ABSTRACT
The current chapter reviews the linkages between psychopathy and sexual aggression. The relationships are complex because certain facets of psychopathy are differentially associated with specific dimensions of sex crimes, and these relationships vary between types of sexual aggressors. There are also multiple pathways to sexual aggression, including an antisocial pathway, the callous–unemotional pathway, and the mixed callous–unemotional antisocial pathway; this last presents the complete picture of psychopathy as it relates to the quality and quantity of sexual violence among the most serious and violent sexual aggressors. When the affective, interpersonal, and antisocial dimensions of psychopathy coincide with persistent and harmful deviant sexual fantasies and/or paraphilia, the outcome tends to be the most serious and violent sexual crimes.
