CONCEPTUAL PROBLEMS IN THE ASSESSMENT OF PSYCHOPATHY

Research on psychopathy has been hindered by a lack of consensus concerning which measures to employ, as well as low levels of agreement among these measures. These problems appear to stem largely from a fundamental disagreement regarding the conceptualization of the syndrome itself. Two approaches to the conceptualization of psychopathy, personality-based (''open'') and behavior-based (''closed''), are compared. Although some evidence suggests that the behavior-based approach is both under- and overinclusive, this evidence is based upon relatively few studies, some of which suffer from methodological inadequacies. The two-factor model provides a potentially important vehicle for the conceptualization and assessment of psychopathy, although it leaves several important questions unanswered. Comparative construct validity studies of the two approaches will be essential for resolving the debate concerning the conceptualization of psychopathy. Other unresolved conceptual issues in the assessment of psychopathy include (a) the role of negative affectivity, (b) the distinction between fearfulness and anxiety, (c) the dimensional versus categorical nature of psychopathy, (d) the covariation between psychopathy and other personality disorders, and (e) the validity of psychopaths' self-reports. Researchers will need to develop measures of the personality-based approach that are uncontaminated by antisocial behaviors, and to make the nomological network surrounding the behavior-based approach explicit.