Original Article Callous-Unemotional Traits and Differently Motivated Aggression: An Examination of Variants in

Emerging psychopathy in youth is often identified by the presence of callous-unemotional traits, while variants of psychopathy are recognized to exist in either primary or secondary form. These variants have been differentially associated with aggressive behavior, as well as dissimilarly motivated (instrumental, reactionary). The present research evaluates those resembling the variants and the qualities of aggression associated with them in a noninstitutionalized sample of youth. Findings suggest that youth resembling the secondary variant demonstrate higher expression of instrumental and reactive aggression compared to the primary-like variants and non-variants. This finding held when scrutinized against other covariates in the noninstitutionalized sample. Further distinctions based on variant type are discussed. Keywords primary psychopathy, secondary psychopathy, reactive aggression, instrumental aggression The presence of callous-unemotional traits (CU traits) in youth is thought to be indicative of nascen