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In cold blood: The evolution of psychopathy

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Lalumière
Lalumière
Lalumière
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Mishra
Mishra
Mishra
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Grant T Harris at Queen's University
Grant T Harris
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Lalumière, M.L., Mishra, S., & Harris, G.T. (2008). In cold blood: The evolution of
psychopathy. In J. Duntley & T. K. Shackelford (Eds.). Evolutionary forensic
psychology. Oxford University Press.
... (Wakefield 2000, p. 260) In fact, there is an influential tradition in psychopathy research that explains psychopathic traits exactly in terms of adaptations to certain ecological and social 'niches' (see, e.g. Glenn et al. 2011b;Jonason et al. 2010a;Krupp et al. 2013;Lalumière et al. 2008;Lykken 1995;Mealey 1995;Meloy et al. 2018). Moreover, N&S-A (2013, p. 243) take seriously and leave open the possibility that psychopathy might be an evolutionary adaptation. ...
... A prominent account of the evolution of psychopathic traits is based on the model of balancing selection (N&S-A 2013, p. 242; see also Glenn et al. 2011b;Lalumière et al. 2008;Mealy 1995). As we have seen, there is a heritable variation in personality traits. ...
... Second, and relatedly, according to HD's conception of function "many apparent dysfunctions associated with psychopathy (for example, reduced empathy, lack of guilt and impulsivity)" should not be seen as dysfunctions, rather they can "be better understood as design features" (Del Giudice 2014, p. 269;see, also, Faucher 2012, pp. 32-33;Lalumière et al. 2008;Mealy 1995). Moreover, from this perspective "functional differences observed during performance of a task might reflect the use of different strategies in performance of the task, while structural differences might be a case of 'use it or lose it'" (Neumann and Hare 2010, p. 110). ...
Is Psychopathy a Harmful Dysfunction?
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2019
  • BIOL PHILOS
In their paper “Is psychopathy a mental disease?”, Thomas Nadelhoffer and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong argue that according to any plausible account of mental disorder, neural and psychological abnormalities correlated with psychopathy should be regarded as signs of a mental disorder. I oppose this conclusion by arguing that at least on a naturalistically grounded account, such as Wakefield’s ‘Harmful Dysfunction’ view, currently available empirical data and evolutionary considerations indicate that psychopathy is not a mental disorder. For an online version of the paper, see https://rdcu.be/bffeZ
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... Some of the most compelling evidence that the emergence of an early and persistent pattern of ASBs is integral to psychopathy comes from behavioral genetics and developmental psychopathology (in this volume, see Viding (Larsson et al., 2007;Viding, Blair, Moffitt, & Plomin, 2005), and early antisocial features predict the development of other features of psychopathy that occur at a later age (Forsman, Lichtenstein, Andershed, & Larsson, 2010). Several investigators argue that the early emergence of antisocial behavior, including deceptive and aggressive sexuality, is central to psychopathy (Book & Quinsey, 2003;Harris, Rice, Hilton, Lalumière, & Quinsey, 2007;Lalumière, Mishra, & Harris, 2008). Drawing on research in behavior genetics, psychology, sociobiology, and game theory, Mealey (1995b, p. 524) proposed that persons she termed "sociopaths" are "the product of evolutionary pressures which, through a complex interaction of environmental and genetic factors, lead some individuals to pursue a life-history strategy of manipulative and predatory social interactions." ...
... Rule of Evidence 706 "provides a means to slice through the fog of conflicting expert testimony and obtain unbiased testimony from a court-appointed expert" and that "use of Rule 706 court-appointed experts, or the threat thereof, may be increasingly useful to help keep expert 'hired guns' honest or, at the least, more restrained in their opinions." 9. From the perspective of evolutionary psychology (Glenn et al., 2011;Lalumière et al., 2008;Mealey, 1995b), psychopathic behavior may be maladaptive to society but adaptive to the individual exhibiting such behavior. 10. ...
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... Given that psychopathy is heritable (Tuvblad et al., 2014), apparent across time (Hervé, 2007) and cultures (Cooke, 1998), shaped by specific developmental experiences (Farrington et al., 2010), and contains precursors (e.g., impulsivity) evident in non-human primates (e.g., chimpanzees; Lilienfeld et al., 1999), evolutionary researchers have considered how it may promote the execution of adaptive strategies that facilitate reproductive success (da Silva et al., 2015;Krupp et al., 2013;Lalumière et al., 2008;Mealey, 1995;Međedovic& Petrović, 2019). Through the lens of life history theory, personality traits like psychopathy are posited to embody resource investment trade-offs (e.g., time, energy, and material resources) between the different components of fitness (e.g., health, reproduction, and parenting; da Silva et al., 2015;Gladden et al., 2009;Jonason et al., 2010;Lalumière et al., 2001;McDonald et al., 2012;Patch & Figueredo, 2017;Visser et al., 2020). ...
