 1970) were used in Model based cluster
analysis to investigate the existence of subtypes analogous to primary and secondary psychopathy
in college students. Four clusters emerged with cluster profiles differing in theoretically coherent
ways. Two of the clusters were representative of subclinical primary and secondary psychopathy
and the other two represented non-psychopathic groups. Research (Buss, 1961, Dodge, 1991)
regarding aggression discriminates between two types of aggression: instrumental and
vi
hostile. The current study considered whether the subjects in clusters created by
psychopathy data differ in terms of the types of aggression used. As expected, the
Psychopathic Ttraits groups used more aggression than the Non-psychopathic Traits groups, and
the Primary Psychopathic Traits group used more instrumental aggression than the Secondary
Psychopathic Traits group. Overall, these results support the existence of subclinical subtypes of
psychopathy that resemble, in meaningful ways, hypothetical clinical variants. The results also
suggest that subtyping may have clinical and forensic utility in risk assessment.
vii