The SRP-II as a Rich Source of Data on the Psychopathic Personality

Abstract

This study examined the factor structure, external correlates, and predictive utility of the Self-Report Psychopathy scale (SRP-II; Hare, Harpur, & Hemphill, 1989). Despite a revision of the SRP-II to address, among other criticisms, a lack of items reflecting antisocial behavior, we hypothesized that the SRP-II would have a conceptually coherent factor structure and sufficiently tap facets of the psychopathic personality. Participants for the present investigation were 1,257 undergraduate students who completed a battery of psychological tests. Confirmatory factor analyses of previous 2-factor models did not fit the data well. A series of exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses revealed a rationally derived 4-factor model to have the best fit. This model was conceptually coherent, and the factors were linked to, and significant predictors of, external correlates relevant to psychopathy. Indeed, the present study suggests that the SRP-II provides a rich source of data for examining the construct of psychopathy as delineated by Cleckley (1941), while also tapping the personality-oriented facets of Hare's 4-factor model. Show more