Psychopathy: The Dark Core of Personality
Psychopathy can often be misunderstood, and it is important in working with psychopathic clients or cases to have insight on psychopathy, and the dangers associated with psychopathy.
Psychopathy is a personality disorder that has long captured the public imagination. Newspaper articles have been devoted to murderers with psychopathic features, and we also encounter psychopaths in films and books. Individuals with psychopathy are characterised in particular by lack of empathy and guilt, manipulation of other people and, in the case of criminal psychopathy, premeditated violent behaviour. They are dangerous and can incur immeasurable emotional, psychological, physical, and financial costs to their victims and their families.
Despite the public fascination with psychopathy, there is often a very limited understanding of the condition, and several myths about psychopathy abound. For example, people commonly assume that all psychopaths are sadistic serial killers or that all violent and antisocial individuals are psychopaths. Yet, research shows that most psychopaths are not serial killers, and, equally, there are plenty of antisocial and violent offenders who are not psychopaths.
Join Professor Tanya Robinson and learn about the unique features of psychopathy, as well as the impact of the disorder on society as a whole. Psychopathy can often be misunderstood, and it is important in working with psychopathic clients or cases to have insight on psychopathy, and the dangers associated with psychopathy.
This online course will give you an overview of how we can identify individuals with or at risk of developing psychopathy, and how they differ from other people who display antisocial behaviour. Professor Tanya Robinson will also explore the latest genetic, neuroscience, and psychology evidence in order to illuminate why psychopaths behave and develop the way they do, and considers whether it is possible to prevent or even treat psychopathy.
This is not a specialised training unit but a course to provide trainees with a good outline and general understanding of psychopathy as a study field. The unique features of psychopathy, as well as the impact of the disorder on society as a whole, continue to spark interest and fear and will be the focus of the training material.
Insights afforded by the training of psychopathy may provide better understanding of not only fundamental social phenomena like empathy and aggression, but of the basic emotional processes that motivate psychopathic behaviours.
Psychopathy describes a set of personality traits and behaviours frequently associated with lack of emotional sensitivity and empathy, impulsiveness, superficial charm and insensitivity to punishing consequences. These traits and other characteristics will be focussed on in this training module.
Lesson 1 (The Wolf in Sheep’s Clothes Theory):
- discuss why psychopath is a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”.
- list general characteristics and diagnostic features of a psychopath.
- identify diagnostic systems and screening method of psychopathy.
Lesson 2 (Defining Psychopathic Personality and Psychopathy):
- identify psychopathic traits specific to cold heartedness and a callous unconcern for the feeling of others.
- discuss the psychopaths’ shallow emotions, irresponsibility, insincere speech, overconfidence, narrowing of attention, selfishness, inability to plan for the future, emotional pain and violence, source of sadness and self-destruction.
Lesson 3 (The Dark Triad):
- explain the personality traits and characteristics of the Dark Triad (Psychopathy, Machiavellianism, and Narcissism).
- identify sharing qualities between Narcissism, Machiavellianism and Psychopathy.
Lesson 4 (Clinical Criteria – Psychopathy Checklist. Factors and Facets):
- identify the most frequently used and validated diagnostic tool for assessing psychopathy.
- understand the factor structure in the psychopathy checklist (the PCL-R and the PCL:SV).
- explain the four personality dimensions of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R).
- summarise Hare’s PCL-R items classified according to factors and facets.
- explain the work of Kent Kiehl.
Lesson 5 (The Link: Childhood abuse history and psychotic traits in adult criminal offenders):
- understand the link between early traumatic experiences of abuse/neglect and criminal behaviour.
- explain childhood abuse as a risk factor for the development of externalizing characteristics and disorders including antisocial personality disorder and psychopathy.
Lesson 6 (Female Psychopaths):
- identify that psychopathy has a different progression in men and women regarding both onset and expression.
- explain Forouzan and Cooke’s claims about the differences between the sexes with respect to psychopathy.
- understand that females can be psychopaths and have knowledge on case studies on female psychopaths.
- identify characteristics of female psychopaths and the history of a female psychopath.
