Factor structure of the Psychopathy Checklist.

The Psychopathy Checklist (PCL) is a reliable and valid instrument for the assessment of psychopathy in criminal populations. Although it was designed to measure a unitary construct, the instrument has been shown to comprise several factors. To determine whether the PCL contains a factor structure that is stable and replicable, we factor-analyzed data from six samples of male prison inmates (N?=?1,119) in Canada, the United States, and England. Split-half cross-validation and analysis of congruence coefficients indicated that a two-factor solution could be replicated in all six samples. Factor 1 was defined by core personality traits, including superficiality; habitual lying and manipulation; callousness; and lack of affect, guilt, remorse, and empathy. Factor 2 was defined by a chronically unstable and antisocial lifestyle. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)