The P-psychopathy continuum: facets of psychoticism and their associations with psychopathic tendencies

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Heym, N. ORCID: 0000-0003-2414-8854, Ferguson, E. and Lawrence, C., 2013. The P-psychopathy continuum: facets of psychoticism and their associations with psychopathic tendencies. Personality and Individual Differences, 54 (6), pp. 773-778. ISSN 0191-8869

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Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2012.12.001

Abstract

Eysenck proposed that psychopathy is at the extreme end of the Psychoticism (P) personality dimension (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1976). This study examined (i) whether psychopathy-relevant P items of the EPQ-R can form psychometrically valid facets that map onto the conceptualization of the two-, three- or four-factor models of psychopathy using confirmatory factor analysis (N=577) in a normal population; and (ii) whether those P-facets have criteria-related validity in associations with self-reported primary and secondary psychopathy, impulsivity (subsample N=306), and measures of trait empathy and aggression (subsample N=212). The four-factor model incorporating affective, interpersonal, impulsive, and antisocial facets of P was superior to the two-factor model; however, the three-factor conceptualization excluding the antisocial P-facet was the best fit. The facets show predicted divergent associations with primary and secondary self-reported psychopathy and trait measures. Findings are discussed in light of Eysenck’s P-psychopathy continuity hypothesis and the applicability of facet approaches to the prediction of psychopathic and antisocial tendencies.

Item Type:

Journal article

Publication Title:

Personality and Individual Differences

Creators:

Heym, N., Ferguson, E. and Lawrence, C.

Publisher:

Pergamon Press

Place of Publication:

Oxford

Date:

2013