Psychopathy in females was historically overlooked and often went unreported because society promoted the stereotype that women were innately incapable of displaying psychopathic behaviors.   Even today, it is likely that female psychopaths are underreported because many studies and statistics are drawn from predominantly male prison populations.  While researchers are somewhat confident that about 1 out of every...Read More

“The female  psychopath’s interest in others is not based on a desire for greater intimacy, but rather is motivated by a need to be the center of attention.” “[Her] pronounced needs for ‘relatedness’ and adulation from others form the cornerstone of her Histrionic character.” Carl Gacono and F. Barton Evans, The Handbook of Forensic Rorschach Assessment,...Read More

“Psychopathic individuals know well within themselves … feelings of sadistic pleasure, contemptuous delight, sudden dysphoria, and, deep within, a profound disquieting boredom.” “The psychopathic individual … is most vulnerable to chronic feelings of boredom because he or she aggressively empties the world of meaningful relations to ward off feelings of envy and greed.” “Emotional relatedness...Read More

Female psychopaths that are mothers have a devastating impact on their children … some may murder, maim, or expose them to recklessly endangering situations … others, countless more, intentionally expose their children to psychologically and emotionally damaging circumstances. Why? What motivates this behavior?  Psychopaths fundamentally devalue others so as to enrich their personal sense of self … they gain...Read More

HERE IS A SHORT AND  VALUABLE SUMMARY OF SOME FEMALE vs. MALE PSYCHOPATHY TRAITS, SPECIALLY PREPARED FOR THIS BLOG BY DR. CARL GACONO AND DR. JASON SMITH. In studying psychopaths for several decades (see Gacono & Meloy, 1994; Cunliffe & Gacono, 2005, 2008; Cunliffe et al., 2016; Smith, Gacono & Cunliffe, in press; Smith et al.,...Read More