The Construct of Psychopathy and its Potential Contribution to the Study of Serious, Violent, and Chronic Youth Offending

• Author: Matthew O. Howard,Michael G. Vaughn
• DOI: 10.1177/1541204005276320
• Published date: 01 July 2005
• Date: 01 July 2005
• Subject Matter: Articles

10.1177/1541204005276320Youth Violence and Juvenile JusticeVaughn, Howard / CONSTRUCT OF PSYCHOPATHY

THE CONSTRUCT OF PSYCHOPATHY

AND ITS POTENTIAL CONTRIBUTION TO

THE STUDY OF SERIOUS, VIOLENT, AND

CHRONIC YOUTH OFFENDING

Michael G. Vaughn

University of Pittsburgh

Matthew O. Howard

University of Michigan

This article examines the construct of psychopathy and its potential to enhance current

understanding of serious, violent, and chronic (SVC) juvenile offending. Historical,

definitional, diagnostic, etiological, and assessment issues pertaining to psychopathy

are discussed and a conceptual framework of antisocial subtypes incorporating biologi-

cal and social factors is presented. Implications of psychopathy-related findings for fu-

ture theory, research, policy, and practice in the juvenile justice system are elucidated.

Keywords: antisocial behavior; delinquency; juvenile justice; psychopathy; youth

violence

The study of adult crime and juvenile delinquency began with efforts to understand

the pathologies of individual offenders. The perspective of Italian criminologist Cesare

Lombroso, embodied in his book, L’uomo delinquente [The Criminal Man] (1876), exem-

plified this approach. Essentially, Lombroso concluded that criminals were atavistic anom-

alies representative from earlier periods of human evolution. Although appealing to some

academics and members of the general public, early biologically based accounts of deviant

behavior were often overly deterministic, reductionistic, and oppressive. The eugenics

movement of the early 20th century, for example, contributed to the maltreatment and so-

cial disenfranchisement of individuals who were mentally ill (Dowbiggin, 1997). The myo-

pic preoccupation of early criminology with biological factors eroded with the early suc-

cesses of American sociology and behaviorist psychology coupled with the favorable

cultural and academic climate toward environmentalism in general (a notable exception

was the interdisciplinary work of Glueck & Glueck, 1950; see Sampson & Laub, 1993, for a

landmark reappraisal of their work). It was at this time that sociological perspectives on ju-

venile delinquency gained ascendancy over those derived from the psychological and bio-

logical sciences. Soon, a host of influential sociological theories, macro and micro in orien-

235

Authors’ Note: Please direct correspondence concerning this article to Michael G. Vaughn, Comorbidity and Ad-

dictions Center, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130-4899; e-mail mvaughn@wustl.edu.

Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, Vol. 3 No. 3, July 2005 235-252

DOI: 10.1177/1541204005276320

© 2005 Sage Publications

tation, gained currency. Notable examples of these theories include differential association

(Sutherland, 1939), cultural deviance (Cloward & Ohlin, 1960), strainand anomie (Merton,

1938), social control (Hirschi, 1969), and conflict (Turk, 1966) criminology.

Recent years have witnessed a reemergence of biologically and psychologically ori-

ented approaches to the study of antisocial youth (Caspi, Moffitt, Silva, Stouthamer-

Loeber, & Krueger, 1994; Moffitt, 1993; Raine, 2002). There is a growing recognition

among researchers that juvenile offenders are a heterogeneous group, and thus support for

the notion that future research should strive to characterize subpopulations of juvenile of-

fenders (Le Blanc, 1998, 2002; Wiebush, Baird, Krisberg, & Onek, 1995).

It is well established in the criminological literature, based on birth cohort studies

(e.g., Kratzer & Hodgins, 1999; Wolfgang, Figlio, & Sellin, 1972; Wolfgang, Thornberry,

& Figlio, 1987) and chronic offender research (e.g., Loeber, Farrington, & Waschbusch,

1998; Tolan & Gorman-Smith, 1998), that a small subset of offenders commits a majority

of general and serious crimes. Whereas most offenders limit their antisocial behavior to the

adolescent years (Moffitt, 1993), this subpopulation of offenders began their criminal ca-

reers early and persists in antisocial conduct throughout the life course. Although interven-

tion and prevention efforts should be targeted to all youth who engage in antisocial behav-

ior, resource and cost considerations support an approach that directs greater resources to

juvenile offenders who are serious, violent, and chronic (SVC). Early identification of so-

called life-course persistent criminal offenders might well prove the most cost-effective and

humane approach to dealing with this offender subgroup.

This article examines the role that the construct of psychopathy might play in foster-

ing more effective prevention and management interventions targeting juvenile offenders

who are SVC. In addition, this article reviews key issues relevant to the study of juvenile

psychopathy, including descriptions of, and etiological explanations for, the disorder and

presents a conceptual framework of persistent youth offending. Other issues discussed in-

clude the potential benefits and limitations associated with applying the psychopathy con-

struct to juveniles, key questions capable of stimulating further inquiry, the relationship of

substance abuse to psychopathy, and important juvenile justice practice implications.

Examining the Construct of Psychopathy

Features of Psychopathy

Although many definitions of psychopathy have been proffered (Cleckley, 1941/

1976; Hare, 1996a, 1996b; Lynam, 2002; McCord & McCord, 1964), most assert that psy-

chopaths are individuals (mostly male) who are aggressive, self-centered, callous, guiltless,

impulsive, sensation seeking, interpersonally exploitive, deceptive, low in fear and anxiety,

unable to learn socially approved ways of satisfying immediate needs and to develop warm

affectional bonds with other persons. Psychopaths are often highly versatile and prolific in

their criminal offending. However, the life trajectories of so-called functionally adaptive

psychopaths are unknown, given that almost all research on psychopathy has been con-

ducted in correctional settings. Although it has been argued that psychopathy is considered

a lifelong disorder that is highly resistant, if not impervious, to treatment (Hare, 1996b) and

that certain treatments may actually produce paradoxically poor outcomes in psychopaths

by enhancing their ability to manipulate others (Rice, Harris, & Cormier, 1992), critical re-

236 Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice