Here are the personality traits shared by famous psychopaths

By Emma Young

What is psychopathy? For a concept that gets endless attention, there’s surprisingly little agreement. Various models have been put forward over the years. Robert Hare’s Psychopathy Checklist – Revised has been particularly influential. But it, too, has been questioned, with debate centring on the nature of the fundamental traits that together make someone a psychopath.

In a bid for clarity, Cristina Crego at Longwood University and Thomas A. Widiger at the University of Kentucky decided to look for shared traits in six people, real and fictional, who have been identified as psychopathic. They present their work in a new paper in Personality Disorders: Theory, Research and Treatment. Their list includes a few names that might be come as a surprise. But this turned out to be an advantage — the pair feel that it drew them closer to understanding which are the core traits of psychopathy, and which are red herrings.

This is the list:

Theodore (Ted) Bundy: a serial killer who admitted to at least 30 murders in the 1970s. Hare reports that Bundy described himself as “the most cold-hearted son of a bitch you’ll ever meet”.

Clyde Barrow: a man who murdered a long list of people, including members of the public and prison guards; also said to be charming and engaging.

Bernie Madoff: a “snake in a suit”, he was responsible for what’s regarded as the largest Ponzi scheme and financial fraud in US history.

Chuck Yeager: a hi...

Source: BPS RESEARCH DIGEST - March 7, 2022 Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: BPS Research Digest Tags: Personality Psychopathy Source Type: blogs