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EXPLORING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PSYCHOPATHY
AND CRIMINAL THINKING AMONG UNDERGRADUATE
STUDENTS IN PESHAWAR, THE MEDIATING ROLE OF
IMPULSIVITY
Ayesha Kaleem
Depa men o Psychology, Fazaia College o Educa ion o Women, Peshawa a ilia ed
wi h Ai Uni e si y
Email: aye[email p o ec ed]
Nageena Qama
Depa men o Psychology, Fazaia College o Educa ion o Women, Peshawa a ilia ed
wi h Ai Uni e si y
Email: nageenaqama @ cwp.edu.pk
D . Shais a Nazi
Depa men o Psychology, Fazaia College o Educa ion o Women, Peshawa a ilia ed
wi h Ai Uni e si y
Email: [email p o ec ed]du.pk
ABSTRACT
This s udy in e oga es he in ica e in e play be ween psychopa hy, impulsi i y and
c iminal cogni ions wi hin an unde g adua e popula ion. Psychopa hy, cha ac e ized by
a ec i e de achmen , manipula i eness and an isocial p ocli i ies has been consis en ly
implica ed in c iminogenic cogni ion, ye he unde lying mechanisms emain
incomple ely unde s ood. Impulsi i y, a mul i ace ed cons uc encompassing cogni i e,
mo o ic and non-planning dimensions is posi ed as a pi o al media o in his nexus.
Employing a co ela ional, c oss-sec ional design, da a we e ob ained om 200 andomly
selec ed BS-le el s uden s (aged 19-24) ac oss mul iple highe educa ion ins i u ions in
Peshawa . Measu es included he Le enson Sel -Repo Psychopa hy Scale, Texas
Ch is ian Uni e si y C iminal Thinking Scale and Ba a Impulsi eness Scale-B ie .
Analysis conduc ed ia SPSS e sion 22, encompassed Pea son co ela ion, media ion
modeling and mul iple eg ession. Resul s e ealed a obus posi i e associa ion be ween
psychopa hic ai s and c iminal cogni ions. Media ion analysis indica ed ha impulsi i y
pa ially accoun ed o his ela ionship, wi h bo h psychopa hy and impulsi i y eme ging
as a signi ican p edic o o c iminogenic cogni ion, join ly explaining 72.5% p
a iance. P ac ically, he s udy unde sco es he impe a i e o ea ly sc eening and
a ge ed in e en ions ocusing on sel - egula ion skills o mi iga e c iminal idea ion in
a - isk s uden popula ions. Fu u e esea ch should inco po a e longi udinal and mul i-
model app oaches o u he un a el he empo al and causal dynamics o hese
in e en ions
Keywo ds: Psychopa hy, Impulsi i y, C iminal Thinking, Media ion, Unde g adua e
S uden s
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In oduc ion
Psychopa hy
Psychopa hy is de ined a pe sonali y diso de cha ac e ized by emo ional apa hy,
Ru hless dis ega d o o he ’s eelings, impulsi i y and a p opensi y o socially de ian
beha io . Indi idual wi h his condi ion o en exhibi a s iking absence o emo ional
dep h, ailing o genuinely connec wi h o he s o expe ience emo se o ha m ul
ac ions. Thei impulsi e na u e and lack o sel -con ol equen ly lead o des uc i e
choices, pe pe ua ing a pa e n o an isocial conduc ha dis ega d socie al no ms and
con en ions (Cleckley, 1941; Ha e, 1996).
Acco ding o Pa ick (2006), psychopa hy is cha ac e ized by a p o ound de iciency in
emo ional esonance, a ha dened indi e ence o he well-being o o he s, a bla an
dis ega d o indi idual igh s and bounda ies. Indi idual wi h hese condi ions o en
exhibi eckless impulsi i y, cunning exploi a i e beha io and a endency o p ey on
o he o pe sonal gain. Fu he mo e, hey equen ly display a p onounced inclina ion
owa ds agg essi e and ha m ul conduc , pe pe ua ing a pa e n o iolen and c iminal
beha io .
