Journal of Threat Assessment and Management, Vol 12(3), Sep 2025, 169-177; doi:10.1037/tam0000258
One of the strongest correlates of aggressive behavior is psychopathy, although it is unclear which specific facets of psychopathy are most closely associated with aggressive behaviors. In this study, we examined which dimensions of psychopathy were most associated with three forms of aggressive behavior using a combination of hierarchical principal components analysis and Bayesian multiple regression in a sample of adult men and women (n = 286) recruited online. Results suggested that psychopathy had a seven-echelon hierarchical structure, of which the fifth and sixth echelons were most associated with all forms of aggression. Within these echelons, callous manipulation was the strongest predictor of aggression, with low self-esteem and male sex having modest positive effects over and above this. These results have implications for research on and applied assessments of psychopathy and personality pathology more generally. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2025 APA, all rights reserved)