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Shame coping styles and psychopathic personality traits
Justin S Campbell1, Jeff Elison
1Department of Mental Health, Law, & Policy, University of South Florida, USA.
Journal of Personality Assessment
|January 11, 2005
Summary
This study validated the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRPS) by examining its relationship with shame coping. Findings support the convergent validity of both primary and secondary psychopathy scales, linking them to different shame coping styles.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Clinical Psychology
- Forensic Psychology
Background:
- The Levenson, Kiehl, and Fitzpatrick (1995) Self-Report Psychopathy Scale (SRPS) is a widely used measure of psychopathy.
- Understanding the convergent validity of the SRPS is crucial for its accurate interpretation in research and clinical settings.
- Shame coping styles, encompassing adaptive and maladaptive responses, are relevant to understanding personality and behavioral patterns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the convergent validity of the primary and secondary psychopathy scales of the SRPS.
- To examine the relationships between SRPS scales and self-report measures of adaptive and maladaptive shame coping.
- To determine if the SRPS scales correlate as expected with different dimensions of shame processing.
Main Methods:
- Correlational analyses were conducted between the primary and secondary psychopathy scales of the SRPS and self-report shame coping scales.
- A sample of 305 undergraduate students completed the SRPS and measures of adaptive, maladaptive, externalizing, and internalizing shame coping.
- Partial correlations were used to control for the covariance between the SRPS scales.
Main Results:
- The convergent validity of both SRPS primary (interpersonal manipulative style) and secondary (impulsivity, self-defeating behavior) scales was supported.
- Both SRPS scales showed small, significant negative relationships with adaptive shame coping.
- Both SRPS scales exhibited small, significant positive relationships with externalizing shame coping.
Conclusions:
- The findings provide evidence for the convergent validity of the SRPS, indicating its scales measure distinct, yet related, aspects of psychopathy.
- The primary and secondary psychopathy constructs relate differently to shame coping, with primary psychopathy negatively associated and secondary psychopathy positively associated with internalizing shame coping.
- These results enhance the understanding of the SRPS and its utility in exploring the complex interplay between psychopathy and emotional regulation strategies like shame coping.