A new study published in the Journal of Personality suggests that individuals exhibiting secondary psychopathic traits are perceived as less intelligent than those with primary psychopathic traits.
The research examined how laypeople view the intelligence of others based on psychopathic traits.
Here are some key findings:
- Individuals described as exhibiting high secondary psychopathy traits (impulsivity, risk-taking) were rated as significantly less intelligent than all other groups.
- Individuals with high primary psychopathic traits (callousness, manipulation) were still perceived as reasonably intelligent, more so than the high secondary psychopathy group.
- Those with low levels of both primary and secondary psychopathic traits were perceived as the most intelligent overall.
- Participants’ own psychopathy levels correlated with how intelligent they rated psychopathic others – the higher their own primary psychopathy, the more intelligent they found others high in primary psychopathy.
Source: J Intell. 2023
This research sheds light on why the different facets of psychopathy relate differently to real-world outcomes like educational and career success.
The Two Factors of Psychopathy
Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by lack of empathy, remorse, and disinhibited behavior.
It is considered to have two underlying factors:
- Primary Psychopathy: Callous, manipulative traits
- Secondary Psychopathy: Impulsive, risk-taking traits
These two factors relate differently to achievement and criminality.
Primary psychopathy correlates with successful careers, while secondary psychopathy correlates with violence, substance abuse, and unsuccessful outcomes.
The current study aimed to explore whether people’s perceptions of intelligence reflect these real-world differences.
Studying Perception of Psychopathic Traits
The study had 458 participants (mostly female) read 12 vignettes depicting individuals with varying levels of primary and secondary psychopathic traits.
After each vignette, participants rated how likely it was the person had a high IQ and attended university.
These two ratings were combined into an overall “perceived intelligence” score.
Participants also filled out a psychopathy checklist about themselves, assessing their own primary and secondary psychopathic tendencies.
Primary vs. Secondary Psychopathy & Perception of Intelligence
The study found clear differences in how intelligent participants rated the vignette characters:
- High secondary psychopathy individuals were rated as significantly less intelligent than all other groups.
- High primary psychopathy individuals were still rated reasonably intelligent, more so than the high secondary group.
- Those with low primary and secondary psychopathy were perceived as the most intelligent overall.
These perceptions mirror real-world data on how primary and secondary psychopathy relate to success – secondary traits are viewed negatively, while primary traits maintain some positives.
The authors suggest that perceived self-control and impression management may drive these intelligence attributions.
Secondary psychopaths are seen as reckless rule-breakers, while primary psychopaths can put on a charming, put-together facade.
Personal Psychopathic Traits & Perception of Others
Interestingly, participants’ own primary psychopathy scores predicted how intelligent they found the primary psychopath vignettes.
The higher someone scored in primary psychopathy themselves, the more intelligent they rated others high in primary psychopathy.
This suggests a “like attracts like” phenomenon.
We see similar others as more appealing and may overlook their dark traits.
For secondary psychopathy, there was no relationship between participants’ scores and ratings of vignettes.
Implications for Careers and Crime
These findings have real-world relevance for how psychopathic traits relate to success.
Being seen as intelligent helps primary psychopathic individuals achieve leadership roles and career advancement.
It may also lead to lighter sentences in court.
In contrast, secondary psychopaths may face discrimination and assume a criminal path, partly due to perceptions of low intelligence.
The study is limited by its vignette methodology and self-report psychopathy measure.
But it provides initial evidence that intelligence perceptions match real-world outcomes for different psychopathy facets.
Going forward, directly assessing abilities and having participants interact could strengthen conclusions.
Investigating other factors like socioeconomic status would also be informative.
Still, this research helps explain psychopathy’s two-faced nature.
While both facets may lack empathy and conscience, only secondary psychopathy is starkly perceived as unintelligent and disruptive.
Primary psychopathic individuals maintain an appearance of competence and control.
Perception shapes reality.
Beliefs about intelligence can open or close doors to achievement, helping dictate primary and secondary psychopaths’ radically divergent fates.
References
- Study: Dangerously intelligent: a call for re-evaluating psychopathy using perceptions of intelligence
- Authors: Sergio A. Silverio et al. (2023)
