What is Psychopathy?

Psychopathy is a personality disorder signified by a pattern of lying, exploitation of others, recklessness, arrogance, sexual promiscuity, low self-control, and lack of empathy for others. Individuals with psychopathic traits appear to lack social emotions (love, empathy, guilt, and remorse). This means that they do not care about other people, feel remorse, or experience guilt … Read more

Individuals that Identify as Religious and Have Dark Traits May Not Apply Their Prosocial Beliefs in Real Life

Summary by Theresia Bedard and the North American Research Committee Research Study Highlights: An analysis of the subgroups in a large sample of undergraduates provided evidence for five different subgroups of groups of people in regards to religiousness and Dark Triad traits: prosocial, antisocial, moderate, low religious, and struggling religious. Individuals that belong to the prosocial … Read more

Through the Eyes of a Survivor: Inadvertent Gaslighting

Gaslighting refers to a process in which one individual is trying to make another person question their own reality and making them feel crazy through psychological manipulation. I experienced gaslighting by my husband during our marriage. For example, after many years of strife in our marriage, he agreed to go to couples counseling with me. We … Read more

Ask the Expert: Dr. Kent Kiehl

Dr. Kent Kiehl is a Professor of Psychology, Neuroscience and Law at the University of New Mexico and Executive Science Officer of the Mind Research Network.  He conducts clinical neuroscience research into major mental illnesses, including criminal psychopathy.  His answers address: differences in brain structure and activity in offenders with psychopathic traits; traumatic experiences and … Read more

Dangerous dating in the digital age – Psychopathy and jealousy predict cyber dating abuse

Summary by Jennifer Pink & Nicola S. Gray Cyber dating abuse (Borrajo et al., 2015) refers to a range of aggressive online behaviours, directed towards a partner. These include posting humiliating or intimate material on social networks, snooping on personal communications, and sending threatening or controlling messages. Experiencing cyber dating abuse can lead to depression, … Read more

Ask the Expert: Dr. Kostas Fanti

Dr. Kostas A. Fanti is the director of the Developmental Psychopathology Lab and Professor of Developmental Psychology at the University of Cyprus.  His research employs multiple methods to treat and explain heterogeneity in psychopathy, antisocial behavior, bullying and victimization. His answers address: individual differences among children with callous-unemotional (CU) traits, relationships between bullying and psychopathic … Read more