Kathy Charles

Dr Kathy Charles CPsychol SFHEA is a Lecturer in the School of Applied Sciences at Edinburgh Napier University, where she is affiliated with the Psychology Research Group. Her academic work focuses on forensic psychology with particular emphasis on personality disorders and criminal behavior assessment.

Dr Charles' research interests span forensic psychology, narcissism (particularly grandiose and vulnerable subtypes), domestic violence dynamics, and criminal responsibility assessment. Her work examines how narcissistic injury triggers aggressive responses in intimate relationships and how attribution theories influence clinical judgment in forensic settings. She has made significant contributions to understanding the Dark Triad personality traits and their relationship to victim selection and criminal behavior.

Her publication record demonstrates consistent research activity from 2011-2019, with work appearing in journals such as SAGE Open and Legal and Criminological Psychology. Dr Charles' research shows evolving focus from foundational work on attribution theory in criminal assessment to more specialized investigations of narcissistic personality in domestic violence contexts.

Dr Charles has collaborated extensively with colleagues including Jennifer Murray, D.J. Cooke, and M.E. Thomson on forensic assessment tools like the HCR-20, and with Ava Green on narcissism research. Her work bridges theoretical psychological concepts with practical applications in criminal justice and mental health settings.