Personality, Psychopathy and Offending

Question 1

The 3 ‘P’s

Answer 1

The problems in thinking, feeling and behaving are:

Problematic: Cause distress (to self and/or others) and impaired functioning.

Persistent: Chronic problems that emerge in adolescence or early adulthood and persist throughout their life.

Pervasive: Problems occur in a number of contexts e.g. Friendships, relationships, employment, offending behaviour.

Question 2

What causes PD? - Biopsychosocial model

Answer 2

Interactions between
Biological and genetic vulnerabilities
Early experiences with significant others
Social factors that may buffer or intensify problematic personality traits

Question 3

Early Experiences/Attachments (-Psycho-)

Answer 3

Programmed to attach to caregiver for survival
Need consistent and appropriate responses for healthy development
If not, likely to have problems with:
Understanding own thoughts and feelings
Understanding thoughts, feelings and intentions of others
Less resilient to later adverse experiences
Social Learning

Question 4

Types of PD often seen in Offenders

Answer 4

Antisocial (most common in males)

• Borderline / Emotionally-Unstable (most common in females)
• Narcissistic
• Paranoid
• (Psychopathy)

Question 5

Narcissistic Personality Disorder

Answer 5

Inflated self esteem – exaggerates achievements, overly confident in abilities
Exploits others
Sees self as special and deserving of special treatment
Treat others with contempt
Theories that above features are protective of underlying low self-esteem or are “a defence”.

Question 6

Paranoid Personality Disorder

Answer 6

Mistrustful and suspicious of others
Can feel they are being treated unfairly or feel attacked when there is little evidence for this
May harbour grievances and resentments
Reluctant to trust or confide in others
More pervasive than paranoia seen in mental illness

Question 7

Psychopathy

Answer 7

Affective/Interpersonal
Glibness / superficial charm; arrogant
Grandiose; cunning / manipulative
Lack of remorse or guilt
Emotionally shallow; callous / lacking empathy

Behavioural
Impulsive; irresponsible; need for stimulation
Lack of realistic, long-term goals
Criminal versatility
Many short-term marital / sexual relationships

Question 8

Offenders with PD are more likely to:

Answer 8

Re-offend violently or sexually (Jamieson and Taylor, 2004)
Be recalled to prison after release
Drop out of accredited programmes
Complain about professionals

Question 9

PD and Sexual Offending

Answer 9

Various studies show high rates of PD in Sexual Offenders. (see Houston and Galloway, 2008 – Chapter 3 gives overview)

Highest rates associated with antisocial, borderline and narcissistic

Relationship between personality traits and severity/style of offending

Detailed assessment of personality necessary

Question 10

Treatment

Answer 10

Treatment can focus on:
Underlying PD
Associated symptoms/behaviours (e.g. impulsivity, aggression)
Co-existing problems (substance misuse, depression)
Offending behaviours

Question 11

Different Therapies

Answer 11

• Dialectical Behaviour Therapy – Most evidence for Borderline PD, particularly in women (Linehan, 1993)
• Mentalisation Based Therapy – Emerging evidence for Antisocial PD (Bateman and Fonagy, 2004)
• Schema Therapy – Not look at specific diagnoses by underlying schemas. Helpful for Narcissistic and Borderline (Young, 2006)
• Cognitive Analytic Therapy – Used increasingly with Borderline PD in NHS settings (Ryle & Kerr, 2002)