Interpersonal and personal construct systems in psychopaths

Used the repertory grid technique to explore psychopaths' interpersonal and personal construct systems. 17 primary psychopaths, 17 secondary psychopaths, and 12 controls, all under age 40, were studied. 30 situations were used as elements, 10 constructs were elicited, and 8 were supplied. There were 2 administrations of the grid: Ss were asked (a) to construe as individuals, and (b) how they thought people in general construed the situations. Construct systems of the primary psychopaths were lopsided and idiosyncratic but highly consistent over the 2 administrations. Secondary psychopaths and controls manifested less lopsidedness, less consistency, and less social discrepancy. Psychopaths showed a significant degree of general misperception about people in general and a more specific misperception along the dull-exciting construct dimension. Results suggest a clear-cut link between the cognitive and physiological aspects of psychopathy. It is suggested that psychopaths may be deficient in construing the construction processes of other people and that these idiosyncracies in their construct patterning might partially explain their unpredictable behavioral reactions. (16 ref)