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. We recommend that therapists do not withdraw from psychopathic offenders but rather study their communication more carefully.