Investigating gender differences in psychopathy using a community sample: empathy, anxiety and self-control

Psychopathy is generally defined as a personality disorder and is characterised by a range of affective and behavioural features. While psychopathy is a well-established construct there is an increase in research into two possible subtypes: primary psychopathy and secondary psychopathy. However, gender differences within psychopathy, its subtypes, and its traits are not particularly common. The current study aimed to investigate gender differences within primary and secondary psychopathy and how cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, anxiety, and self-control were involved in these subtypes. The results revealed that men displayed significantly higher rates of both primary and secondary psychopathy than women, but there were no gender differences in cognitive empathy, emotional empathy, anxiety, and self-control. Additionally, it was found that for men low cognitive empathy and low self-control were predictors of both primary and secondary psychopathy and high anxiety was a predictor of secondary psychopathy. For women high emotional empathy and low self-control were predictors of both primary and secondary psychopathy. Limitations of the study, the implications of the results, and ideas for future research are discussed