This article was downloaded by: [New York University] On: 16 April 2015, At: 11:24 Publisher: Routledge Informa Ltd Registered in England and Wales Registered Number: 1072954 Registered office: Mortimer House, 37-41 Mortimer Street, London W1T 3JH, UK
Journal of Personality Assessment Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hjpa20
Personality Differences Among Child Molesters Charles P. McCreary Published online: 10 Jun 2010.
To cite this article: Charles P. McCreary (1975) Personality Differences Among Child Molesters, Journal of Personality Assessment, 39:6, 591-593, DOI: 10.1207/s15327752jpa3906_7 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa3906_7
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
Journal of Personality Assessment, 1975,39, 6
Personality Differences Among Child Molesters CHARLES P. McCREARY UCLA Department of Psychiatry
Downloaded by [New York University] at 11:24 16 April 2015
Summary: This study compared the MMPI profiles of two groups of child molesters, those with no prior arrests versus those with one or more prior arrests, in order to assess ce~tain clinically derived inferences about these offenders. The sample consisted of 33 persons convicted of child molestation. The group with prior arrests showed more psychopathology than the group with no previous arrests.
Most psychological research on the personalities of child molesters (pedophiles) consists of clinical descriptions and case presentations. Typically, complex psychoanalytic concepts and theories are used to explain the behavior of these offenders. A search of the literature revealed a lack of studies which attempt to verify generalizations about the personalities of child molesters by the systematic administration of quantitatively scored personality inventories. A previous study (McCreary, 1975) found a relationship between the severity of the personality disturbance of persons convicted of indecent exposure and the greater their number of prior offenses. This finding was consistent with certain clinically derived postulations. The goal of the present study was to assess some clinical hypotheses about nonaggressive child molesters. The clinical approach to the study of the personalities of child molesters is represented by Bell and Hall (1971). They analyzed the dreams of a child molester and made suggestions about their characteristics. The inference from their case report was that child molesters have a basic character disorder shown by schizoid and passive traits as well as a severe dread of adult sexuality. Cohen, Seghorn, and Calmas (1969) described three types of child molesters derived from their clinical studies. One type characteristically has a history of relatively normal functioning and the incident of molestation appears to reflect a reaction to a severe threat to their sense of sexual adequacy. Another type has a history of poor social-sexual fu~ctioning and is regarded as primitive and immature
in terms of adult social-sexual skills. A third type has offenses involving cruel and vicious assaults on children and the act of molesta~tionis regarded as more aggressive then sexual. The present study investigated whether there are differences among child molesters in terms of their number of previous offenses. Two groups were established - those with no previous offenses and those with one or more prior sex offenses. First offendlers have been portrayed as exposing themselves in response to a severe life stress while the act of molestation may reflect severe personality disturbance in the repeated offender (Rooth, 1973). MMPI personality test scores of the two groups were compared in order to test the hypothesis that offenders with prior sex offenses would show greater pathology. Method The sample consisted of 33 persons convicted of child molestation in various municipal courts of Los Angeles County. The offenders were sent to the UCLA Legal Psychiatry Clinic by the courts for a dispositional evaluation. MMPIs were given as part of the evaluation during the post-conviction, pre-sentencing phase of the legal process. The cases were divided into two groups according to the presence (N = 15) or absence (N = 18) of previous sexual offenses and average MMPI profiles were constructed for each subgroup. Results and Discussion The group with no previous arrests (Group I) averaged 45.5 years in age while the group with one or more previous arrests (Group 2) averaged 44.2 years.
592
Personality Differences Among Child Molesters Table 1
MMPI Scores of the Two Groups of Child Molesters
Score
No Prior Arrests (n = 18) Mean
One or More Prior Arrests ( n = 15) Mean
L F K Hs Downloaded by [New York University] at 11:24 16 April 2015
D HY Pd
MF Pa Pt sc Ma
si Es Alcoholism Over-controlled Hostility Family Conflict (Pd I ) Authority Confhct (Pdz)
The absence of an age difference lends support to the inference that there is no age artifact which is responsible for any difference between groups. Also, groups did not differ on educational level. Group 1 completed an average of 10.9 years of school while Group 2 finished 11.4 years.
