ABSTRACT
Drawing on prior scholarship advancing psychopathy as a unified theory of crime, the current chapter argues that the basic elements of antisocial behavior or crime are effectively isomorphic to the elemental characteristics of psychopathy. Whereas crime reflects a behavior that is self-centered, short-sighted, inconsiderate, mean, defiant, and impulsive, psychopathy also posits an individual that is egocentric, narcissistic, or self-centered, has a short time horizon, is inconsiderate, antagonistic, and guiltless, is mean, callous, and malevolent, is defiant and scheming, and is impulsive and prone to boredom. Recent research is reviewed indicating that psychopathy is virtually always significantly associated with criminal conduct, and often in multitudinous ways. When one examines more severe, violent, and chronic criminal behavior, psychopathy is even more salient. Psychopathy and crime are thus inextricably linked.
