Browsing by Subject "heterogeenisyys"

Aims. Previously psychopathy has been regarded as a homogenous and categorical personality disorder that cannot be treated. However, recent findings have suggested that psychopathy may be both a heterogenous and dimensional phenomenon. Several studies have found at least two subtypes, out of which primary and secondary psychopathy are the most prevalent. These two subtypes seem to manifest on their own, partly overlapping dimensions. The aim of this review was to evaluate the reliability of the evidence on heterogeneity of psychopathy and the model of two different subtypes, the core traits of psychopathy, and the differences in traits and etiology between the subtypes. Methods. The review is based on literature found from the Google Scholar database by searching for the term ”psychopathy” in connection with the words ”subtypes”, ”primary”, ” secondary”, ”heterogeneity”, ”variants” and ”treatment”. Conclusions. The evidence on the heterogeneity of psychopathy and the model of two different subtypes is strong. The reviewed studies suggest that callousness and lack of empathy are the core traits of psychopathy. Additional core traits of the primary subtype were low negative affect, high positive affect, few internalizing symptoms, higher control and high trait boldness and fearlessness. The distinctive traits of the secondary subtype were high negative affect, low positive affect, high impulsivity, lack of self-control, high internalizing symptoms and neuroticism. As both subtypes seem to have very distinct traits, the treatability of psychopathy may depend on the subtype which should be taken into consideration when developing and researching treatment methods. Research on psychopathy has mostly been conducted on samples of Western white men and therefore it is uncertain if psychopathy manifests in a similar way in different populations. Hence psychopathy and its subtypes require more research on differing populations.