Citation

Logan C. Neuropsychiatr. 2009; 23(Sp. Iss. 1): 25-33.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2009, Dustri-Verlag)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Psychopathy in Women: Conceptual Issues, Clinical Presentation and Management Research into psychopathy, violence, and risk has been carried out predominantly on adult males. Indeed, research into men has largely shaped our current understanding of these complex subjects and the development of strategies towards their management. The fact that men are most frequently the perpetrators of serious violence is largely responsible for their dominance in the literature. However, women can be violent too - and psychopathic. The aim of this paper is to improve acceptance of this fact by examining some of the assumptions made about a woman's capacity to seriously harm others, psychologically as well as physically. The paper begins by reviewing what is known about the clinical presentation and measurement of psychopathy in women. Evidence for psychopathy in women, as measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), is then examined and the adequacy of the PCL-R as a tool for use in clinical practice with this population revisited. The relationship between psychopathy and crime and violence in women is then discussed, followed by the relationship between psychopathy and recidivism. The paper concludes with a review of what literature there is on the treatment and management of women with psychopathy and recommendations for future research and practice development.