A study presented at Cambridge suggests the prevalence of female psychopathy may be underestimated.
While typically thought to be six times more common in men, the researcher believes gender bias has obscured accurate rates.
Interviewing experts and analyzing prior work, he found women display psychopathic traits differently than men, making them less likely to be identified.
Specifically, female psychopaths tend to be more manipulative and deceitful while appearing caring.
They also rely more on words than violence.
Accounting for these factors, the study estimates the actual gender ratio is closer to 1.2 males for every 1 female, up to five times higher than believed.
Dr. Clive Boddy said this has implications for risk assessment in criminal justice and organizational leadership selection which currently presume women are more honest and empathetic.
Dr.Boddy wrote in a statement, “People generally attribute psychopathic characteristics to males rather than to females. So even when females display some of the key traits associated with psychopathy – such as being insincere, deceitful, antagonistic, unempathetic and lacking in emotional depth – because these are seen as male characteristics they may not be labeled as such, even when they should be.”
He continued, “Also, female psychopaths tend to use words, rather than violence, to achieve their aims, differing from how male psychopaths tend to operate. If female psychopathy expresses differently, then measures designed to capture and identify male, criminal, psychopaths may be inadequate at identifying female non-criminal, psychopaths.”
Dr. Boddy explained, “Female psychopaths, while not as severely psychopathic or as psychopathic as often as males are, have nevertheless been underestimated in their incidence levels and are therefore more of a potential threat to business and society than anyone previously suspected.”
He added, “This has implications for the criminal justice system because current risk management decisions involving partners and children may be faulty. It also has implications for organizational leadership selection decisions because female leaders cannot automatically be assumed to be more honest, caring and concerned with issues such as corporate social responsibility.”