Longitudinal Associations Between Primary and Secondary Psychopathic Traits, Delinquency, and Current Dating Status in Adolescence
Article
Full-text available
  • Jan 2022
Many have examined the desirability and mate competition tactics of adults higher on psychopathy using cross-sectional data, but few have studied the longitudinal associations between the lower-order factors of psychopathy (e.g., primary and secondary psychopathy) with indices of mating behavior in adolescents. More work is also needed to unravel how psychopathic youth outcompete rivals for mates. Delinquency has long been associated with dating and sexual behavior in adolescents, which may help to explain the competitive success of youth higher in psychopathic traits in vying for mates. We used cross-lagged panel modeling with three waves of data from a randomly drawn sample of 514 Canadian adolescents who provided annual self-reports of primary and secondary psychopathy, delinquency, and dating involvement from Grades 10 to 12 (15-18 years of age). Constructs were temporally stable. Secondary psychopathy and delinquency had positive within-time correlations with current dating status in Grade 10. A cross-lagged pathway from delinquency to dating involvement was supported from Grade 10 to 11, which replicated from Grade 11 to 12. However, this effect was specific to boys and not girls. An indirect effect also emerged whereby secondary psychopathy in Grade 10 increased the likelihood of being in a dating relationship in Grade 12 via heightened delinquency in Grade 11.
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... Previous studies report contradictory results on whether psychopathic traits are evolutionarily adaptive, or whether they are harmful variations of human personality [22,23]. Several scholars have argued the case for an evolutionary advantage of psychopathy [23][24][25][26][27][28][29]: De Silva et al. discussed the adaptive role of some of the main features of psychopathy (such as thrill-seeking behaviours, low fear and unresponsive stress response) in hostile psychosocial environments [23]; and recent findings also support the conceptualisation of psychopathy as an adaptive strategy to cope with harsh experiences [30]. Based on key traits of the construct (e.g., manipulativeness, exploitativeness, deceptiveness, lack of fear and empathy, and superficial charm), Krupp et al. also argued that psychopathy is not a disorder but an 'evolved life-history strategy' [31]. ...
Selfish risk-seeking can provide an evolutionary advantage in a conditional public goods game
Article
Full-text available
While cooperation and risk aversion are considered to be evolutionarily advantageous in many circumstances, and selfish or risky behaviour can bring negative consequences for individuals and the community at large, selfish and risk-seeking behaviour is still often observed in human societies. In this paper we consider whether there are environmental and social conditions that favour selfish risk-seeking individuals within a community and whether tolerating such individuals may provide benefits to the community itself in some circumstances. We built an agent-based model including two types of agent—selfish risk-seeking and generous risk-averse—that harvest resources from the environment and share them (or not) with their community. We found that selfish risk-seekers can outperform generous risk-averse agents in conditions where their survival is moderately challenged, supporting the theory that selfish and risk-seeking traits combined are not dysfunctional but rather can be evolutionarily advantageous for agents. The benefit for communities is less clear, but when generous agents are unconditionally cooperative communities with a greater proportion of selfish risk-seeking agents grow to a larger population size suggesting some advantage to the community overall.
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... Research that regards psychopathy as an adaptive response to adverse social and/or biological environments discourages regarding this condition as a disability (see, e.g., Glenn, Kurzban, et al., 2011;Jurjako, 2019;Krupp et al., 2013;Lalumière et al., 2008;Mealey, 1995;Međedović et al., 2017). Some have argued that the low affectivity and the interpersonal traits of psychopathy enable reproductive success and result from an adaptive life strategy (Jonason et al., 2010;Međedović, 2018;Međedović et al., 2017). ...
The Societal Response to Psychopathy in the Community
Article
Full-text available
  • Jun 2021
The harm usually associated with psychopathy requires therapeutically, legally, and ethically satisfactory solutions. Scholars from different fields have, thus, examined whether empirical evidence shows that individuals with psychopathic traits satisfy concepts, such as responsibility, mental disorder, or disability, that have specific legal or ethical implications. The present paper considers the less discussed issue of whether psychopathy is a disability. As it has been shown for the cases of the responsibility and mental disorder status of psychopathic individuals, we argue that it is undecided whether psychopathy is a disability. Nonetheless, based on insights from disability studies and legislations, we propose that interventions to directly modify the propensities of individuals with psychopathic tendencies should be balanced with modifications of the social and physical environments to accommodate their peculiarities. We also suggest how this social approach in some practical contexts that involve non-offender populations might be effective in addressing some of the negative effects of psychopathy.
