Why might psychopathy develop? Beyond a protective function: a commentary on Zara et al. (2023)

Abstract

Purpose Zara et al. (2023) provide novel findings into how psychopathy may develop, showing that early life predictors of poor relationships (e.g. being unwanted before birth) are predictive of psychopathy in adulthood. The authors provide a theoretical interpretation of why psychopathy might develop based on these findings by using an adaptive perspective, suggesting that psychopathy may protect or shield individuals from poor relationships. This commentary aims to critically evaluate and extend this latter suggestion in hopes of fostering further research and clarity on the topic. Design/methodology/approach After presenting an overview of evolutionary perspectives, a summary and elaboration are presented of the interpretation that psychopathy may be an adaptive response that functions to protect individuals from poor relationships. Then, an additional adaptive interpretation is offered. Findings Psychopathy describes a collection of traits and behavior that facilitates an approach-oriented and exploitative motivational style that might suggest more than a protective function. When negative or poor relationships are experienced (e.g. being unwanted), it is suggested that psychopathy may begin to develop not just for protection (If I am not loved, I will shield myself from those around me) but to actively orient toward exploitation (If I am not loved, I will exploit those around me). Originality/value This commentary hopes to arouse further interest into the theoretical interpretations of why psychopathy may develop that are based on findings of how psychopathy develops. These considerations are consequential for understanding what to target in treatments that aim to meet the specific needs and motivations of individuals with psychopathic traits.

Adolescent psychopathic traits and adverse environments: Associations with socially adaptive outcomes

“…Building off this perspective with our results, youth who develop psychopathic traits could be influenced by negative social relationships that discourage prosocial behavior and instead facilitate the learning and/or expression of selfish, antisocial behavior, including obtaining power over peers and acquiring multiple dating partners. By adopting an evolutionary perspective, we suggest that this process could represent an example of how individuals (with their strengths and propensities) become matched to their surrounding environments, whether adverse or supportive, to maximize the probability of surviving and reproducing in those environments (Brazil, 2024;Ellis et al, 2012).…”

Does a conduct disorder factor increment the capacity of the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory-Short to predict criminal recidivism?

“…There is evidence that PSCD is significantly associated with arrest history as indicated by ever prevalence of arrest and number of arrests (Salekin et al, 2022); however, no study to our knowledge has examined its association with recidivism among juveniles, more specifically the role of its novel CD factor in incrementally predicting youth criminal recidivism. For academic and practical reasons, the current research is important because it helps to identify the features of psychopathic personality among youth that are most related to recidivism, which can inform not only treatment and correctional interventions but also shed light on the developmental processes of psychopathy to inform prevention efforts given the etiology of the disorder is attributable to individual-level and environmental-level constructs (cf., Bergstrøm and Farrington, 2021;Brazil, 2023;DeLisi, 2009;Farrington and Bergstrøm, 2021;Zara et al, 2023).…”