Cited by 143Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual OffendingBullying, Victimization, and AggressionAction Observation and Synchronization

Social cognition in aggressive offenders: impaired empathy, but intact theory of mind

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Winter, Korina, Spengler, Stephanie, Bermpohl, Felix, Singer, Tania, Kanske, Philipp·2017·Scientific Reports

Abstract

Aggressive, violent behaviour is a major burden and challenge for society. It has been linked to deficits in social understanding, but the evidence is inconsistent and the specifics of such deficits are unclear. Here, we investigated affective (empathy) and cognitive (Theory of Mind) routes to understanding other people in aggressive individuals. Twenty-nine men with a history of legally relevant aggressive behaviour (i.e. serious assault) and 32 control participants were tested using a social video task (EmpaToM) that differentiates empathy and Theory of Mind and completed questionnaires on aggression and alexithymia. Aggressive participants showed reduced empathic responses to emotional videos of others' suffering, which correlated with aggression severity. Theory of Mind performance, in contrast, was intact. A mediation analysis revealed that reduced empathy in aggressive men was mediated by alexithymia. These findings stress the importance of distinguishing between socio-affective and socio-cognitive deficits for understanding aggressive behaviour and thereby contribute to the development of more efficient treatments.

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  1. [8]Geen, R. G. Human Aggression (Milton Keynes: Open University Press 2001).
  2. [68]Zillmann, D. Transfer of excitation in emotional behavior in Social psychophysiology: A sourcebook (eds Cacioppo, J. T. & Petty, R. E.) (Guilford Press, 1983).
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Authors
Winter, K., Spengler, S., Bermpohl, F., Singer, T., & Kanske, P.
Affiliations
  • Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin (DE)
  • Max Planck Institute for Human Cognitive and Brain Sciences (DE)
Corresponding author
Kanske, Philipp
Venue
Scientific Reports
Published
2017-04-06
Volume
7
Issue
1
Pages
670-670
ISSN
2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2597565683
Cited by
143
References
80
Citations by year
2026: 6 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 17 · 2023: 21 · 2022: 13 · 2021: 27 · 2020: 23 · 2019: 14 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 5
FWCI
15.90
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • Universitätsbibliothek der FU Berlin Hochschulschriftenstelle u. Dokumentenserver (publishedVersion)
  • MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion, other-oa)
  • Refubium (Universitätsbibliothek der Freien Universität Berlin) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
  • Refubium (Universitätsbibliothek der Freien Universität Berlin) (submittedVersion)
  • Universitätsbibliothek der FU Berlin Hochschulschriftenstelle u. Dokumentenserver
Funders
  • Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG BE 2611/2-1)
  • Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung (01KR1207C)
  • Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Clinical Psychology › Psychopathy, Forensic Psychiatry, Sexual Offending
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression
  • Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Action Observation and Synchronization
Keywords
aggression, violent offenders, empathy, theory of mind, social cognition, alexithymia, assault, mediation
MeSH terms
Adult, Affective Symptoms, Aggression, Cognition, Empathy, Humans, Male, Surveys and Questionnaires, Social Behavior, Case-Control Studies, Theory of Mind, Self Report

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