A dis inc i e ea u e o psychopa hy is he p opensi y o engage in mo ally ep ehensible
ac ions, despi e demons a ing awa eness o hei own sho comings and e o s (Pa ick,
2006). Ano he de ining cha ac e is ic o psychopa hs is he a ec i e impai men , which
has been ex ensi ely examined in clinical esea ch, ye i s physiological co ela es
emain sh ouded in con o e sy. No wi hs anding, empi ical e idence sugges s ha
psychopa hs may exhibi heigh ened sensi i i y o emo ional s imuli compa ed o he
gene al popula ion; howe e , hei ele a ed au onomic a ousal s a e lads o habi ua ion,
he eby inc easing hei emo ional esponse h eshold (House & Miligan, 1976).
Indi idual wi h psychopa hic endencies possess a unique se o pe sonali y ea u es,
highligh ed wi h a ec i e apa hy, me cilessness, decep i e maneu e ing, eckless
impulsi i y and a bla an dis ega d o esponsibili y (Po e & Woodwo h, 2007).
Psychopa hy is cha ac e ized by se e al key ea u es: (1) dis inc cogni i e impai men s,
pa icula ly in speci ic lea ning domains, and (2) a ec i e ep esen a ion dys unc ion,
leading o (3) di icul ies in ecognizing and espec ing mo al and con en ional
bounda ies, as well as limi a ions in adop ing socially accep ed mo al no ms, and (4)
de ici s in beha io al lexibili y and habi e e sal (Blai , 2005).
Psychopa hy is ma ked by a numbe o emo ional impai men s, encompassing abe an
ea p ocessing (Lykken, 1957; Pa ick e al., 1994), impai ed empa he ic abili ies (Blai ,
1995), and dis up ed soma ic eedback mechanisms (Damasio, T anel, & Damasio,
1990).
C iminal Thinking
C iminal hinking is cha ac e ized as collec ion o cogni i e p ocesses ha include
belie s, alues and a i udes ha legi imize as well as p omo e engagemen in c iminal
ac i i ies. This cogni i e amewo k inclines an indi idual o pe cei e and p ocess
in o ma ion in a way ha p omo es c iminal beha io , in luencing decision making
p ocess (And ews e al., 2006). Wal e s (2009) concep ualizes c iminal hinking as a
men al p ocess ha enables indi idual o jus i y o ake pa in c iminal ac i i ies as well
as sus ain non-compliance wi h legally manda ed no ms, egula ions and laws se by he
go e nmen .
Acco ding o Wal e s (2006a), c iminal hinking consis s o wo key ac o s: hough
con en (wha indi idual hink) and cogni i e p ocesses (how indi idual hink), bo h
ac o s play an impo an ole in d i ing and pe pe ua ing ch onic de ian and illegal
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beha io .
C iminalis ic hough pa e ns a e cha ac e ized as a dys unc ional cogni i e amewo k
consis ing o maladap i e hinking ha suppo s a li e o c ime by p o iding
a ionaliza ions and excuses o engaging in c iminal ac s o illegal conduc (Taxman e
al., 2011).
C ime- acili a ing condi ions a e ma ked by dis o ed c iminalis ic hough pa e ns
(Wal e s, 2003), hese dis o ed hinking s yles leads o he poo judgemen as o ende s
a e mo e likely o ake inco ec decisions wi h hese dis o ed hinking pa e ns which in
u n exace ba e hei u u e o ending (Wal e s, 2006b). Acco ding o Boduszek and
Hyland (2012), illegal hough pa e ns a e he p oduc o social in e ac ions wi h
o ende s and he associa ion wi h pee s who commi c imes plays a p ima y ole in he
de elopmen o illegal ac ions.
