The Relationship between Psychoticism, Empathy and Aggression

Nadja Heym* & Claire Lawrence

RASPH – Risk Analysis Social Processes and Health

School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, England

lpyvnh@psychology.nottingham.ac.uk

13th Biennial Meeting of the

International Society for the Study of Individual Differences

22nd - 27th July 2007

KEYPOINTS

-> This study examined the relationship between Psychoticism (P) and its lower order facets empathy and aggression.

-> The relationship between affective and cognitive empathy in personality.

-> The role of these associations in psychopathology - specifically in psychopathy.

Psychoticism P plays an important role in abnormal and criminal behaviour

less is known of P’s role in cognitions and emotions in normal populations

Figure 1.1. Representation of the Continuity theory (taken from Eysenck, 1992)

Psychoticism and Psychopathy

Hare et al. (1990): 2 major clusters of psychopathic behaviour:

1. affective-interpersonal style 2. behavioural style

- poor positive and negative affect,

- superficially charming, glibness,

- callous, deceitful and manipulative,

- egocentric, selfish

- no remorse, guilt or empathy

Factor 1: emotional detachment

-> primary psychopathy

- unstable and antisocial behaviour,

- poor behavioural control, impulsive

- parasitic lifestyle,

- lack of long-term goals

- aggressive, can be violent

Factor 2: antisocial behaviour

-> secondary psychopathy

Empathy

Lack of empathy is a central concept in psychopathic populations (McGuire, 1995).

-> Empathy is a multidimensional construct comprising:

Perspective taking - cognitive component

Empathic concern - affective component

Lack in cognitive empathy associated with criminal and violent populations (Joliffe & Farrington, 2004)

Lack in affective empathy associated with P (e.g. Eysenck & Eysenck, 1980; Eysenck & McGurk, 1980)

Aims

-> This study examined whether there are similar patterns of relationships at the lower levels of the Psychoticism spectrum – i.e. within the “normal” population - to those found in criminal psychopathic populations

… by looking at the role of Empathy in P and its subfacets

… specifically the influence of affective and cognitive

components of Empathy on the relationship between

personality and aggression

Methodology

-> Longitudinal Design with 6 mos follow-up

Participants:T1: - 212 students from UoN (mean age =21.63; SD=4.02)

- 134 females, 78 males

T2: - 94 students, 60 females, 34 males (mean age = 22.49; SD=4.52)

Measures:

- EPQ-R (Eysenck, Eysenck & Barrett, 1985);

- BIS (Carver & White, 1994) – (T1 only)

- Impulsivity (TCI, recklessness, Goldberg, 2006)

- BPAQ (Buss & Perry, 1992)- PT and EC scales of IRI (Davis, 1983)

for empathic concern and perspective taking1 interesting patterns emerged:

- EC was only associated with P and BIS, but not IMP or Aggression- PT showed the opposite pattern

- BIS and EC correlated at T1, but not at T2

- EC1 and EC2 correlated with Physical Aggression at T2, but not T1

- PT correlated with PA, VA and Overall Aggression at T1, but not at T2

* p<.05 / **p<.001

PT and BIS are reversed scored after SQRT transformations

Results 1 - Correlations

Results 2 - Mediation

-> Is the link between BIS and EC due to P?The relationship between BIS and EC becomes non-significant when P is taken into account (p=.303).

BIS is reversed scored

Results 3 - Mediation

-> Is the link between EC and PA due to P?

The relationship between EC and Physical Aggression

becomes non-significant when P is taken into account

(p=.132).

Results 4-> Is the link between Imp and OVAG due to PT?

The relationship between Impulsivity and overall aggression becomes non-significant when PT is taken into account (p=.311)

PT scale is reversed scored

Discussion

-> An interesting pattern emerged for the relationship between personality, empathy and aggression mirroring the two clusters of Psychopathy:

In the normal population, affective empathy (EC) was linked to core personality dimensions (P and BIS) as motivational and affective personality variables (akin to primary psychopathy).

Deficits in emotional empathy associated with psychopathy (review by Blair,

2005) and P (Eysenck & Eysenck, 1980)

Cognitive empathy (PT) was only linked to impulsivity and trait aggression (akin to secondary psychopathy)

Deficits in cognitive empathy in criminal populations are established (review by Jolliffe & Farrington; 2004)

Discussion

-> Cognitive and affective empathy play different roles in the link between personality and aggression

Results of the Mediation Analyses suggest that:

- lack of affective empathy in high P is not due to the lack of fear or anxiety in primary Psychopathy

- Lack of affective empathy alone does not necessitate increased physical or instrumental aggression in primary psychopathy, the relationship is rather fully mediated by the core personality dimension P

- Lack of cognitive empathy may play an important role in impulsive aggression associated with secondary psychopathy

Implications 1

First, using a differentiating approach of empathic concern and perspective taking in their specific relation to personality and behaviour in a normal population, two clear patterns emerged that conceptually mirror the two-factor structure of psychopathy.

-> This highlights the importance of differentiating between cognitive and affective aspects of empathy when evaluating aggressive and antisocial behaviour.

Implications 2

Second, there are implications for prevention and intervention programs for criminal populations.

-> Increasing perspective taking may decreaseimpulsive aggression in criminal populations but only for secondary psychopathy!

-> However, the pattern of aggression linked to highPsychoticism and primary Psychopathy mightunderlie other deficits (e.g. lack of fear).

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The Relationship between Psychoticism, Empathy and Aggression

Nadja Heym* & Claire Lawrence

RASPH – Risk Analysis Social Processes and Health

School of Psychology, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, England

lpyvnh@psychology.nottingham.ac.uk

13th Biennial Meeting of the

International Society for the Study of Individual Differences

22nd - 27th July 2007