From time to time, we ask psychopathy experts questions that you raise (and questions that we generate). If you have questions about psychopathy, let us know. To send us questions, write to: Support@aftermathfoundation.org and include “Ask the Expert” in the subject heading.
Dr. Edelyn Verona is Professor of Psychology and Co-Director of the Center for Justice Research and Policy at the University of South Florida, with a courtesy appointment in the Department of Criminology. She has authored over 100 peer-reviewed publications on the psychosocial and biological risk factors of crime, aggression, and psychopathy, and is the co-editor of a recently released book on evidence-based criminal justice practices. Currently, Dr. Verona’s interests lie at the intersection of psychology and the criminal justice system and intervention and prevention work, including adaptations of psychological interventions in correctional settings, the study and prevention of firearm violence, structural pathways to incarceration, and policy reform in the criminal justice system.
In her answers, Dr. Verona addresses:
- gender differences between men and women with psychopathic traits
- features that are associated with psychopathic traits among women
- the need for a more sophisticated understanding of psychopathy
Click here for the Q & A with Dr. Edelyn Verona
Dr. Nathalie Fontaine is a licensed Psycho-educator and a Full Professor in the School of Criminology at the Université de Montréal (Québec, Canada). Her research focuses on the development of antisocial behavior in youth (early childhood to early adulthood), risk and protective factors (e.g., psychopathic and callous-unemotional traits) and associated coping problems, including mental health problems (e.g., depression, anxiety). Through her work, she aims to further the understanding of the factors associated with positive and negative adaptation among youth. She also aims to put forward the practical applications of her findings to foster prevention and intervention strategies that promote mental health and well-being in youth. She also volunteers at the Aftermath Foundation.
During this interview, she addresses:
- The impact of positive relationships with parents and teachers on children with psychopathic traits (including children with callous and unemotional traits)
- Peer victimization and children with psychopathic traits
- New efforts to help families of children with callous and unemotional traits
Click here for the Q & A with Dr. Nathalie Fontaine
Dr. Kasia Uzieblo is an Associate Professor of Criminological and Forensic Psychology at the Department of Criminology of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (Brussels, Belgium) and Senior Researcher at the Research Department of the Forensic Care Specialists (Utrecht, the Netherlands). Her teaching, trainings, and research focus on sexual/family violence and forensic (psychological) assessment (e.g., risk assessment). Her psychopathy research primarily focuses on the use and the psychometric properties of psychopathy measures, and on the impact of psychopathy on interpersonal relationships. She has also published the Dutch book “Psychopaths, who are they? Misconceptions and fallacies about psychopathy”. She is a full member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy, where she also acts as secretary within the board until May 2024. For access to her publications, please visit her Researchgate profile.
During this interview, she discusses, among other things:
- The challenges of identifying psychopathic traits in people from the general population;
- Her clinical insights into and scientific findings on the manifestation of psychopathy within partner relationships;
- The challenges for intimate partners and for therapists when faced with someone with psychopathic traits.
Dr. Cynthia Mathieu is a Professor of Organizational Behavior at the University of Québec in Trois-Rivières (Quebec) and a psychologist. She studies psychopathy and other dark personality traits and how they impact the workplace. She also consults with organizations and teaches on corporate psychopathy, employee selection, organizational fraud and leadership. She also has published empirical research on leadership, employee selection, narcissism and psychopathy in the workplace, and employee well-being. She is the author of the new book: Dark Personalities in the Workplace.
Among other things, Dr. Mathieu discusses:
- what should someone who is working with a psychopathic co-worker do to manage the problems?
- how can bosses spot psychopathic traits in their employees?
- what she would want victims and survivors to know about her research
1. How did you get involved in psychopathy research?
2. Have you examined the effects of having psychopathic individuals in the workplace and, if so, what are those effects?
3. What should someone who is working with a psychopathic co-worker or boss do to manage their problems with such individuals?
4. How can bosses spot employees with psychopathic traits (considering they may try to cover up much of their antisocial behavior)?
5. Considering research is generally ahead of applicationin the field, what is one improvement in the field of psychopathy that you hope will take place over the next five to ten years?
6. What should victims or survivors know about your research?
Dr. Arielle Baskin-Sommers is an Associate Professor of Psychology and Psychiatry at Yale University. She also is affiliated with the Child Study Center, Law School, and Wu Tsai Institute at Yale. Her research focuses on identifying and specifying the cognitive, emotional, and environmental mechanisms that contribute to antisocial behavior (e.g., substance use, criminal activity, aggression). She uses findings from her research to develop novel experimental tasks, assessments, and intervention strategies aimed at developing more humane (and scientific) approaches to mental health and crime. For access to her publications, please see her website.
