Psychopathy in community : social status, professional occupation, and antisocial behavior

Abstract

The concepts of psychopathy and antisocial behavior have long been subjects of study within the scientific community, with a predominant focus on forensic samples. To address this gap, the present study aimed to examine the relationship between psychopathy, its facets, and antisocial behaviors in a community sample, as well as their associations with socioeconomic status (SES) and professional occupation. The sample comprised 254 participants (74.7% female), aged between 18 and 60 years. Data were collected online using a Sociodemographic Questionnaire, the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale – Short Form, the D-CRIM, and the Socially Desirable Response Scale-5. Results revealed that the Lifestyle facet of psychopathy had the highest scores, while the Antisocial facet had the lowest scores. Significant positive correlations were observed between criminal behaviors and psychopathy total scores, as well as the Interpersonal and Lifestyle facets. High SES was associated with lower scores on psychopathy total scores and the Interpersonal and Lifestyle facets, whereas less qualified professional occupations were linked to higher scores on psychopathy total scores and the Affective and Lifestyle facets, and lower scores on the Antisocial facet. These findings highlight the importance of considering SES and professional occupation when examining psychopathy in community samples and suggest that the relationship between psychopathy facets and these variables differs. Implications for the practice will be further discussed.