C iminalis ic hough pa e ns a e a cogni i e amewo k consis ing o di e en ways o
hinking, eeling, and belie ing ha encou age and p omo e engagemen in illegal
ac i i ies and a delinquen way o li e (Wal e s, 1995). Acco ding o Douglas and Skeem
(2005), c iminal hinking in luences an indi idual’s inne decision-making p ocesses,
a i udes and pe cep ions also i a ec s an indi idual’s in e ac ions wi h en i onmen s,
si ua ions and o he s, ul ima ely in luencing hei likelihood o engaging in unlaw ul
ac ions.
Acco ding o Wal e s (2017), a dec ease in hinking c iminally is a s ong p edic o o
dec eased illici beha io , highligh ing he po en ial o cogni i e change o d i e
beha io al e o m.
Impulsi i y
Impulsi i y, as de ined by Muelle e al. (2001), is he endency o ac on impulse
wi hou aking in o conside a ion he po en ial nega i e ou comes which esul in quick
and impulsi e esponses o ei he in e nal o ex e nal s imula ion. Impulsi i y is a
pi o al cons uc in he s udy o psychopa hology, ea u ing p ominen ly in he
diagnos ic c i e ia o nume ous men al heal h diso de s (E enden, 1999). Ne e heless,
esea ch on impulsi i y has been hinde ed by inconsis en de ini ions and measu emen
app oaches. The in ica e s uc u e o impulsi i y was ecen ly cla i ied by Whi eside and
Lynam (2001), who delinea ed ou di e en aspec s ha unde lie eckless beha io such
as emo ional eac i i y, impulsi e decision making, beha io al impulsi i y and senso y-
seeking p opensi y.
Impulsi i y, cha ac e ized as a endency o exhibi swi , spon aneous esponses o
in e nal and ex e nal s imuli, o en dis ega ding he po en ial de imen al consequences
o onesel o o he s (Chambe lain & Sahakian, 2007), which acco ding o Moelle e al.
(2001), is c ucial in o ming indi idual pe sonali y cha ac e is ics as well as i can
con ibu e o a numbe o ex e nalizing men al heal h condi ions. Speci ically,
impulsi i y can con ibu e o bo de line pe sonali y diso de , cha ac e ized by impulsi e
emo ional dys egula ion (Ame ican Psychia ic Associa ion, 1994), an isocial pe sonali y
diso de , ma ked by impulsi e agg ession and dis ega d o o he s (Swann e al., 2009b),
and subs ance use diso de , whe e impulsi e beha io exace ba e addic ion (E sche e al.,
2010; Moelle e al., 2002).
Impulsi i y e e s o a s able p edisposi ion, whe ein indi iduals exhibi a pe sis en
pa e n o apid and delayed decision-making in con ex s ma ked by ambigui y o unclea
ou comes (Heckel e al., 1989). Impulsi i y in ol es ac ing on impulse wi h li le
o e hough , esul ing in eckless, spon aneous, poo ly planned and po en ially damaging
conduc (Da una & Ba nes, 1993; Moelle e al., 2001; Visse e al., 1996).
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Impulsi i y, whe he conside ed as a esponse pa e n o a b oad pe sonali y ai , has a -
eaching implica ions ac oss a ious domains, including c iminal beha io (Pa on e al.,
1995), pa hology o he pe sonali y (Moelle e al., 2001), eckless decision making
(S an o d e al., 1996), suicidal endencies (Asbe g e al., 1976), diso de s ela ed o
ea ing (Askenazy e al., 1998), subs ance addic ion (Lee & Pau, 2002) and agg essi e
beha io (Halpe in & Newco n, 1998).
Psychopa hy and c iminal hinking
Resea ch has epea edly demons a ed ha psychopa hic cha ac e is ics, c iminal
hinking and unlaw ul ac i i ies a e signi ican ly co ela ed (Wal e s, 2007; Wal e s &
Mandell, 2007).
Acco ding o he esea ch by Dembo e al. (2007), people who ha e high deg ee o
psychopa hic ai s a e s ongly co ela ed o hei likelihood o hinking in a way ha led
o c iminal beha io . Speci ically, indi iduals wi h ele a ed psychopa hic endencies had
a conside ably inc eased likelihood o commi ing a c ime han hose wi h mild
psychopa hic ea u es.
