Conceptualising psychopathy: Empirical, clinical and case interpretations

The diagnosis of psychopathy in individuals poses a number of challenges for psychologists, psychiatrists, the legal system and society at large. In addition to classifying an individual’s personality disorder, the implications for treatment, legal recourse and remedy may hinge upon effective, reliable and valid diagnosis. This chapter discusses the current state of psychopathy assessment and classification, both existing and emerging, particularly considering how assessment regimes are closely linked to an underlying conceptualisation of psychopathy. Currently, there is much contention regarding various presentations of psychopathic personality, including what constitutes criminal, noncriminal or even successful psychopathy. The chapter proposes the Clinical Classification Criteria of Psychopathy (CCCP) as a clinical framework within which to assess and classify individuals with psychopathy, illustrated by the use of five case histories.