Biological correlates of psychopathy: a brief review

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to present and provide a critical review of most recent studies inquiring into brain abnormalities in psychopathy. Design/methodology/approach – The authors provide an overview of the findings of neurobiological studies conducted in the last five years. Publications chosen for review were found using Web of Science, PsycINFO and Scopus search engines. Findings – Data in the literature reveal that psychopathy is associated with brain abnormalities in frontal and temporo-limbic regions, i.e. regions responsible for moral decision making, emotional processing and learning. Additionally, interactions between the brain areas have been identified as crucial for the development of psychopathic personality traits. Research findings suggest that the flow of impulses between the frontal cortex and temporo-limbic structures in psychopaths is significantly hindered. Originality/value – The current paper provides an in-depth review of most recent neurobiological studies inquiring into brain abnormalities associated with psychopathic personality traits. Moreover, a particular attention has been paid to identifying abnormalities in brain structures not previously studied in relation to psychopathy (e.g. mirror neuron system, white matter connections).

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Novel evidence for the involvement of the mirror neuron system in emotional processing

European Psychiatry ◽

10.1016/j.eurpsy.2007.01.1049 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 22 ◽

pp. S315-S316

Author(s):

J. Kinross ◽

S. Frangou ◽

V. Kumari

Keyword(s):

Emotional Processing ◽

Mirror Neuron System ◽

Mirror Neuron ◽

Neuron System

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Climbing the corporate ladder: desired leadership skills and successful psychopaths

Journal of Financial Crime ◽

10.1108/jfc-11-2018-0117 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 26 (3) ◽

pp. 881-896

Author(s):

Dallas Hill ◽

Hannah Scott

Keyword(s):

Personality Traits ◽

White Collar Crime ◽

Public Awareness ◽

White Collar ◽

Psychopathic Personality ◽

Future Research ◽

Content Type ◽

The Public ◽

Hiring Process ◽

Successful Psychopaths

Purpose Many of the characteristics embodied by successful psychopaths, such as superficial charm, cool decisiveness and a grandiose self-worth, are often treated synonymously with corporate leadership qualities. Consequently, it is possible that successful psychopaths are actively being selected for corporate positions as they exemplify the perfect candidate. The purpose of the current study was to determine whether or not the recruitment for positions of higher social status are inadvertently seeking out individuals with psychopathic tendencies to run their companies using similar characteristics in their job advertisements. Design/methodology/approach The current study will provide a deeper understanding of successful psychopaths whilst exploring the role of the “Westernized” corporation in recruiting successful psychopaths into their businesses through character descriptions in 25 executive career advertisements using Wexler’s (2008) psychopathic Personality Dimensions And Positively Reinforced Corporate Labels. Findings The results demonstrated that corporations are seeking out characteristics that are synonymous to Factor 1 psychopathic personality traits, which could increase the propensity of successful psychopaths in the workplace. Research limitations/implications Although the sample was representative for the current study, the sample size is minimal. Further, most companies in the sample were taken from the public sector. Given the implicit sample bias, the results and conclusions must be interpreted with caution. Future research should expand the relationship between psychopathic personality traits and corporate labels in a broader context. Practical implications The results also allude to potential protective factors that could be put in place by corporations during their hiring process. These factors include measures for empathy and emotional IQ. Beyond the hiring process, it is suggested that incentive-based promotions should be lessened and replaced with incentives that promote care and respect for one another. Social implications Whilst the inability for the public to conceptualize white-collar crime as a true form of crime conducted by powerful individuals is apparent, it is suggested that change should begin with public awareness and academia. With additional research on psychopathy in the field of criminology and organizational psychology, public awareness can be amplified. Originality/value The current study allows for an interdisciplinary perspective towards the concept of successful psychopathy by highlighting the increased potential for corporate scams and white-collar criminality. Specifically, the current study introduces a psycho-social criminological perspective.

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Social Cognition in Gilles de la Tourette Syndrome

Zeitschrift für Neuropsychologie ◽

10.1024/1016-264x/a000272 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 30 (4) ◽

pp. 243-249

Author(s):

Ronja Weiblen ◽

Melanie Jonas ◽

Sören Krach ◽

Ulrike M. Krämer

Keyword(s):

Tourette Syndrome ◽

Social Cognitive ◽

Mirror Neuron System ◽

Mirror Neuron ◽

Theoretical Work ◽

Neural Processes ◽

The Social ◽

Decision Making System ◽

Social Decision Making ◽

Work Done

Abstract. Research on the neural mechanisms underlying Gilles de la Tourette syndrome (GTS) has mostly concentrated on abnormalities in basal ganglia circuits. Recent alternative accounts, however, focused more on social and affective aspects. Individuals with GTS show peculiarities in their social and affective domain, including echophenomena, coprolalia, and nonobscene socially inappropriate behavior. This article reviews the experimental and theoretical work done on the social symptoms of GTS. We discuss the role of different social cognitive and affective functions and associated brain networks, namely, the social-decision-making system, theory-of-mind functions, and the so-called “mirror-neuron” system. Although GTS affects social interactions in many ways, and although the syndrome includes aberrant social behavior, the underlying cognitive, affective, and neural processes remain to be investigated.

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