Raga z e al. (2011) explo ed he associa ion be ween psychopa hic p edisposi ions and
de ian cogni i e pa e ns among adolescen s iden i ied as ch onic bullies du ing la e
high school yea s, inding ha ele a ed le els o c iminogenic cogni ion we e s ong
p edic o s o bullying conduc . Empi ical e idence has consis en ly demons a ed ha
indi iduals exhibi ing psychopa hic cha ac e is ics a e mo e inclined o engage in
pe sis en c iminal ac i i ies (DeLisi, 2009), wi h psychopa hy iden i ied as a
p edominan p edic o o ecu en iolen o enses (Ha is e al., 2001). Fu he mo e,
such indi iduals display a heigh ened p obabili y o ea ly in ol emen wi h he ju enile
jus ice sys em (Fo h & Book, 2007) and a e disp opo iona ely ep esen ed in cases
in ol ing iolen ac s (Ha e & McPhe son, 1984).
The cons uc o psychopa hic ai s emains ounda ional in unde s anding he e iology
o ecu en c iminal o enses. Vaughn and Howa d (2005) asse ha psychopa hic ai s
o e a compelling explana o y amewo k o why ce ain indi iduals exhibi ch onic
and se e e an isocial beha io , a iew echoed by DeLisi (2009), who posi s ha
psychopa hy p o ides a mo e obus explana ion o c iminal ac i i y han al e na i e
psychological cons uc s.
A consis en pa e n ac oss empi ical li e a u e a i ms a signi ican co ela ion be ween
psychopa hic ea u es and dis o ed cogni i e schemas associa ed wi h c iminali y
(Gonsal es, Scalo a, & Huss, 2009; Mi chell & Ta a e, 2011; Simou d & Hoge, 2000).
Speci ically, indi iduals exhibi ing psychopa hic cha ac e is ics a e mo e likely o hold
iews ha encou age illegal beha io , suppo ac ions ha m ul o o he s and display weak
a i udes owa d al uis ic and sel less beha io . This cogni i e p o ile sugges s ha
psychopa hy subs an ially in luences he de elopmen and main enance o c iminally
o ien ed a i udes and idea ion.
Gi en ha psychopa hic endencies comp ise a unique se o pe sonali y cha ac e is ics
and conside ing he es ablished impac o pe sonali y on hough p ocess (Jones, Mille
& Lynam, 2011), which sugges ha psychopa hic endencies can shape an indi idual
inclina ion o c iminal hinking pa e ns. Resea ch indica es ha indi idual wi h
psychopa hic endencies exhibi a s onge a ini y o c iminal ideologies and ake
g ea e sa is ac ion in engaging in unlaw ul ac i i ies (Simou d & Hoge, 2000), se ing
hem apa om o ende s who lack such ai s. Psychopa hy and c iminal hinking
inc ease he chance o eo ending. Unde s anding how hey a e connec ed will help
iden i y whe he he p esence o psychopa hic ai s speci ically signals dis inc pa e ns
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o c iminal hinking (Gonsal es e al., 2009; Mo gan e al., 2010).
Mand acchia e al. (2015) empi ically demons a ed ha , e en when he demog aphic
a iables we e s a is ically con olled, heigh ened le els o p ima y and seconda y
psychopa hic endencies signi ican ly de e mined an inc ease in o e all c iminogic
cogni ion, as well as speci ic subse s o ha m ul hough pa e ns.
Psychopa hy and impulsi i y
Anes is, Anes is and Joine (2009) conduc ed an empi ical inqui y in o he associa ion
be ween psychopa hic pe sonali y ai s and impulsi e beha io al endencies among
uni e si y s uden s, u ilizing he UPPS assessmen ool. Thei indings e ealed a obus
and s a is ically signi ican posi i e ela ionship be ween socially de ian psychopa hic
a ibu es and a ious ace s o impulsi i y. These indings we e subs an ia ed by Ray e
al. (2009), whose eplica ion o he s udy wi hin o ende popula ion ea i med he
consis ency o his linkage ac oss bo h clinical and non-clinical samples.
Nume ous esea che s ha e consis en ly iden i ied impulsi i y as a undamen al
cha ac e is ic o psychopa hy (Blackbu n & Coid, 1998; Block, 1995; Dade man, 1999;
Ha e, 1982; Jones & Paulhus, 2011; Klin ebe g e al., 1992; Lynam, 1997; S an o d e
al., 1994; Malesza & Os aszewski, 2016; Ma ch e al., 2017; Vi acco & Roge s, 2001).
This ai is widely ecognized as a key componen o psychopa hic pe sonali y.
Se e al beha io s ha a e he cha ac e is ics o psychopa hy such as eckless sexual
encoun e s, compulsi e gambling, subs ance abuse and illici ac i i ies exhibi impulsi e
endencies (Blaszczynski e al., 1997; Ha is e al., 2007; Syl e s e al., 2011). Such
beha io s a e indica i e o de icien sel - egula o y mechanisms and a p onounced
p ocli i y owa d impulsi e ac ions.
Empi ical indings sugges ha psychopa hic indi iduals display heigh ened ewa d-
seeking beha io s in andem wi h p o ound de ici s in ea eac i i y and anxie y
modula ion (Fowles & Dindo, 2006). Consequen ly, hei disinhibi ed beha io al p o ile
pe sis s la gely unmode a ed by a e si e ou come an icipa ion, e lec ing a se e ely
impai ed inhibi o y con ol sys em.
Acco ding o enowned psychopa hy expe Robe Ha e, he majo i y o indi iduals
engage in an icipa o y cogni i e p ocessing, weighing he po en ial consequences o hei
ac ions p io o making beha io al decisions (Ha e, 1970, 1993). Howe e , indi idual
wi h psychopa hic endencies s uggle o engage in his e lec i e p ocess. Thei
impulsi e na u e compels hem o op o he mos expedien solu ion, p io i izing
immedia e gains o e ca e ul conside a ion o po en ial isks and consequences.
Psychopa hy ep esen s a mul i ace ed pe sonali y pa hology ma ked by manipula i e,
impulsi e and an i-social endencies accompanied by supe icial emo ional expe iences
(Baskin-Somme s e al., 2012; Ma cus a al., 2019). This diso de has been ex ensi ely
s udied wi h a esea che iden i ying wo dis inc sub ypes: p ima y and seconda y
psychopa hy. As a icula ed by Le enson e al. (1995), p ima y psychopa hy is ypi ied
by a ec i e coldness and in e pe sonal de achmen , which acili a e calcula ed,
exploi a i e conduc de oid o empa hy o mo al es ain . Con e sely, seconda y
psychopa hy eme ges om a ec i e ins abili y and beha io al dys egula ion,
mani es ing p edominan ly as impulsi e, e a ic and socially maladap i e endencies.
Impulsi i y and c iminal hinking
Indi iduals exhibi ing impulsi i y, sensa ion-seeking and a limi ed ocus on u u e
ou comes demons a e a ma kedly inc eased p opensi y o engaging in illegal ac s
(Dei ze e al., 2023). The link be ween sho - e m mindse s and c ime has been
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ex ensi ely documen ed, highligh ing he need o explo e he in e sec ion o impulsi i y
and unlaw ul ac i i ies. G i in e al. (2017) de e mined ha impulsi e beha io is a key
disposi ional ac o linked o a ious o ms o high- isk and socially dis up i e
beha io s, including isky sexual ac i i ies, ha m ul subs ance use, compulsi e gambling,
agg essi e ou bu s s and iolen conduc which can con ibu e o c iminal engagemen .
