Personality features and characteristics of violent events committed by juvenile offenders.
The present study investigated the relationship between characteristics of a violent event, as self-reported by 82 incarcerated juvenile offenders, and personality features measured by the Millon Adolescent Clinical Inventory (MACI). The study predicted that specific personality features that have previously been associated with psychopathy would be associated with the instrumentality, emotional reactivity, and empathy or guilt reported for the incident. Results confirmed that a self-reported pattern of elevated instrumental motivation and reduced empathy or guilt was associated with higher scores on the MACI Forceful, Unruly, Substance Abuse Proneness, Impulsive Propensity, and Family Discord Scales, as well as a recently developed Psychopathy Content Scale. Self-reported elevated instrumental motivation and reduced empathy or guilt was also associated with lower scores on the Submissive, Conforming, Anxious Feelings, and Sexual Discomfort Scales. There were no significant relationships observed between emotional reactivity and personality scales.
Curry Programs in Clinical and School Psychology, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet Street, PO Box 400270, Charlottesville, VA 22904-4270, USA. abl2x@virginia.edu
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AB
Loper
S J
SJ
Hoffschmidt
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E
Ash
D000293:Adolescent; D000339:Affect; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000523:psychology*; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006167:Guilt; D006801:Humans; D007604:Juvenile Delinquency / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D010555:Personality Inventory; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D017678:Sex Distribution; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*