title: Defense mechanisms and self-reported violence toward strangers.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: University of Arkansas-Monticello, USA.
authors.forename: Myeong
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.forename: Rosemary
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cogan
authors.forename: Stacy
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Carter
authors.forename: John H
authors.initials: JH
authors.lastname: Porcerelli
mesh_terms: 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*