Facial affect recognition deficits: A potential contributor to aggression in psychotic illness

• Published in: Aggression and violent behavior Vol. 17; no. 1; pp. 27 - 35
• Main Authors: Malone, Aisling, Carroll, Andrew, Murphy, Brendan P
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kidlington Elsevier Ltd 01.01.2012; Elsevier; Elsevier Science Ltd
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Aggression; aggressive behavior; Aggressiveness; Biological and medical sciences; Children; Emotion recognition; Emotions; Face; Facial affect recognition; Facial expressions; Medical sciences; Mental disorders; Mental health; Mental illness; personality; Psychiatry; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Psychoses; Psychosis; Recognition; risk reduction; Schizophrenia; Social information processing; Substance abuse; substance use; Symptoms; Violence; Psychosis; Facial affect recognition; Schizophrenia; Violence; Aggression; Social information processing; Affect affectivity; Emotion emotionality; Review; Social cognition; Information processing; Facial expression; Recognition
• ISSN: 1359-1789; 1873-6335
• DOI: 10.1016/j.avb.2011.09.007

Abstract The current literature suggests a relationship between psychosis and the likelihood of engaging in aggressive behavior, though the factors involved are unclear. In this paper we use a social information processing framework to consider mediators of aggressive behavior in psychosis, especially facial affect recognition (FAR) deficits. The theoretical underpinnings of aggressive behavior are explored using the General Aggression Model (GAM) and FAR deficits are posited as a possible contributor to increased aggression in psychosis. Current research investigating the relationship between FAR, psychosis, and aggression is critically examined, and the role of potential confounding variables including positive symptoms, psychopathic personality traits, childhood trauma, and substance use briefly explored. In conclusion, we argue that socioemotional processing deficits, such as impaired FAR, are a fruitful area for research aimed at understanding, and hence reducing the risk of violence in psychosis.