Book Review

Date01 June 2001
DOI10.1177/0306624X01453010
Published date01 June 2001
AuthorBruce A. Arrigo
Subject MatterReviews
/tmp/tmp-176zaaEWBRCYfD/input International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology
Book Review
BOOK REVIEW
The Clinical and Forensic Assessment of Psychopathy: A Practitioner’s
Guide. Carl B. Gacono (Ed.). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum, 2000, 507 pp.
$49.95. ISBN 08058-3034-3.
The construct of psychopathy has both baffled and challenged clinical and foren-
sic psychologists, criminological researchers, and correctional mental health pro-
fessionals for nearly 200 years. 1 Throughout this period, scientists and practitio-
ners have struggled with how best to explain, evaluate, diagnose, predict, and treat
psychopathy, mostly with disappointing results. It is at this critical juncture that
we confront Carl Gacono’s intelligent, comprehensive, and thought-provoking
text.
Assembled in his edited collection are a number of the foremost experts on the
topic in both the United States and Canada. More important, however, Gacono
quickly dispenses with much of the current-day misunderstanding surrounding
psychopathy and related diagnostic constructs within his preface. As he explains,
“despite a wealth of published research on psychopathy . . . clinicians and authors
continue to confuse sociopathy, antisocial personality disorder (ASPD), and psy-
chopathy—inappropriately viewing them as synonymous . . .” (p. xvi). Briefly
exploring the theoretical and clinical differences among these diagnostic terms
provides a clear and necessary path for the chapters that follow.
The text is divided into three sections (a) Conceptual Contributions, (b) Clini-
cal Issues and Applications, and (c) Special Applications. A fair amount of mate-
rial is canvassed within each section and novice readers of psychopathy are cau-
tioned that some essays are written for the well initiated. However, having said
this, Gacono’s edited collection is “an applied text” (p. xv). Each chapter endeav-
ors to make clear the connection between research and practice relevant to the spe-
cific topic investigated.
What makes this book...

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