A systematic review on the current conceptualisations of successful psychopathy

Abstract

The concept of successful psychopathy has been debated for years, however, there is yet to be any unified approach to its definition and conceptualisation. Such individuals are said to encompass the core traits associated with psychopathy, whilst continuing to function in society, potentially having superior levels of functioning. This review assimilates the existing literature related to successful psychopathy within the general population, with an aim to begin developing a unified theoretical understanding of the construct. An extensive systematic review was performed using four databases, and two key concepts, namely success and psychopathy. After removing duplicates and articles deemed irrelevant, 18 papers were found to meet the authors study guidelines and were appraised for quality and inclusion by two raters. A narrative synthesis was performed. The key factors associated with the successful psychopathy construct were fearlessness, stress immunity, social potency, normal or superior cognitive performance, professional achievement, stable socioeconomic status, leadership, pride, and aversion to punishment during conflict. Inconsistent findings were considered a result of the variations in psychopathy measurements used, and a lack of an agreed definition of success. Recommendations are provided for the establishment of a unified framework, and the need for a psychometric measure of successful psychopathy to allow more systematic research into the concept of successful psychopathy within general population samples.

Keywords

• Psychopathy
• Success
• Fearless dominance
• Adaptation
• Functioning
• Corporate psychopathy