Psychopathy is an important clinical and forensic psychopathology construct; however, its optimal conceptualization continues to be a source of significant controversy. The Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP; Cooke, Hart, Logan, & Michie, 2012) considers 33 personality traits that integrate historical and contemporary conceptualizations of the disorder. The current study examined the internal structure of self-ratings the CAPP traits in a large international sample of community-dwelling participants (N = 719; 52% women). Results indicated that a bi-factor (one general factor, three residual bi-factors) model representing global psychopathy, as well as residual factors of boldness/emotional stability, emotional detachment, and disinhibition, best fit the data. Associations with nine additional self-rated items revealed a generally expected pattern of convergent and discriminant validity. Finally, a Spearman rank-order correlation between CAPP item loadings on the global psychopathy factor and prototypicality ratings by experts (Kreis, Cooke, Michie, Hoff, & Logan, 2012) was .76, reflecting substantial content validity as well as agreement about relative importance of psychopathy traits using widely different conceptual and empirical procedures.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AllportG. W., &OdbertH. S. (1936). Trait-names: A psycho-lexical study. Psychological Monographs, 47, i–171.
2.
ChenF. F. (2007). Sensitivity of goodness of fit indexes to lack of measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 14, 464–504. doi: 10.1080/10705510701301834
3.
CheungG. W.RensvoldR. B. (2002). Evaluating goodness-of-fit indexes for testing measurement invariance. Structural Equation Modeling, 9, 233–255. doi: 10.1207/S15328007SEM0902_5
4.
CleckleyH. (1988). The mask of sanity: An attempt to clarify some issues about the so-called psychopathic personality. St. Louis, MO: C.V. Mosby Co.
5.
CookeD. J. (November). Psychopathy: Capturing an elusive concept. Keynote Address presented at the 2nd Bergen Conference on the Treatment of Psychopathy, Bergen, Norway.
CookeD. J.HartS. D.LoganC., &MichieC. (2012). Explicating the construct of psychopathy: Development and validation of a conceptual model, the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP). International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 11, 242–252. doi: 10.1080/14999013.2012.746759
8.
CookeD. J., &MichieC. (2001). Refining the construct of psychopathy: towards a hierarchical model. Psychological Assessment, 13, 171–188. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.13.2.171
9.
CookeD. J.MichieC.HartS. D. (2006). Facets of clinical psychopathy: Toward clearer measurement. In PatrickC. J. (Ed.), Handbook of psychopathy (pp. 91–106). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
10.
DrislaneL. E.PatrickC. J.SouranderA.SillanmäkiL.AggenS. H.ElonheimoH., &KendlerK. S. (2014). Distinct variants of extreme psychopathic Individuals in society at large: Evidence from a population-based sample. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 5(2), 154–163. Doi: 10.1037/per0000060
11.
FewL. R.MillerJ. D., &LynamD. R. (2013). An examination of the factor structure of the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 4, 247–253. doi: 10.1037/per0000016
12.
FlórezG.CasasA.KreisM. K.FortiL.MartínezJ.FernándezJ.CookeD. J. (press). A prototypicality validation of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) model Spanish version. Journal of Personality Disorders.
13.
HallJ. R.BenningS. D.PatrickC. J. (2004). Criterion-related validity of the three-factor model of psychopathy personality, behavior, and adaptive functioning. Assessment, 11, 4–16. doi: 10.1177/1073191103261466
14.
HareR. D. (1996). Psychopathy: a clinical construct whose time has come. Criminal Justice and Behavior, 23, 25–54. doi: 10.1177/0093854896023001004
15.
HareR. D. (2003). Manual for the Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (2nd ed.). Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems.
16.
HareR. D.NeumannC. S. (2008). Psychopathy as a clinical and empirical construct. Annual Review of Clinical Psychology, 4, 217–246. doi: 10.1146/annurev.clinpsy.3.022806.091452
17.
HareR. D.NeumannC. S. (2010). The role of antisociality in the psychopathy construct: comment on Skeem and Cooke (2010). Psychological Assessment, 22, 446–454. doi: 10.1037/a0013635
18.
HarpurT. J.HareR. D., &HakstianA. R. (1989). Two-factor conceptualization of psychopathy: Construct validity and assessment implications. Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 1, 6–17. doi: 10.1037/1040-3590.1.1.6
19.
HoffH. A.RypdalK.MykletunA.CookeD. J. (2012). A prototypicality validation of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality model (CAPP). Journal of Personality Disorders, 26, 414–427. doi: 10.1521/pedi.2012.26.3.414
20.
KreisM. K.CookeD. J. (2011). Capturing the psychopathic female: A prototypicality analysis of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) across gender. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 29, 634–648. doi: 10.1002/bsl.1003
21.
KreisM. K.CookeD. J.MichieC.HoffH. A.LoganC. (2012). The Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP): content validation using prototypical analysis. Journal of Personality Disorders, 26, 402–413. doi: 10.1521/pedi.2012.26.3.402
22.
LilienfeldS. O. (1994). Conceptual problems in the assessment of psychopathy. Clinical Psychological Review, 14, 17–38. doi: 10.1016/0272-7358(94)90046-9
23.
LilienfeldS. O.PatrickC. J.BenningS. D.BergJ.SellbomM., &EdensJ. F. (2012). The role of fearless dominance in psychopathy: Confusions, controversies, and clarifications. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 3, 327–340. doi: 10.1037/a0026987
24.
LynamD. R.MillerJ. D. (press). Psychopathy from a basic trait perspective: The utility of a five-factor model approach. Journal of Personality.
25.
LynamD. R.GaughanE. T.MillerJ. D.MillerD. J.Mullins-SweattS., &WidigerT. A. (2011). Assessing the basic traits associated with psychopathy: Development and validation of the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment. Psychological Assessment, 23(1), 108–124. doi: 10.1037/a0021146
26.
MillerJ. D.JonesS. E., &LynamD. R. (2011). Psychopathic traits from the perspective of self and informant reports: Is there evidence for a lack of insight?. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 120, 758–764. doi: 10.1037/a0022477
27.
MillerJ. D., &LynamD. R. (2012). An examination of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory's nomological network: a meta-analytic review. Personality Disorders: Theory, Research, and Treatment, 3, 305–326. doi: 10.1037/a0024567
28.
MillerJ. D., &LynamD. R. (2015). Understanding psychopathy using the basic elements of personality. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 9, 223–237. doi: 10.1111/spc3.12170
29.
MillerJ. D.LynamD. R.WidigerT. A., &LeukenfeldC. (2001). Personality disorders as extreme variants of common personality dimensions: Can the Five-Factor Model adequately represent psychopathy?Journal of Personality, 69, 253–276. doi: 10.1111/1467-6494.00144
30.
MuthénL.MuthénB. (2014). Mplus version 7.3. Los Angeles, CA: Statmodel
31.
NealT. M.SellbomM. (2012). Examining the factor structure of the hare self-report psychopathy scale. Journal of Personality Assessment, 94, 244–253. doi: 10.1080/00223891.2011.648294
PatrickC. J.FowlesD. C.KruegerR. F. (2009). Triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy: Developmental origins of disinhibition, boldness, and meanness. Development and Psychopathology, 21, 913–938. doi: 10.1017/S0954579409000492
34.
PatrickC. J.HicksB. M.NicholP. E.KruegerR. F. (2007). A bifactor approach to modeling the structure of the psychopathy checklist-revised. Journal of Personality Disorders, 21, 118–141. doi: 10.1521/pedi.2007.21.2.118
35.
PaulhusD. L.NeumannC. S.HareR. D. (press). Manual for the Hare Self-Report Psychopathy scale. Toronto, Canada: Multi-Health Systems.
36.
PedersenL.KunzC.RasmussenK., &ElsassP. (2010). Psychopathy as a risk factor for violent recidivism: Investigating the Psychopathy Checklist Screening Version (PCL:SV) and the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) in a forensic psychiatric setting. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 9, 308–315. doi: 10.1080/14999013.2010.526681
37.
PolaschekD. L. (press). (Mis)understanding psychopathy: Consequences for policy and practice with offenders. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law.
38.
PoythressN. G.HallJ. R. (2011). Psychopathy and impulsivity reconsidered. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16, 120–134. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2011.02.003
39.
SandvikA. M.HansenA. L.KristensenM. V.JohnsenB. H.LoganC.ThorntonD. (2012). Assessment of Psychopathy: Inter-correlations between Psychopathy Checklist Revised, Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality–Institutional Rating Scale, and Self-Report of Psychopathy Scale–III. International Journal of Forensic Mental Health, 11, 280–288. doi: 10.1080/14999013.2012.746756
40.
SaucierG.GoldbergL. R. (2001). Lexical studies of indigenous personality factors: Premises, products, and prospects. Journal of Personality, 69, 847–879. doi: 10.1111/1467-6494.696167
41.
SellbomM. (2011). Elaborating on the construct validity of the Levenson Self-Report Psychopathy Scale in incarcerated and non-incarcerated samples. Law and Human Behavior, 35, 440–451. doi: 10.1007/s10979-010-9249-x
42.
SellbomM.LilienfeldS. O.FowlerK.McCraryK. L. (press). Self-report assessment of psychopathy: Challenges, pitfalls, and promises. To appear in PatrickC. J. (Ed.), Handbook of psychopathy (2nd ed). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
43.
SellbomM.PhillipsT. R. (2013). An examination of the triarchic conceptualization of psychopathy in incarcerated and non-incarcerated samples. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 122, 208–214. doi: 10.1037/a0029306
44.
SkeemJ. L.CookeD. J. (2010). Is criminal behavior a central component of psychopathy? Conceptual directions for resolving the debate. Psychological Assessment, 22, 433–445. doi: 10.1037/a0008512
45.
SkeemJ. L.PolaschekD. L.PatrickC. J.LilienfeldS. O. (2011). Psychopathic personality bridging the gap between scientific evidence and public policy. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 12, 95–162. doi: 10.1177/1529100611426706
46.
SörmanK.EdensJ. F.SmithS. T.SvenssonO.HownerK.KristianssonM.FischerH. (2014). Forensic mental health professionals' perceptions of psychopathy: A prototypicality analysis of the comprehensive assessment of psychopathic personality in sweden. Law and Human Behavior, 38, 405–417. doi: 10.1037/lhb0000072
47.
WattsA. L.LilienfeldS. O.EdensJ. F.DouglasK. S.SkeemJ. L.VerschuereB.LoPilatoA. C. (press). Does response distortion statistically affect the relations between self-report psychopathy measures and external criteria?Psychological Assessment.
48.
WhiteS. F.FrickP. J. (2010). Callous-unemotional traits and their importance to causal models of severe antisocial behavior in youth. In SalekinR.T.LynamD.R. (Eds.), Handbook of child and adolescent psychopathy (pp. 135–155). New York, NY: Guilford Press.
