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Factors of the Psychopathic Personality Inventory

Criterion-Related Validity and Relationship to the BIS/BAS and Five-Factor Models of Personality

DePauw University

Stephen D. Benning

Vanderbilt University, stephen.d.benning{at}vanderbilt.edu

Christopher J. Patrick

University of Minnesota-Twin Cities

Angela Thompson

DePauw University

Amanda Thurston

DePauw University

Psychopathy is a personality disorder that includes interpersonal-affective and antisocial deviance features. The Psychopathic Personality Inventory (PPI) contains two underlying factors (fearless dominance and impulsive antisociality) that may differentially tap these two sets of features. In a mixed-gender sample of undergraduates and prisoners, we found that PPI fearless dominance was related to low Behavioral Inhibition System activity, high Behavioral Activation System (BAS) activity, expert prototype psychopathy scores, and primary psychopathy. Impulsive antisociality was related to high BAS activity and all psychopathy measures. High Extraversion and Openness and low Neuroticism and Agreeableness predicted fearless dominance, whereas high Neuroticism and low Agreeableness and Conscientiousness predicted impulsive antisociality. Although low levels of Agreeableness predicted both PPI factors, their differential relations with other five-factor model traits highlight differences in the way psychopathy manifests itself. Consistent with movements toward assessing personality disorder using the five-factor model, the authors report regression-based equations for the clinical assessment of these psychopathy dimensions using the NEO Personality Inventory—Revised (NEO-PI-R).

Key Words: Psychopathic Personality Inventory • fearless dominance • impulsive antisociality • five-factor model • NEO-PI-R • psychopathy • personality

This version was published on March 1, 2009

Assessment, Vol. 16, No. 1, 71-87 (2009)
DOI: 10.1177/1073191108322207


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