Defense mechanisms and self-reported violence toward strangers.
College men who reported committing violence toward strangers (N = 30) and nonviolent college men (N = 30) completed Thematic Apperception Test cards (TAT) and responded to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Defense mechanisms were coded from the TAT responses with the Defense Mechanism Manual (DMM). The men who reported violence toward strangers had higher DMM Denial scores and higher MMPI-2 Antisocial Practices scores than the nonviolent men. Student violence toward strangers seems to reflect immaturity rather than psychopathy.
Kim
Myeong
M
University of Arkansas-Monticello, USA.
Cogan
Rosemary
R
Carter
Stacy
S
Porcerelli
John H
JH
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000987:Antisocial Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000523:psychology*; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003717:Denial, Psychological; D006801:Humans; D007062:Identification, Psychological; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D008950:MMPI / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D010553:Personality Development; D011594:Psychometrics; D012016:Reference Values; D013803:Thematic Apperception Test / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D014754:Violence / Q000523:psychology*