A systematic review on the current conceptualisations of successful psychopathy

The concept of successful psychopathy has been debated for years, however, there is yet no unified approach to its definition and conceptualisation. Such individuals are said to encompass the core traits associated with psychopathy, whilst continuing to function in society, potentially having superior levels of functioning. This review assimilates the existing literature related to successful psychopathy in the general population. An extensive systematic review was performed using four databases, and two key concepts; namely success and psychopathy. After removing duplicates and articles deemed irrelevant, 180 papers were appraised against the review’s inclusion and exclusion criteria. The remaining 19 papers underwent quality control by two raters. A narrative synthesis was performed. The key factors associated with the successful psychopathy construct were fearlessness, stress immunity, social potency, normal or superior cognitive performance, professional achievement, stable socioeconomic status, leadership, pride, and aversion to punishment during conflict. Inconsistent findings were considered a result of the variations in psychopathy measurements used, and a lack of an agreed definition of success. Recommendations are provided for the establishment of a unified framework, and the need for a moderated measure of successful psychopathy to allow more systematic research into the notion of successful psychopathy in the general populations.