Psychopathy in Light of the Dark Triad: Inter-correlations Between the Capp and the Lsrp

Abstract

This study investigated inter-correlations between the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality (CAPP) and popular measures of the Dark Triad of Personality as the CAPP has not yet been applied in this context. The Dark Triad was measured using the Mach-IV (Machiavellianism), NPI (Narcissism), LSRP (Psychopathy) and the CAPP. Participants were 100 adults (aged 18-65) currently in leadership roles. The LSRP measures primary (P1; interpersonal/affective variant) and secondary (P2; behavioural variant) psychopathy, while the CAPP measures six domains of psychopathic personality: Self, Attachment, Behavioural, Dominance, Emotional and Cognitive. Correlational analysis revealed significant correlations between all four measures, but divergences were also found. Total CAPP scores were significantly correlated with both P1 and P2 of the LSRP. When controlling for the LSRP the CAPP was significantly correlated with the Mach-IV, but not with the NPI. Findings suggest that the CAPP may tap the same underlying construct as the LSRP and Mach-IV. As the CAPP is a relatively new measure of psychopathic personality, validating its use in different populations is of high importance.