Hi Speaking as a relative novice on psychopathy (some reading on it because of my interest in inhibition and my wife being a psychologist with Correctional Service of Canada), it appears from the actual papers (Skeem & Cook original, Hare response, and rebuttal) that the debate about the nature of psychopathy has been going on for some time and now has been raised to something of a meta-debate level (e.g., have Hare's measures become so popular as to impede progress in the area).
With respect to the lawsuits and delays in publication, it is difficult to say how warranted they might have been without seeing earlier versions of the manuscript. Certainly Hare's reply indicates that even now (presumably after revisions?) he feels that his views are misrepresented. One would hope that competent editorial processes would avoid gross distortions of people's views? I can't say I found the Skeem and Cook paper that compelling, especially on the general point (which I think was central to them) that the PCL has impeded progress in understanding psychopathy and its relation to criminal behavior because of its purported emphasis on criminal activities, its failure to distinguish between traits and behavioral manifestations of traits, and its overall success. I did not see any mention in their paper of actual barriers to them and other researchers developing better measures and carrying out whatever research they thought best to further our understanding of psychopathology. It seemed analogous to someone complaining that Wecshler's tests have become so dominant in the field of intelligence as to interfere with our understanding of the construct. And I'm not sure that a sharp distinction between traits and manifestations is always that easy to maintain (which does not mean that one should not try). For example, can one even talk about a trait like dishonesty without alluding to behaviors such as lying, stealing, cheating, ...? I'd be interested in other's reactions, especially far more knowledgeable people like Scott, who has worked in the area and published with Skeem. I was motivated to read the material because the idea of Hare suing to stop publication seemed quite discrepant with his public persona (very congenial) when he presented last week in accepting an award from the Canadian Psychological Association. Take care Jim James M. Clark Professor of Psychology 204-786-9757 204-774-4134 Fax [email protected] >>> "Christopher D. Green" <[email protected]> 12-Jun-10 11:11:25 PM >>> Bob Hare has threatened a lawsuit to prevent the APA from publishing a scholarly article that is critical of (the impact of) his psychopathy scale. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/12/health/12psych.html?hpw Chris -- Christopher D. Green Department of Psychology York University Toronto, ON M3J 1P3 Canada 416-736-2100 ex. 66164 [email protected] http://www.yorku.ca/christo/ ========================== --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a891720c9&n=T&l=tips&o=3055 or send a blank email to leave-3055-13251.645f86b5cec4da0a56ffea7a89172...@fsulist.frostburg.edu --- You are currently subscribed to tips as: [email protected]. To unsubscribe click here: http://fsulist.frostburg.edu/u?id=13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df5d5&n=T&l=tips&o=3059 or send a blank email to leave-3059-13090.68da6e6e5325aa33287ff385b70df...@fsulist.frostburg.edu
