Parsing fear: A reassessment of the evidence for fear deficits in psychopathy
Source
Psychological Bulletin, 142, 6, (2016), pp. 573-600ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor
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Organization
SW OZ BSI KLP
SW OZ DCC NRP
Journal title
Psychological Bulletin
Volume
vol. 142
Issue
iss. 6
Languages used
English (eng)
Page start
p. 573
Page end
p. 600
Subject
DI-BCB_DCC_Theme 3: Plasticity and Memory; Experimental Psychopathology and Treatment; Neuropsychology and rehabilitation psychology; Neuro- en revalidatiepsychologieAbstract
Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by interpersonal manipulation and callousness, and reckless and impulsive antisocial behavior. It is often seen as a disorder in which profound emotional disturbances lead to antisocial behavior. A lack of fear in particular has been proposed as an etiologically salient factor. In this review, we employ a conceptual model in which fear is parsed into separate subcomponents. Important historical conceptualizations of psychopathy, the neuroscientific and empirical evidence for fear deficits in psychopathy are compared against this model. The empirical evidence is also subjected to a meta-analysis. We conclude that most studies have used the term “fear” generically, amassing different methods and levels of measurement under the umbrella term “fear.” Unlike earlier claims that psychopathy is related to general fearlessness, we show there is evidence that psychopathic individuals have deficits in threat detection and responsivity, but that the evidence for reduced subjective experience of fear in psychopathy is far less compelling.
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- Academic publications [245104]
- Electronic publications [132384]
- Faculty of Social Sciences [30335]
- Open Access publications [105987]
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