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... We are not so sure this is the case; it seems to us that whether psychopathy counts as a disorder depends upon the definition of disorder used and the subtype of psychopathy under consideration. Thus, while Nadelhoffer and Sinnott-Armstrong argue that psychopaths should count as disordered on an adaptationist, harmful dysfunction account, too, a number of authors have recently argued that on Wakefield's harmful dysfunction approach, psychopathy should not be understood as a disorder, but as an adaptation (Harris et al. 2001;Krupp et al. 2013;Lalumière et al. 2008;Reimer 2008). ...
ARE PSYCHOPATHS LEGALLY INSANE?
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2018
The question of whether psychopaths are criminally and morally responsible has generated significant controversy in the literature. In this paper, we discuss what relevance a psychopathy diagnosis has for criminal responsibility. It has been argued that figuring out whether psychopathy is a mental illness is of fundamental importance, because it is a precondition for psychopaths' eligibility to be excused via the legal insanity defense. But even if psychopathy counts as a mental illness, this alone is not sufficient to show the insanity defense is applicable; it must also be shown that, as a result of the illness, specific deficits in moral understanding or control are present. In this paper, we show that a diagnosis of psychopathy will generally not indicate that a defendant is eligible for an insanity defense. This is because the group of individuals subsumed under the diagnosis is so heterogeneous that while some psychopaths do show significant impairments in affect and control which may impact on their responsibility, many psychopaths are not incapacitated in a way relevant to responsibility.
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... We are not so sure this is the case; it seems to us that whether psychopathy counts as a disorder depends upon the definition of disorder used and the subtype of psychopathy under consideration. Thus, while Nadelhoffer and Sinnott-Armstrong argue that psychopaths should count as disordered on an adaptationist, harmful dysfunction account, too, a number of authors have recently argued that on Wakefield's harmful dysfunction approach, psychopathy should not be understood as a disorder, but as an adaptation (Harris et al. 2001;Krupp et al. 2013;Lalumière et al. 2008;Reimer 2008). ...
Are Psychopaths Legally Insane?
Article
Full-text available
  • Nov 2018
The question of whether psychopaths are criminally and morally responsible has generated significant controversy in the literature. In this paper, we discuss what relevance a psychopathy diagnosis has for criminal responsibility. It has been argued that figuring out whether psychopathy is a mental illness is of fundamental importance, because it is a precondition for psychopaths' eligibility to be excused via the legal insanity defense. But even if psychopathy counts as a mental illness, this alone is not sufficient to show the insanity defense is applicable; it must also be shown that, as a result of the illness, specific deficits in moral understanding or control are present. In this paper, we show that a diagnosis of psychopathy will generally not indicate that a defendant is eligible for an insanity defense. This is because the group of individuals subsumed under the diagnosis is so heterogeneous that while some psychopaths do show significant impairments in affect and control which may impact on their responsibility, many psychopaths are not incapacitated in a way relevant to responsibility.
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Psychopathy as a Scientific Kind: On Usefulness and Underpinnings
Chapter
  • Jan 2022
This chapter examines the status of psychopathy as a scientific kind. I argue that the debate on the question whether psychopathy is a scientific kind as it is conducted at present (i.e., by asking whether psychopathy is a natural kind), is misguided. It relies too much on traditional philosophical views of what natural kinds (or: legitimate scientific kinds) are and how such kinds perform epistemic roles in the sciences. The paper introduces an alternative approach to the question what scientific (or: natural) kinds are. On this alternative approach, the Grounded Functionality Account of natural kinds, psychopathy emerges as a “good” scientific kind that is best understood as a region on a multidimensional space of behaviors rather than as a traditional natural kind.
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Do Psychopathic Birds of a Feather Flock Together? Psychopathic Personality Traits and Romantic Preferences
Article
  • Apr 2018
Objective: The goal of the present studies was to investigate whether people are especially attracted to psychopathic traits, and whether there are individual differences characteristics in such attraction. Method: Female undergraduates (N = 270; Mage = 19; 57% White, 20% Asian, 8% Black) and female and male community members (N = 426, Mage = 37; 56% female; 81% Caucasian, 10% African American, 4% Asian) reported on their own personality and constructed their ideal mate for a dating, short‐term, and long‐term relationship from a list of 70 characteristics drawn from well‐validated criteria for psychopathic personality and diagnostic criteria for DSM‐5 personality disorders (PDs). Results: Across both studies, absolute romantic preferences for psychopathic traits collapsed across time point were low on average, but higher than those for most all other PDs. In addition, they were higher for Factor 1 (i.e., interpersonal/affective) as opposed to Factor 2 (i.e., impulsive, antisocial) psychopathy traits. Participants with marked PD features, including Factor 2 psychopathy traits, were more inclined than others to endorse a preference for psychopathic males. Conclusions: Relative attraction to psychopathic males and observed homophily may be avenues through which psychopathic traits persist in the population across time. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
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