Empi ical e idence epea edly demons a ed ha impulsi e ai s exhibi ed du ing
adolescence se es as a signi ican p ognos ic indica o o delinquen and c iminal
beha io s eme ging in la e adolescence and pe sis ing in o ea ly adul hood (Bech old e
al., 2013). Speci ically impulsi e endencies ha e been linked o iolen c imes including
physical igh s, weapon use, ha m o o he s, a med obbe y and in ima e pa ne
iolence. No ably, impulsi i y cons i u es a undamen al psychological de e minan in
he onse and pe pe ua ion o c iminal ac i i ies as e idenced by i s sys ema ic
inco po a ion in o he p edic i e c i e ia o widely u ilized ools o assessing c iminal
p opensi y. These measu es p io i ize impulsi i y o e o he cons uc s, de e mining i s
impo ance in p edic ing c iminal beha io .
The psychological concep o sel -con ol consis s o he abili y o manage impulsi e
d i es. Empi ical s udies consis en ly demons a e co ela ions be ween di e ences in
sel - egula o y abili ies and a b oad ange o an isocial beha io s (Eisenbe g & Fabes,
1992; Reynolds, 2006). Acco ding o Bay ami e al. (2014), c iminal beha io and o he
an isocial ac ions may s em om declining cogni i e capaci ies. The b ain ope a es
h ough wo dis inc cogni i e sys ems: execu i e unc ions and impai ed execu i e
unc ions. Execu i e unc ions encompass logical easoning, decision-making, beha io al
egula ion and emo i e p ocesses d i en by eelings, desi es and ins inc s. Impai ed
execu i e unc ions and social pe cep ions can in luence decision-making a high- isk
si ua ion, po en ially leading o c iminal ac i i y. No ably, subs ance abuse ela ed isky
beha io s ha e been linked o dys unc ion in he p e on al co ex and hippocampus
egions, a ea c i ical o modula ing impulses and guiding goal-di ec ed, esponsible
beha io .
Sel -con ol is a undamen al concep in c iminology, consis en ly suppo ed by
empi ical e idence showing i s in e se ela ionship wi h c iminal beha io (P a &
Cullen, 2000; Rocque e al., 2016; Ti le, 2011). Acco ding o Go edson and Hi schi
(1990), impulse con ol encompasses mul iple dimensions, pa icula ly he capaci y o
egula e one’s ac ions despi e immedia e desi es. Impulsi i y a c ucial componen o
sel -con ol se es a signi ican ole in c iminological esea ch. Indi iduals wi h
impulsi e endencies exhibi beha io al pa e ns dis inc om hose indi iduals capable
o exe cising es ain (Ma hews e al., 2004). No ably, impulsi e d i es ha e been
consis en ly linked o an isocial beha io (Lynam & Mille , 2004).
Psychopa hy, impulsi i y and c iminal hinking
Gonsal es e al. (2009) conduc ed an empi ical in es iga ion in o he link be ween
maladap i e cogni i e schemas and psychopa hic ai s wi hin he coho male o ensic
inpa ien s. Thei indings indica ed a signi ican posi i e co ela ion be ween he
impulsi e-i esponsible and an isocial subdimensions o psychopa hy and he p esence o
c iminally o ien ed hough pa e ns, he e o e p o ing a hypo hesis ha c iminal
hinking is in ima ely ied o he impulsi i y-d i en and de ian aspec s o psychopa hic
pe sonali y (Ullah e al., 2021).
The T ia chic Model o Psychopa hy sheds a ligh on h ee key componen s: empa hy,
esilience and sensa ion-seeking. Acco ding o Pa ick and D islane (2015), his model
comp ises h ee dis inc dimensions: Disinhibi ion, Meanness and Boldness. Loss o
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inhibi ion is cha ac e ized by impulsi e endencies, de icien inhibi o y con ol, eac i e
agg ession and emo ional ins abili y, Meanness in ol es diminished empa he ic
sensi i i y, weakened in e pe sonal a achmen , in e pe sonal disdain, exploi a i e
in e pe sonal s a egies and callousness ha migh lead o a g ea e p opensi y o
ha ming o he s and engaging in an isocial ac s, which is o en associa ed wi h c iminal
hinking pa e ns. Boldness encompasses ai s such as sel -assu edness, social
dominance, emo ional s eadiness and a heigh ened ole ance o isk- aking (Pa ick &
D islane, 2015).
