A Comparative Analysis of Self-Control and Psychopathy
Date
2019-05
Authors
Ayala, Mykle L.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Abstract
Self-control and psychopathy, despite being dominant conceptualizations from their respective fields, have seldom been compared with one another to assess their similar and unique attributes as well as measured in their ability to predict future offending. Therefore, the focus of this thesis is to observe how various scales of self-control and psychopathy relate with one another at both the total and facet level. The data used for analysis was pulled from the 2000-2003 Pathways to Desistance study, with the Weinberger Adjustment Inventory (WAI; Weinberger & Schwartz, 1990), Psychopathy Checklist: Youth Version (PCL: YV; Forth, Kosson, & Hare, 2003), and Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory (YPI; Andershed, Kerr, Stattin, & Levander, 2002) scales used for comparison. Results indicate substantial overlap between the two constructs, including between various facets that comprise each scale. This is particularly true in terms of impulsivity and aggression. However, the affective deficits captured in the psychopathy measures are somewhat distinct from the self-control measure. All measures moderately predicted offending, with self-control demonstrating a slight advantage.
Description
Keywords
Convergent validity, Divergent validity, Criminal propensity, Personality traits, Criminal offending
Citation
Ayala, M. L. (2019). <i>A comparative analysis of self-control and psychopathy</i> (Unpublished thesis). Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas.