Keesler Michael E, DeMatteo David
Department of Psychology, Drexel University, 3141 Chestnut Street, Stratton Suite 119, Philadelphia, PA, 19104.
J Forensic Sci. 2017 Nov;62(6):1522-1533. doi: 10.1111/1556-4029.13485. Epub 2017 Jun 23.
While conceptualization of psychopathy has evolved, so too has the public's relationship with psychology changed. Concurrently, portrayal of psychopaths has made several shifts, both through nonfiction sources and in popular film and television. Psychopathic villains of the mid-20th century have made space for a growing cast of protagonist psychopaths. This study examined whether a relationship existed between exposure to fictional psychopaths and how lay individuals conceptualize psychopathy. Specifically, this study explored conceptualization differences based on exposure to antagonist versus protagonist fictional psychopaths. Surveyed community participants supported earlier research suggesting mixed misunderstanding of psychopathy. Additionally, higher exposure to protagonist psychopaths was associated with higher endorsement of flattering distractor traits, reflecting a kind of romanticized psychopathy. These findings have legal, practical, and ethical implications, including the potential for biased jurors, confounded research about psychopathy's labeling effect, and questions about how psychologists should respond on an individual and systemic level.
随着对心理变态的概念化不断演变，公众与心理学的关系也发生了变化。与此同时，无论是通过非虚构作品还是流行影视，对心理变态者的刻画也有了一些转变。20世纪中叶的心理变态反派角色，为越来越多的主角型心理变态者腾出了空间。本研究考察了接触虚构心理变态者与普通个体如何理解心理变态之间是否存在关联。具体而言，本研究探讨了基于接触反派与主角虚构心理变态者而产生的概念化差异。接受调查的社区参与者支持了早期研究，该研究表明对心理变态存在混合性误解。此外，更多接触主角型心理变态者与对讨人喜欢的干扰性特质的更高认可相关，这反映出一种浪漫化的心理变态。这些发现具有法律、实践和伦理意义，包括陪审员可能存在偏见、关于心理变态标签效应的研究可能受到混淆，以及心理学家在个体和系统层面应如何应对的问题。