Al hough obus links be ween psychopa hy, impulsi i y and c iminal hough pa e ns
ha e been well-documen ed, he in e media y unc ion o impulsi i y wi hin his iadic
ela ionship emains unde explo ed pa icula ly wi hin eme ging adul popula ions. The
exis ing li e a u e p ima ily ocuses on adul o ende s o clinical popula ions, neglec ing
he unique dynamics o his associa ion du ing adolescence and ea ly adul hood and he
unde lying hough pa e ns unde lie he mani es a ion o c iminal beha io .
Acco dingly, he p esen esea ch seeks o elucida e he media ing unc ion o impulsi e
endencies in he linkage be ween psychopa hic ai s and c iminogenic cogni i e
pa e ns wi hin an unde g adua e popula ion.
Theo e ical amewo k
The p esen esea ch builds on mul iple widely accep ed psychological models. Ha e’s
(1991) Psychopa hy Checklis -Re ised (PCL-R) o ms he concep ual co ne s one o
ope a ionalizing psychopa hy, delinea ing co e ai s such as glib supe iciali y, de icien
empa hy and p onounced impulsi i y, a ibu es ha subs an ially con ibu es o
an isocial p ocli i ies. These psychopa hic ai s ha is emo ional-de achmen and
manipula i e in e pe sonal s yles may exace ba e an indi idual’s ulne abili y o illegal
cogni ion.
Mo eo e , acco ding o Cogni i e Dis o ion Theo y gi en by Yochelson and Samenow
(1976) people wi h c iminal o illegal endencies some imes ha e dis o ed way o
hinking. People wi h hese dis o ed hough pa e ns usually conside an isocial o
illegal ac s no mal and jus i iable.
He e, impulsi i y can play a ole o media o in be ween psychopa hy and c iminal
hinking. Acco ding o E an’s (2008) Dual P ocess Model, people usually make
decisions in wo ways. One ha is slow and a ional and he o he ha is mo e has y and
impulsi e. People wi h high impulsi e endencies a e mo e likely o p io i ize immedia e
g a i ica ions and hey do no hink abou u u e consequences. People wi h psychopa hic
endencies a e mo e likely o hink his way especially in hei endency o ake isks and
igno e social ules o law (Ullah, 2025).
Acco ding o The gene al Agg ession Model p oposed by Ande son and Dill (2000),
indi iduals wi h ai s like psychopa hy and impulsi i y which in e ac wi h cogni i e
and a ec i e aspec s a e mo e likely o engage in agg essi e and c iminal beha io .
These models o m he basis o p esen s udy by shedding ligh on how impulsi i y play
a i al ole in linking psychopa hic ai s o illegal o c iminal hough s and conduc .
Concep ual amewo k
This esea ch endea o s o examine he in ica e associa ion be ween psychopa hic ai s
and pa e ns o c iminal cogni ion, wi h a pa icula emphasis on he media ing in luence
o impulsi i y. The concep ual amewo k is illus a ed in igu e 1.1.
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Figu e 1.1 diag amma ic ep esen a ion o esea ch a iables
Objec i es o he s udy
The p esen esea ch is designed o pu sue he ollowing co e objec i es:
To c i ically analyze he link be ween psychopa hic endencies and pa e ns o c iminal hinking
wi hin an unde g adua e s uden popula ion.
To sys ema ically in es iga e he p e alence o psychopa hic cha ac e is ics and c iminal
hinking s yles among unde g adua e s uden s.
To assess he media ing in luence o impulsi i y in he dynamic in e play be ween psychopa hy
and p edisposi ions owa d c iminal beha io in unde g adua e coho s.
To de e mine he ex en o which impulsi i y modi ies o ampli ies he link be ween
psychopa hic pe sonali y dimensions and cogni i e pa e ns indica i e o c iminal in en wi hin
s uden popula ions.
