Publication year: 2011
Source: Aggression and Violent Behavior, In Press, Accepted Manuscript, Available online 17 June 2011
Dennis E., Reidy , John F., Shelley-Tremblay , Scott O., Lilienfeld
Psychopathic personality (psychopathy) is associated with a heightened risk for physical aggression, although the nature of this link remains unclear. Despite widespread claims that psychopathy is associated with reactive aggression, the evidence for this assertion is mixed. We provide a comprehensive review of behavioral, cognitive, and biological research on the relation between psychopathy and aggression, and conclude that although psychopathy is clearly associated with instrumental aggression, its association with reactive aggression is not robust. In fact, at least some research points to a potential protective role of psychopathy against reactive aggression. We conclude that future research must clarify the differential…
Highlights: ► There are widespread claims that psychopathy is associated with reactive violence ► However evidence for this assertion is mixed at best ► We provide a comprehensive review of behavioral, cognitive, and biological data ► We find that data suggest a clear risk for instrumental violence ► However they indicate protective role of psychopathy for reactive violence