Research Article
Personality Assessment in Violent Offenders: The Development of the Antisocial Personality Questionnaire
Author:
Ronald Blackburn
Department of Clinical Psychology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool L69 3GK, GB
Abstract
The Antisocial Personality Questionnaire is a 125-item inventory that measures eight primary traits (self-control, self-esteem, avoidance, paranoid suspicion. resentment, aggression, deviance, extraversion) and two higher-order dimensions (impulsivity-aggression versus control, withdrawal versus sociability). The questionnaire was developed for assessing dangerous mentally disordered offenders, and four profile patterns of primary psychopath, secondary psychopath, controlled personalities, and inhibited personalities have been consistently identified in this population. The derivation of the APQ from an earlier questionnaire is described, and evidence for its validity presented. Although developed with violent offenders, the APQ is likely to be of use in discriminating within offender populations generally.
How to Cite:
Blackburn, R., 1999. Personality Assessment in Violent Offenders: The Development of the Antisocial Personality Questionnaire. Psychologica Belgica, 39(2-3), pp.87–111. DOI: http://doi.org/10.5334/pb.946
Published on
01 Jan 1999.
Peer Reviewed
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