Hypo heses
H1: Psychopa hy signi ican ly co ela es wi h c iminal hinking among uni e si y-le el
s uden s.
H2: Impulsi i y signi ican ly media es he link be ween psychopa hic endencies and
c iminal hinking among unde g adua e coho s.
H3: Psychopa hic disposi ions and impulsi e endencies ha e a signi ican p edic i e
e ec on c iminal hinking pa e ns among unde g adua e s uden s.
Me hod:
Pa icipan s o he p esen in es iga ion we e p ocu ed h ough a andomized selec ion
p ocess ac oss mul iple uni e si ies and colleges si ua ed in Peshawa . The inal sample
consis ed o 200 unde g adua e s uden s, wi h an age anging be ween 19-24yea s. Only
hose cu en ly en olled in acc edi ed BS-le el p og ams we e deemed eligible o
inclusion, while indi iduals below 19 yea s o age o no pu suing unde g adua e s udies
we e excluded. Be o e s a ing da a collec ion, pe mission was ob ained om conce ned
ins i u ional au ho i ies. E e y pa icipan was o mally app oached and we e b ie ed
abou he aims, objec i es and e hical amewo k o esea ch and hey we e assu ed ha
hei con iden iali y would be main ained. Volun a y pa icipa ion was p io i ized and
esponden s we e in o med ha hey can wi hd aw any ime wi hou any consequence.
A e ge ing in o med consen , pa icipan s illed ou a bookle which consis s o
demog aphic in o ma ion o m and h ee s anda dized scales: he Le enson Sel Repo
Impulsi i y
Psychopa hy
C iminal Thinking
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Psychopa hy Scale (Le enson e al., 1995), he Texas Ch is ian Uni e si y C iminal
Thinking Scale (Knigh e al., 2006) and he Ba a Impulsi eness Scale B ie (
S einbe g e al., 2013). The comple ed measu es we e subsequen ly collec ed and
p epa ed o s a is ical analysis, which included co ela ional, mul iple eg ession, and
media ion p ocedu es.
Resul s:
Table 1
Demog aphic A ibu es o he S udy Popula ion
Cha ac e is ics n %
Age o Responden s
19 31 15.5
20 35 17.5
21 32 16
22 50 25
23 29 14.5
24 23 11.5
Gende
Males 100 50
Females 100 50
Educa ion
BS 200 100
Socioeconomic s a us
Lowe class 32 16
Middle class 108 54
Uppe class 60 30
No e, N= 200
The demog aphics a ibu es o he s udy’s popula ion a e delinea ed in Table 1. The
sample had a ela i ely balanced dis ibu ion ac oss di e en age g oups, whe ein he 22-
yea age ange demons a ed he mos p onounced ep esen a ion (n=50, 25%) and he
19-yea age demog aphic displayed he leas p onounced p e alence (n=31, 15.5%).
O he age g oups we e e enly ep esen ed, wi h ages 20 (n=35, 17.5%), 21 (n=32, 16%),
23 (n=29, 14.5%), and 24 (n=23, 11.5%). The sample include equal numbe o males and
emales (n=100, 50%) pu suing hei BS deg ees, which indica es a homogenous
educa ion le el among he sample. The socioeconomic backg ound o he majo i y o
pa icipan s was middle-class (n=108, 54%), ollowed by uppe class (n=60, 30%), and
he lowe class (n=32, 16%) which sugges s ha he middle class is he mos ep esen ed
socioeconomic g oup in he s udy.
Table 2 Psychome ic P ope ies o Scales
Scales M SD Range
C onbach’s α
Le enson Sel -Repo Psychopa hy scale 65.70 11.53 43-87 .85
C iminal Thinking Scale (TCU CTS 3.0) 29.99 4.72 21.1-42.3 .81
Ba a Impulsi eness Scale (BIS-11) 21.68 6.77 11-33 .87
Table 2 p esen s he psychome ic a ibu es o he scales employed in his esea ch. The
Le enson Sel -Repo Psychopa hy Scale (LSRP) exhibi ed a mean sco e o 65.70
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