Why Do Some Women Kill?

This study analyzed women in Sweden who committed lethal crimes to better understand their motivations and personality traits. The researchers found that, unlike many men, these women generally did not exhibit high levels of psychopathy. Most acted impulsively and emotionally (reactively), rather than for coldly planned (instrumental) reasons. Women with severe mental disorders tended to exhibit even fewer psychopathic traits. The results help improve the treatment and prevention of violence among women, especially in the mental health and justice systems.

Lethal violence, that is, when someone takes another person's life, causes enormous suffering and harm to society. Therefore, understanding what motivates this type of crime and how it can be predicted and prevented is extremely important.

Most homicide cases involve men as perpetrators, and therefore, most studies to date have focused on this group. However, little is known about women who commit this type of crime. Studying the characteristics and motivations of these women is essential to understanding what might lead them to kill, as well as helping to develop better prevention and treatment strategies, and prevent reoffending.

While the number of women committing homicide appears to have remained stable over time, female involvement in other types of crimes, such as non-lethal assaults, has been increasing. Previous research has shown that when women kill, they often do so in situations of self-defense, fear, revenge, or for reasons related to the immediate context, such as family disputes.

Furthermore, some women have difficulty controlling emotions or more unstable personality traits, which can influence their violent behavior. There is also a concept called psychopathy, which has been studied more in men than in women.

Psychopathy is a personality disorder characterized by traits such as emotional coldness, lack of empathy, impulsivity, manipulation, and antisocial behavior. People with high levels of psychopathy may have difficulty feeling guilt or remorse and tend to easily violate social norms and the rights of others.

Although more studied in men, psychopathy can also occur in women, but with generally more subtle manifestations and lower scores on assessment scales.

It is estimated that approximately 1% of the general population exhibits pronounced psychopathic traits, being more common among criminals and in forensic settings. However, not all people with psychopathic traits commit crimes, and many manage to socialize without attracting attention.

To measure psychopathy, researchers use a tool called the PCL-R, which assesses different aspects of an individual's personality. This tool has undergone updates and now analyzes four dimensions: the way people relate to others (interpersonal), the emotional side (affective), lifestyle (impulsivity, irresponsibility), and criminal behavior (antisocial).

PCL-R Table

In general, studies show that women who commit homicide tend to score lower on this scale than men, especially on the factor related to antisocial behavior.

Another way to analyze violent crimes is to distinguish between two main types of aggression. Reactive violence occurs in moments of anger, fear, or defense; it is an impulsive response to a threat. Instrumental violence, on the other hand, is planned, carried out with a more calculated objective, such as obtaining money or power, and generally without intense emotional involvement.

Among men, studies show that those with more psychopathic traits tend to commit more instrumental crimes. However, in the case of women, there are still many uncertainties, although some findings suggest that their violence tends to be more reactive than instrumental.

Furthermore, it is important to consider the person's mental state at the time of the crime. In Sweden, for example, even those with mental problems are generally considered responsible for their actions. However, in more severe cases, such as those with schizophrenia or major depression with suicidal thoughts, the person may be considered to be under the influence of a severe mental disorder (SMI).

In these cases, instead of being sentenced to prison, these individuals may be referred for mandatory psychiatric treatment. To do so, they undergo a forensic psychiatric investigation (FPI), conducted by a specialized team that analyzes medical documents, interviews, personality tests, and other relevant information.

Despite these advances, we still know little about how psychopathy, type of violence (reactive or instrumental), and severe mental disorders interact in women who commit lethal crimes. This study's primary objective was to investigate these relationships.

This study analyzed 175 Swedish women who committed homicides or attempted homicides between 2000 and 2014 and who underwent forensic psychiatric evaluation. The researchers wanted to understand:

• 1) the level of psychopathy among these women, and whether there was a difference between those with and without severe mental disorders;

• 2) the type of violence they committed (reactive or instrumental), and whether this also varied with the presence or absence of severe mental disorders;

• 3) whether there was a link between the level of psychopathy and the type of violence, and whether this link differed between the two groups.

Overall, the results showed that most of these women had low levels of psychopathy, which is consistent with previous studies. The way they committed their crimes was also mostly reactive, that is, in response to intense emotional situations, rather than planned or with cold, calculated intent.

This reinforces the idea that, contrary to what is often imagined, women who commit homicide are not generally "cold psychopaths," but rather someone caught up in an emotionally extreme situation.

There was a modest association between psychopathy and instrumental characteristics of the crime; that is, women with higher levels of psychopathy tended to plan the act slightly more or show less prior provocation.

However, these associations were weak, and the overall pattern remained reactive. The group of women with severe mental illness (SMI) scored lower on the psychopathy scale than the group without severe mental illness, especially on the interpersonal aspect (such as superficial charm or manipulation). This suggests that women with severe mental illness commit homicide for different reasons than those without this diagnosis.

Another interesting point is that, among women without severe mental illness, there was a slightly higher presence of psychopathy and personality disorders, which is in line with previous research. In other words, when a woman without severe mental illness commits homicide, she is more likely to display problematic personality traits, such as impulsivity or emotional coldness.

This study shows that women who commit lethal violence generally do not have high levels of psychopathy and act reactively, motivated by strong emotional situations. This is especially true for those with severe mental illness.

Women without severe mental illness may, in some cases, display more psychopathic traits, but even so, reactive motivation is still predominant.

These results are important for helping mental health, justice, and public policy professionals better understand how lethal violence occurs in women and how to prevent such cases from occurring again. They also highlight the need for more studies focused on this specific group of women, which remains underexplored in research.

READ MORE:

Links Between Psychopathy, Type of Violence, and Severe Mental Disorder among Female Offenders of Lethal Violence in Sweden

Karin Trägårdh, Malin Hildebrand Karlén, Peter Andiné, and Thomas Nilsson 

International Journal of Forensic Mental Health. Volume 24, Issue 3

https://doi.org/10.1177/14999013251345496

Abstract: 

Knowledge about females who commit lethal violence is limited compared to what we know about their male counterparts. The overall aim of this study was to investigate links between psychopathy, type of violence, and severe mental disorder (SMD), among Swedish female offenders of lethal violence. All records for female offenders (N = 175) who underwent a court-ordered forensic psychiatric investigation in Sweden charged with lethal/attempted lethal violence, between 2000 and 2014, were included. Structured assessments were done based on the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) concerning psychopathy, and the Violent Incident Coding Sheet (VICS) concerning instrumental/reactive aspects of the crime. Overall, the female offenders were characterized by relatively low levels of psychopathy and acted based on reactive rather than instrumental motives. Modest associations appeared between psychopathy and instrumental, rather than reactive, features of the crime. However, the SMD group (n = 84) scored lower on PCL-R total and 

interpersonal facet 1, somewhat higher on VICS arousal and planning 

(<24 h vs. no planning), while showing inconsistent but generally lower

scoring on provocation. PCL-R facet 1, and the secondary VICS classifications appeared as covariates associated with an SMD. These results contribute to our understanding of the driving mechanisms and complexity behind female lethal violence, where the SMD group showed a somewhat unexpected multifaceted pattern, including reactive and instrumental VICS aspects. This has especially consequences for the assessment and handling of female offenders of lethal violence within forensic psychiatry and correctional services, also calling for further research focusing on this population.