Empirical Findings Relating to Psychopathy

“Successful” or “Corporate” psychopaths are arguably unlikely to engage in overt acts of violence or antisocial conduct, and yet a question of fundamental importance is whether the core personality, affective and interpersonal traits of psychopathy are in fact present to a meaningful extent within this high-functioning group. The chapter examines research conducted on psychopathic personality as measured by psychometrically valid instruments and how this relates to corporate populations. Issues relating to the inherent structure of the PPI-R and its relationship to the conceptualisation of psychopathy in non-forensic populations are discussed, including the implications for measuring psychopathy with this tool in order to expand our discussion of psychopathy. Additionally, the connection between the PPI-R and other assessment instruments provides comparison and contrast between the options available in assessing psychopathy.