Surviving Senior Psychopathy: Informant Reports of Deceit and Antisocial Behavior in Multiple Types of Relationships

• Author: Donna M. Andersen,Emma Veltman,Martin Sellbom
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X211067089
• Published date: 01 November 2022
• Date: 01 November 2022
• Subject Matter: Articles

https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X211067089

International Journal of

Offender Therapy and

Comparative Criminology

2022, Vol. 66(15) 1703 –1725

© The Author(s) 2022

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DOI: 10.1177/0306624X211067089

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Article

Surviving Senior Psychopathy:

Informant Reports of Deceit

and Antisocial Behavior

in Multiple Types of

Relationships

Donna M. Andersen1, Emma Veltman2,

and Martin Sellbom2

Abstract

A prevailing view among researchers and mental health clinicians is that symptoms of

antisocial personality disorder (ASPD)/psychopathy decrease as affected individuals

reach middle age. In the current investigation, informants were surveyed about

the behavior of individuals who they believed showed traits of ASPD/psychopathy

and were over the age of 50. A final sample of 1,215 respondents rated the index

individuals according to the ASPD/psychopathy traits derived from the pre-publication

first draft of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition,

revealing high endorsement of traits associated with ASPD. Survey respondents

reported their observations that individuals who met a threshold for putative ASPD/

psychopathy continued to engage in antisocial behavior after age 50, and as a result

the respondents endured significant harm, including material losses, financial losses,

and various self-reported mental health problems. Those who knew the index

individuals both before and after the age of 50 were specifically asked whether there

was a change in the individual’s engagement in manipulation, deceit, and antisocial

behavior; 93% of respondents reported that the behavior was just as bad or worse

after age 50. Other researchers have suggested that the DSM diagnostic criteria do

not accurately describe ASPD/psychopathy symptoms and behavior in older adults,

and that the disorder remains stable, but its manifestation changes with age. This

study supports those conclusions.

1Lovefraud Education and Recovery, Egg Harbor Township, NJ, USA

2University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand

Corresponding Author:

Donna M. Andersen, Lovefraud Education and Recovery, a New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation, 3121-D

Fire Road #304, Egg Harbor Township, NJ 08234, USA.

Email: donna@lovefraud.com

1067089IJOXXX10.1177/0306624X211067089International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative CriminologyAndersen et al.

research-article2021

1704 International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology 66(15)

Keywords

psychopathy, antisocial personality disorder, personality disorder, older adults,

burn out

Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) and its theoretical target construct, psychopa-

thy (Sellbom & Boer, 2019), are related conditions in which affected individuals rou-

tinely violate social norms and standards and cause harm to others (Polaschek, 2015).

Hare (1993), for instance, noted that, “Psychopaths are social predators who charm,

manipulate, and ruthlessly plow their way through life, leaving a broad trail of broken

hearts, shattered expectations, and empty wallets.” (p. xi). The Diagnostic and

Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM-5; American Psychiatric

Association [APA], 2013) summarizes antisocial personality disorder as a pervasive

pattern of disregard for and violation of the rights of others, indicated by failure to

conform to social norms, deceitfulness, impulsivity, irritability, recklessness, irrespon-

sibility, and a lack of remorse.

Psychopathy has been shown to account for disproportionate amounts of crime and

violence in society (Douglas et al., 2018; Hare & Neumann, 2008; Skeem et al., 2011).

This construct has become especially current in forensic and correctional psychology

for its perceived utility in predicting reoffending (e.g., Skeem et al., 2011). The effect

of individuals with elevated psychopathic traits on society beyond forensic/correc-

tional settings has been documented as well (e.g., in organizational settings; Babiak

et al., 2010; in community samples, Neumann & Hare, 2008). However, while many

individuals are victimized by individuals with psychopathic traits, only a few accounts

in the psychopathy literature have captured their perspectives and lived experiences

(Humeny et al., 2021; Kirkman, 2005; Leedom et al., 2013).

Although the disorder is considered chronic and long-term, the conventional wis-

dom among mental health researchers and clinicians, as reflected in psychiatry text-

books and numerous studies, is that antisocial behavior decreases as people diagnosed

with ASPD or psychopathy grow older, usually around age 40 (Black, 2015; Moore &

Puri, 2012; Sadock et al., 2016; Stone, 2007). The American Psychiatric Association

Publishing Textbook of Psychiatry states specifically, “Longitudinal follow-up studies

have shown that the prevalence of ASPD diminishes with age, as these individuals

become more aware of the harmful effects of their maladaptive social and interper-

sonal behaviors” (Skodol et al., 2019, p. 731). Most of these generalizations, however,

are based on studies that examined antisocial personality disorder in institutional

settings, and used crime as the major outcome variable. The current investigation

examined the association between ASPD/psychopathy and harmful behavior in the

community, beyond involvement with the criminal justice system, and from an infor-

mant (and usually, victim) perspective.

Antisocial Behavior and Age

Criminologists noted the strong association between age and crime as far back as

1857, when Neison reported data on criminal offenders in England and Wales (Hirschi