The diagnostic criteria for psychopathy according to Cleckley

Psychopathy, currently out of use in the clinical setting, can be equated with the antisocial personality disorder of DSM. Now it is beginning to be replaced by the term sociopathy. These are people who manipulate, transgress and violate social norms for their own benefit, without having any kind of remorse.

In this article we will talk about the diagnostic criteria of psychopathy according to Cleckley. Cleckley was the initiator of the study of psychopathy, and embodied his criteria in his famous work The Mask Of Sanity (1941).

• Related article: "Psychopathy: what happens in the psychopath's mind?"

Hervey cleckley

Hervey Cleckley was an American physician, born in 1903 and died in 1984. Cleckley was the pioneer of psychopathy research, and proposed a series of diagnostic criteria for it. The diagnostic criteria of psychopathy according to Cleckley, were described in 1941 in his book "The Mask of Sanity".

These criteria were the basis of the subsequent criteria, used in the various classifications that have been subsequently developed, including the DSM (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders). Thus, Cleckley was the initiator of the study of psychopathy, and after him came authors such as Blackburn and Hare (the latter ended up being the most relevant author).

Also, Cleckley introduced the concept of "semantic insanity", to refer to what he considered the main characteristic of psychopathy.

The semantic dementia consisted of the separation between the word and the action, which resulted in “highly asocial, aggressive and impulsive, lacking feelings and guilt (sometimes not entirely), and unable to bond lasting with other [...] people emotional superficiality, seemingly pleasant social interaction and inability to learn from experience".

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Diagnostic criteria for psychopathy according to Cleckley

Cleckley developed his criteria for psychopathy (1941, 1976) through studies he carried out in various real-life cases. These criteria comprised a number of significant features in the field of psychopathy, some of which were shared with others already designated by Gray and Hutchinson (1964).

His list of criteria would comprise the most significant and complex description of that time, and the traits would remain until Hare's description in 1991.

Thus, the diagnostic criteria for psychopathy according to Cleckley are a total of 16:

• Presence of an external charm and of a remarkable intelligence.
• Absence of hallucinations or other signs of irrational thinking.
• Absence of nervousness of psychoneurotic manifestations.
• Instability, little formality.
• Falsehood and insincerity.
• Lack of feelings of remorse or shame.
• Inadequately motivated antisocial behavior.
• Insufficient reasoning and lack of ability to learn from lived experience.
• Pathological egocentrism and inability to love.
• General poverty in the main affective relationships.
• Specific loss of intuition.
• Insensitivity in interpersonal relationships general.
• Fantastic behavior and not recommended, with and without drink.
• Suicide threats rarely carried out.
• Impersonal, trivial and poorly integrated sex life.
• Failure to follow a life plan.

The term psychopath

The term "psychopath" began to be used with the appearance of Hervey Cleckley's book, The mask of sanity, published in 1941. From that moment, the term "psychopath" began to refer to a theoretical construct with very defined personality characteristics that differentiate it from the common criminal.

This "common criminal" is the one who would be diagnosed as antisocial according to the classification manuals for mental disorders (DSM-IV and ICD-10).

In this way, the term psychopath, despite the fact that its official classification is that of antisocial personality disorder, presents a series of traits and characteristics that make up a distinct subgroup within the broader concept of antisociality.

What are these people like?

Psychopaths, at present (and according to most manuals and experts, although there are slight discrepancies) are defined as people with characteristics such as irresponsibility, dishonesty, emotional insensitivity, cruelty and lack of remorse towards their actions (that is, they have no feelings of guilt). Many of these traits have already been defined in the diagnostic criteria for psychopathy according to Cleckley,

In other cases, the behavioral traits may be more subtle or "hidden," and manifest in the form of manipulative behaviors, superficial charm, and so on. These behaviors can cause confusion in the people around them in relation to the true evil of the psychopath's intentions.

Psychopaths are usually skilled and socially accepted people; they use their skills as a "social weapon" to achieve their purposes. They are people who have learned the "rules of the game" to be able to approach the people from whom they can obtain benefits.

In line with the diagnostic criteria for psychopathy according to Cleckley, for psychopaths human relationships are not necessary, but rather they only have the utility of providing what they are interested in obtaining.

It is from here that the need arises to learn social norms and social interaction, in order to take advantage of people and use, manipulate, mistreat or even (in extreme cases) kill them whim.

Bibliographic references:

• Alba, J.L. and Garrido, V. (2012). Psychopathy. Study of cases. Psychopathy in the XXI century: Notes for reflection, Criminology and Justice, 18-24.
• APA (2014). DSM-5. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. Madrid. Pan American.
• Millon, T. (1998). Personality disorders. Beyond DSM-IV. Barcelona: Masson.
• WHO (2000). ICD-10. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Edition. Madrid. Pan American.