What Can We Learn About Psychopathic Offenders by Studying Their Communication? A Review of the Literature.

Experts have long warned against psychotherapy with psychopathic offenders out of a fear that they will beguile therapists into believing they have been rehabilitated, only to commit new offenses upon release. Yet the question is not whether to communicate with psychopathic offenders, but rather how to do so in a way which can facilitate real change. In this article, we ask: What can we learn about psychopathic offenders by studying their communication? We review the literature and describe how psychopathy is manifested in communication, how psychopathy can be understood based on this communication, and how therapists may communicate with psychopaths to create change and avoid being fooled.

Under the surface: the dynamic interpersonal and affective world of psychopathic high-security and detention prisoners.

The present study yields an in-depth examination of the interpersonal and affective world of high-security and detention prisoners with possible (Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version [PCL:SV] ≥ 13) and strong (PCL:SV ≥ 18) indications of psychopathy. A group of male inmates (n = 16) was compared with noncriminal and non-personality disordered controls (n = 35) on measures of self and other (Young Schema Questionnaire-Short Form [YSQ-SF], Inventory of Interpersonal Problems-Circumplex Scales [IIP-C]), and the experience and regulation of affect (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule [PANAS], Emotion Control Questionnaire 2 [ECQ2]). Results confirm the established grandiose, dominant, and callous characteristics of the psychopath (PCL:SV, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis II Disorders [SCID-II], DSM-IV and ICD-10 Personality Questionnaire [DIP-Q], IIP-C), while demonstrating personal distress and important nuances and variations in psychopathic offenders' interpersonal and affective functioning (YSQ-SF, PANAS, ECQ2, SCID-II, DIP-Q).

Looking for the hannibal behind the cannibal: current status of case research.

The character Hannibal "the Cannibal" Lecter, best known from the motion picture The Silence of the Lambs from 1991, has become a cultural icon and model for later portrayals of seriously disturbed offenders. He displays key characteristics of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised, such as arrogance, manipulation, callousness, and lack of remorse. From a clinical point of view, one of the most fascinating aspects with Lecter is his display of a variety of capacities alternating between cold-blooded predatory behavior, affection toward FBI special agent Starling, and mourning of the loss of his sister Mischa.