In her answers, Dr. Baskin-Sommers:
- clarifies how psychopathy and antisocial personality disorder differ in regards to emotional processing
- discusses an intervention strategy that takes into account the cognitive dysfunction seen in individuals with many psychopathic traits
- discusses the research on whether individuals with psychopathy can learn from their mistakes.
Dr. Michael Woodworth, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at UBC Okanagan in Kelowna, B.C., Canada. He is also a registered Clinical Psychologist in the province. His primary areas of research include psychopathy, deception, interviewing, interrogation, and NCRMD. However, in more recent years he has been increasingly intrigued with all of the theoretical, as well as important applied implications of our increasing reliance on computer-mediated modes of communication.
In his answers, Dr. Woodworth considers what impact interacting online (and in other non-traditional contexts) might have on ability to manipulate and deceive. Further, he focuses specifically on some potentially promising results which point to ways in which individuals can better shield themselves from being victimized by someone high in psychopathy.
1. How did you get involved in psychopathy research?
2. What are some of the implications of your early research on homicide for understanding psychopathy?
3. What does your recent research on computer-mediated interactions versus live interactions tell you about psychopathy?
4. What is one improvement in the field of psychopathy that you hope to see over the next 5 to 10 years?
5. What should victims and survivors know about your research?
Dr. Angela Book, Ph.D., is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. She is also involved in the Forensic Psychology and Criminal Justice program that combines psychology, law, and criminology to provide a multi-disciplinary perspective on issues relating to crime and criminal justice. Her research focuses on psychopathy and victimization, including how psychopathic individuals judge vulnerability and the ways in which they manipulate and exploit those around them.
In her answers, Dr. Book discusses her research addressing how people with psychopathic traits identify potential victims, including their ability to read body language. She also talks about her work related to the hypothesis that people with psychopathic traits have developed behaviors that help them to get away with violating social expectations and the rights of others (the Cheater-Hawk Hypothesis).
Donald R. Lynam, Ph.D. is Distinguished Professor of Psychological Sciences at Purdue University. He earned his Ph.D. in clinical psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1995. He is internationally recognized for his work on impulsigenic traits, psychopathy in both youth and adults, and his research on using general models of personality to conceptualize complex personality constructs (e.g., psychopathy, narcissism, Machiavellianism, etc.). He is the author of more than 290 publications, including the edited volumes entitled The Handbook of Child and Adolescent Psychopathy, Using Basic Personality Research to Inform Personality Pathology, and The Handbook of Antagonism. Lynam currently serves as Associate Editor at Journal of Personality, and previously served as Associate Editor for Journal of Abnormal Psychology and Psychological Science. He was awarded the 2002 American Psychological Association Award for Distinguished Scientific Early Career Contribution to Psychology.
In his answers, Dr. Lynam discusses:
Dr. Lynam discusses:
- the value of general models of personality in understanding disorders like psychopathy
- what we have learned from using the Elemental Psychopathy Assessment
- the future of psychopathy in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association
You can find a listing of Dr. Lynam’s work at: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=CHSuHf0AAAAJ&hl=en
Carlo Garofalo, PhD, is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Developmental Psychology at Tilburg University (The Netherlands). His research interests lie at the intersection of emotion, aggression, and personality pathology. More specifically, he is is interested in the development and manifestation of psychopathy and antagonistic personality traits. He is a full member of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy, and together with Dr. Luna Centifanti, he is founding member and co-chair of the Section for the study and treatment of antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy within the European Society for the Study of Personality Disorders. In his answers, Dr. Garofalo discusses:
- some of the recent research on psychopathy and emotional functioning and emotion regulation
- the relevance of difficulties in emotion regulation to understanding psychopathy
- what we have learned about difficulty regulating emotion in people with psychopathic traits.
Martin Sellbom, PhD., is a Professor in Clinical Psychology at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. He is the current Membership Chair for the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy and has served on its board for several years. His research interests focus on the diagnosis and assessment of personality disorders, including psychopathy, and the structure of mental health disorders more generally. He is also an expert on clinical personality assessment, including the MMPI instruments. For more information about Dr. Sellbom, see here: http://www.otago.ac.nz/psychology/staff/martinsellbom.html
In his answers, Dr. Sellbom discusses:
- the strengths and limitations of self-report questionnaires for assessing psychopathic traits
- gender differences in the expression of psychopathic traits
- attachment styles and psychopathic traits.
