Title: Why Female Psychopaths Are a Different Breed | Psychology Today
Headings: Why Female Psychopaths Are a Different Breed
Why Female Psychopaths Are a Different Breed
Callous and opportunistic, female psychopaths are the rarest of a rare breed. Though they share much with their male counterparts, they may be even better equipped to elude detection.
What makes a female psychopath?
Wolves in Sheep's Clothing
Unlikely to Succeed

Content: They excel at deception and manipulation. Using a shortened, self-report version of the checklist, a 2015 study of 343 females showed that they had higher scores on the interpersonal and lifestyle facets of psychopathy (manipulativeness, grandiosity, impulsivity) than they did on emotional and antisocial facets (lack of remorse and delinquency). article continues after advertisement
Overall, according to researchers, female psychopaths seem to be less physically violent than males. While the evidence on gender differences is mixed, females who develop the disorder may show it through verbal and relational aggression—perhaps harming someone socially through gossip or ostracism. Female psychopaths appear to have a stronger need for others’ approval, worse self-image, and more anxiety relative to males. They might use flirtation and sexual behavior, feign suicide attempts, or pretend to be the victim of an assault to get what they want. Antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) overlaps with psychopathy, but the two are not the same condition. ASPD relates largely to the behavioral aspects of psychopathy, so many people who meet the criteria for ASPD do not have the core personality characteristics. Nevertheless, research finds that ASPD, too, is less prevalent in women—at roughly one-third the rate in men, by one estimate—and females with the disorder show less overt violence. Even when females with antisocial tendencies do become violent, the nature of the violence tends to differ from that committed by men.