Lesson 7 (Male Psychopaths):
- understand the myths around psychopathy and the Hollywood stereotypes.
- explain the weaponized charm of the male psychopath.
- summarise thoughts on the male psychopath being a leader, effortlessly lying, preying on kindness, gaslighting, narcissism, love bombing, characteristics of a chameleon, following cycles of cruelty and kindness, having traumatic pasts, and being empty inside.
- describe case studies on male psychopaths.
Lesson 8 (Psychosis, Psychopathy, and Homicide):
- understand that psychopathy has stood as perhaps the most formidable risk factor for antisocial behaviour, crime, and violence.
- identify that psychopathic traits are a significant risk factor for lethal violence.
- explain psychopathic traits that facilitate horrific crimes and sadistic murders.
Lesson 9 (The successful psychopath):
- have knowledge on a “functional psychopath” and the concept of psychopaths “getting away with murder”.
- explain the corporate psychopath and that not all psychopaths are murderers.
- identify seven characteristics of the modern psychopath.
Lesson 10 (Interesting case studies):
- critically consider the Albert Fish case study.
- explain the work of Neuroscientist James Fallon’s work.
CPD Information For Mental Health Professionals
Enjoy complete flexibility with 100% self-paced learning you can access anytime, anywhere, and on any device. Pay once for lifetime access.
Course Duration: 9 learning hours
Certificate and CPD hours: On completion you’ll receive a Certificate of Completion to support your CPD records.
Assessment: Complete a short quiz at the end (80% pass mark), which you can resit as many times as needed.
Lifetime Access: Your access to the course does not expire, so you can revisit key concepts anytime you want a refresher for practice.
CPD Eligibility: This program may be suitable for CPD for professionals such as:
- Psychologists
- Counsellors and Psychotherapists
- Social Workers
- Community Workers
- Mental Health Nurses
- General Practitioners (GPs)
- Occupational Therapists
CPD requirements vary between professional bodies, so please check with your association or credentialing body to confirm you can claim CPD hours/OPD points for this program and what evidence they require.
Course Content
Meet Your Instructor
Professor Tanya Robinson is a forensic mental health social worker specialising in forensic mental health, complex mental health presentations, trauma, and legal systems.
She has over 25 years of experience working with children, adults, and families presenting with complex mental health difficulties, trauma histories, and involvement in forensic and legal contexts. Her work is grounded in a biopsychosocial-legal framework, integrating clinical practice with an understanding of how mental health presentations interact with legal processes.
Professor Robinson holds four doctoral degrees in Social Work and Criminal Justice, with her academic work focusing on forensic assessment, trauma, and the role of expert evidence in legal proceedings. This foundation informs her work in providing independent, evidence-based opinions in complex matters requiring clinical insight that is both therapeutically informed and legally robust.
She has specialised expertise in psychotraumatology and victimology, working with individuals who present with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), complex PTSD (CPTSD), intergenerational trauma, and the long-term impacts of abuse, violence, and systemic adversity. She also maintains a special interest in neuroscience, trauma, and mental health, particularly in understanding how trauma affects brain development, emotional regulation, and behaviour across the lifespan.
Her clinical approach recognises trauma as a multilayered and enduring experience, influencing emotional regulation, identity, relational functioning, and neurobiological development across the lifespan.
Her work includes biopsychosocial-legal assessments and expert testimony across family and criminal jurisdictions, particularly in cases involving trauma, abuse, domestic violence, and high-conflict dynamics. She is regularly engaged in matters requiring careful differentiation between clinical presentation, contextual factors, and evidentiary considerations.
Professor Robinson has worked extensively in challenging and high-risk environments, including courts, justice systems, and custodial settings. Her experience includes work within African prison environments, gang-affected communities, and international contexts characterised by violence and systemic adversity, as well as engagement in commercial sex industry settings and involvement in high-profile sexual offence matters, including cases involving femicide and filicide. These experiences have informed a practice grounded in resilience, adaptability, and the capacity to engage with complex human behaviour under pressure, while maintaining professional objectivity and clinical integrity.
