Comparative Analysis of Psychopath Risk-Taking Tendency: Perspective from the Evolutionary Domain-Specific Risk Scale

Abstract

This paper examines psychopathy as an adaptive trait, exploring the influence of the environment on the development of psychopathic traits. It considers the Adaptive Calibration Model (ACM) and the Life History Theory (LHT) to explain how harsh and threatening environments may lead to the adoption of psychopathic characteristics as a survival strategy. This paper analyzes the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCLR) and the Evolutionary Domain-Specific Risk Scale (ERS) to associate psychopathy with a decreased sensitivity to stress response systems and a focus on short-term benefits in “dangerous” environments. This research delves into potential sex differences in risk-taking tendencies among psychopathic subjects, highlighting a need for consistent self-reported measures using the Balloon Analog Risk Task (BART) for future assessments.