Dr. Paul Babiak is an industrial and organizational psychologist specializing in helping executives deal with possible psychopaths hiding within their organizations. His clients have included executives in business, academia, law enforcement, government, insurance, medicine, finance, and intelligence, and he speaks about the corporate psychopath at professional conferences and business meetings. He and his collaborators have conducted the most influential original research on corporate psychopathy, focusing on their traits and characteristics, manipulation techniques, and the impact they can have on organizational performance and employee job satisfaction. He is the author of Snakes in Suits, Revised Edition: Understanding and Surviving the Psychopaths in Your Office, with Dr. Robert D. Hare, as well as several scientific papers and book chapters. Dr. Babiak has been a guest on many radio and television talk shows, including the Today Show, Countdown with Keith Olbermann, Kudlow and Cramer, and Dateline NBC.
In his answers, Dr. Babiak discusses:
- red flags suggestive of psychopathic traits
- misconceptions about psychopathy in corporate environments
- the question of successful corporate psychopathy.
Dr. Joseph Newman is Professor Emeritus in the Department of Psychology at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he served as Director of Clinical Training and Chair before retiring in 2014. He was the inaugural President of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy and the first recipient of the R. D. Hare Lifetime Achievement Award. His research highlighted the crucial role of attention in moderating the behavioral, emotional, and brain abnormalities associated with psychopathy. For access to his publications, visit https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joseph-Newman-2
In his answers, Dr. Newman discusses:
- the similarities and differences between psychopathy and other syndromes associated with disinhibited behavior
- the role of impairments in cognitive function in psychopathy
- the implications of the research testing the response modulation hypothesis of psychopathy.
Dr. Paul Frick is a Professor and holds the Roy Crumpler Memorial Chair in the Department of Psychology at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge, LA. He is a former president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy and a recipient of the R.D. Hare Lifetime Achievement Award. His research focuses on the causes, assessment, and treatment of disruptive behavior problems in children and adolescents, with a specific focus on how callous and unemotional traits enhances our understanding of these problems. For more information about Dr. Frick, click here . In his answers, Dr. Frick discusses:
- the importance of accurately identifying psychopathic-like traits in children
- the impact of callous-unemotional traits on the behavior of children
- the challenges and potential benefits of interventions with children with these traits
Dr. Abigail Marsh is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology and the Interdisciplinary Program in Neuroscience at Georgetown University. Dr. Marsh is also the director of the Laboratory on Social and Affective Neuroscience. Her research focus is on the cognitive and neural bases of social and emotional processes, centering on empathy and the nonverbal communication of emotion. She discusses:
- the role of fear in the behavior of psychopaths
- brain differences associated with psychopathy
- the nature of differences between psychopathic individuals and altruists
Dr. Mark Olver is an Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Training for the Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan. Dr. Olver has answered some questions on the treatment of adult offenders with psychopathy. He discusses:
- the widespread pessimism about treating psychopathic offenders
- the challenges that face people who want to treat psychopaths
- current forms of treatment that appear most helpful for treating psychopathic individuals
Dr. Randall Salekin is a Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama. He is also the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment. Dr. Salekin has answered several questions about adolescence and psychopathic traits. He discusses:
- the identification of psychopathic-like traits in children
- interventions for incarcerated youth with psychopathic-like traits
- challenges in providing treatment for youth with psychopathic-like traits
Dr. Eva Kimonis is Associate Professor in the School of Psychology at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia. She is also the 2015 winner of the Jevon Scott Newman Award for Distinguished Early Career Contribution to the Scientific Study of Psychopathy, awarded by the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy. She discusses:
- the identification of psychopathic-like traits in children
- interventions for young children with these traits
- challenges for parents.
Dr. Essi Viding is Professor of Developmental Psychopathology in the Division of Psychology and Language Sciences at University College London. She is also the President-Elect of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy. She discusses:
- the identification of psychopathic-like traits in children
- the roles of genetics and environment in the development of psychopathic traits
- the issue of protective factors
Dr. Scott Lilienfeld is the Samuel Candler Dobbs Professor of Psychology at Emory University and is a past president of the Society for the Scientific Study of Psychopathy. He discusses:
- common misconceptions about psychopathy
- strengths and weaknesses of self-report measures to assess psychopathic traits
- successful psychopaths