Clinically, she works across children and adult mental health presentations, including anxiety, depression, attachment disturbances, personality vulnerabilities, dissociation, and neurodivergence. Her therapeutic work integrates Schema Therapy, psychodynamic psychotherapy, EMDR, and trauma-informed practice, tailored to the complexity of each individual presentation.
A key focus of her work is the impact of intergenerational trauma, where patterns of distress, attachment disruption, and coping responses are transmitted across family systems. Her approach considers both the individual experience of trauma and the broader systemic context in which it develops and is maintained.
Professor Robinson's practice reflects a consistent focus on structured assessment, clinical clarity, and careful formulation, ensuring that her work remains both clinically sound and appropriate within forensic and legal settings.
What distinguishes her training and professional contribution is the integration of extensive frontline forensic experience with advanced academic scholarship. Her work demonstrates how clinicians can effectively operate across clinical, forensic, and legal environments, applying structured assessment methods, trauma-informed frameworks, and evidence-based approaches in complex and high-risk cases.
Education
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Criminal Justice, University of South Africa (2017–2021)
An explorative study on the importance of credible expert witness testimony in violent crimes against children - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Social Work, University of Cape Town (2012–2015)
An explorative study of false allegations of child sexual abuse in divorce and custody proceedings - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Social Work, North-West University (2006–2011)
Development of substantive guidelines for parenting plans (legal instruments and policy) - Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil), Social Work, Stellenbosch University (2003–2005)
Critical assessment of experiences and perceptions of couples in unconsummated marriages - Master's Degree, Social Work
- Bachelor of Arts & Social Work (BA SW) – Double major in Psychology and Sociology
- Postgraduate Certificate in Education, University of South Africa
- Graduate Diploma – Family Dispute Resolution (FDR) – Registered FDR Practitioner (F2003645)
- Accredited Mediator, Mediation Institute – NMAS Member 218
- Postgraduate Certificate – Investigative Interviewing of Children, Griffith University, Australia
Publications
- The Symbol of No Escape (2016)
- The Silenced Child (2015)
- Divorce: What About the Children? (2009)
- The Couple in an Unconsummated Marriage (2010)
- When Sex Turns Sour (2005)
- False Allegations of Child Sexual Abuse in Divorce Proceedings (2016)
- Mental Health and Legal Professionals Structuring Parenting Plans (2012)
- A Christian Ethos in South African Public Schools: The Child's Voice (2017)
- Sexuality and HIV Education – Sexually Related Social Issues (2016)
- Legal Instruments in Structuring Parenting Plans (2011)
- Professional Views of Mental Health and Legal Professionals Relating to the Divorcing Family (2018)
- Parenting Plans Attentive to the Needs of the Divorcing Family (2018)
Academic & Research Positions
- Honorary Fellow, University of KwaZulu-Natal, School of Applied Human Sciences (2020)
- Extraordinary Professor, North-West University, Faculty of Health Sciences (2017–present)
- Academic Research Fellow, University of South Africa, Department of Criminal Justice (2016–2019)
Professional Experience & Leadership
- Principal, Practice of Prof Tanya M Robinson (South Australia)
- Forensic Mental Health Consultant, maximum security facilities (South Africa)
- Research Director, gender-based violence projects (Africa)
- Activist, counter-trafficking and human rights initiatives
- Expert Witness in Court proceedings
- Podcast Host, Case Files: The Human Factor (2024–present)
- Ambassador, Teddy Bear Foundation
Clinical Specialties
- Complex trauma treatment (PTSD, CPTSD, developmental trauma)
- Psychodynamic psychotherapy (children and adults)
- Forensic mental health assessments
- Family law assessments and child impact reports
- Sexual abuse and domestic violence intervention
- Human trafficking assessment and recovery
- Victimology and criminal biopsychosocial applications
- Play therapy and EMDR integration
Forensic Expertise
- Court-appointed expert in family and criminal matters
- Biopsychosocial-legal assessments
- International custody case evaluations
- Child witness preparation and protection
- Criminal biopsychosocial consultations
- Expert testimony in complex abuse cases
Feedback & Reviews
This course includes:
- Lessons 9
- Topics 0
- Duration 9 hours
- Quizzes 1
- Language English