Örebro Studies in Psychology 28 I
ÖREBRO 2013´
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2013 selma salihovic is a researcher affiliated to the Centerfor Developmental Research at Örebro University, Sweden. She earned her Master’s degree in Psychology from Örebro University in 2008. Her research interests lie in the area of developmental psychology. Specifically, she is interested in the development of psychopathy in adolescents, and the factors that mitigate and exacerbate antisocial behavior. For most people, adolescence is a time of exploration, and a majority of te-enagers do something that is against the law. Very few of these young people go on to have criminal careers. For some youths, however, adolescence is merely a stepping-stone that catapults them into a lifestyle of criminality and antisocial behavior. These youths will grow up to be the elusive minority that will account for a majority of the most socially devastating crimes. Who are these youths? The answer from research is that they are not so elusive after all. Mounting evidence suggests that one common denominator of the most violent and aggressive youths is a personality profile characterized by a lack of empathy and remorse, egocentricity, insecurity, and impulsive behavior. This personality profile, known as psychopathy, has been described as a blueprint for violence. Yet, very little is known about its expression in adolescence, and the patterns of development that lead to a criminal lifestyle in adulthood. This dissertation provides some insights into the expressions of psychopathic personality in adolescence. The results reveal that a psychopathic personality profile characterizes a small group of youths who maintain high levels of psychopathic traits and engage in persistent patterns of delinquent behavior throughout adolescence. Their psychopathic traits, more so than delinquency, have a negative effect on the relationship quality with their parents, which only get worse over time. Taken together, the results of this dissertation speaks for the importance of considering psychopathic personality traits in adolescents, and the importance of early treatment to avert what otherwise is a route to a criminal lifestyle.
issn 1651-1328 isbn 978-91-7668-982-0