In terms of marital status, 10 out of 18 from Group 1 were married, while 2 were widowed and 6 were single, separated or divorced. On the other hand, only 4 out of 15 from Group 2 were married while one was widowed and the remaining ten were single, separated or
Downloaded by [New York University] at 11:24 16 April 2015
CHARLES I?. McCREARY divorced. A Fisher's Exact Test comparing the two groups in terms of married versus unmarried (excluding widowed) showed a significant difference ( p < .05). It appears that child molesters with n o prior arrests are more likely to have stable marriages. The existence of a stable marriage may indicate a higher degree of social competency and maturity in offenders with no prior arrests. The means, standard deviations, and t values of the MMPI K- corrected raw scores of the two groups are given in Table 1. On Sc there was a significant difference between the variances of the two groups; therefore, the t value was based upon a separate variance estimate. All other comparisons involved a pooled variance estimate and were one-tailed tests. The group with no prior arrests was significantly lower ( t = 3.38, p < .01), on the P d scale and on P d 2 , ( t = 3.63, p < .01), a subscale of Pd reflecting conflicts with authority figures. Also, this group was lower than the group with prior sex offenses on the Hs, Hy, and Sc scales (ts = 2.05, 2.24 and 1.78 respectively, p < .05). Furthermore, the average MMPI standard scores of the group with no prior offenses ranged from 54 to 63. Their highest score was on the depression scale and this finding may reflect a temporary result of being arrested and appearing in court. On the other hand, the group with prior sex offenses had standard scores ranging from 54 to 73. The two scales beyond the normal range (standard score of 70) were Pd (73) and Sc (70). These findings are consistent with clinically derived postulations which stress the heterogeneity of personality
factors among child molesters. There seemed to be a relationship between the severity of the personality disturbance and the greater number of prior arrests of those offenders. Chronic offenders were more impulsive and unconventional (Pd), more bizarre, confused and alienated (Sc) and they had more authority conflicts (Pdz) and psychosomatic complaints (Hs and H y ) than child molesters ~ 1 1 t no h previous arrests. However, the two groups were not significantly different in terms of masculinity or shyness (Si). It is not possible t o infer a causative relationship between chronicity of offense and severity of personality disturbance. Either more disturbed persons express their pathology through repeated episodes of mdestatnon (typical viewpoint) or certain circumstances, such as imprisonment, may produce more personality disturbance in the repeated offender. More research is needed to clarilfy this relationship.
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References Bell, A. P., Hall, C. S. The personality of (a child molester: An analjxis of dreams. Chicago: Aldine and Atherton, 1971. Cohen, M., Segharn, T., & Calmas, W. Sociometric study of the sex offender. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1969, 74, 249-255. McCreary, C. Personality profiles of persons convicted of indecent (exposure. Journal of ClinicalBsychology,1975,31, 260-26;!. Rooth, G. Exhibitionism, sexual violence, and paedophilia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 1973,122, 705-710. Charles P. McCreary, W D Department of Psychiatry UCLA School of Medicine Los Angeles, California 90024 Received: October 10,1974 Revised: December 6, 1974
Journal of Personality Assessment Publication details, including instructions for authors and subscription information: http://www.tandfonline.com/loi/hjpa20
Personality Differences Among Child Molesters Charles P. McCreary Published online: 10 Jun 2010.
To cite this article: Charles P. McCreary (1975) Personality Differences Among Child Molesters, Journal of Personality Assessment, 39:6, 591-593, DOI: 10.1207/s15327752jpa3906_7 To link to this article: http://dx.doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa3906_7
PLEASE SCROLL DOWN FOR ARTICLE Taylor & Francis makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the “Content”) contained in the publications on our platform. However, Taylor & Francis, our agents, and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Taylor and Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to or arising out of the use of the Content. This article may be used for research, teaching, and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution, reselling, loan, sub-licensing, systematic supply, or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions
Journal of Personality Assessment, 1975,39, 6
Personality Differences Among Child Molesters CHARLES P. McCREARY UCLA Department of Psychiatry
Downloaded by [New York University] at 11:24 16 April 2015
Summary: This study compared the MMPI profiles of two groups of child molesters, those with no prior arrests versus those with one or more prior arrests, in order to assess ce~tain clinically derived inferences about these offenders. The sample consisted of 33 persons convicted of child molestation. The group with prior arrests showed more psychopathology than the group with no previous arrests.
Most psychological research on the personalities of child molesters (pedophiles) consists of clinical descriptions and case presentations. Typically, complex psychoanalytic concepts and theories are used to explain the behavior of these offenders. A search of the literature revealed a lack of studies which attempt to verify generalizations about the personalities of child molesters by the systematic administration of quantitatively scored personality inventories. A previous study (McCreary, 1975) found a relationship between the severity of the personality disturbance of persons convicted of indecent exposure and the greater their number of prior offenses. This finding was consistent with certain clinically derived postulations. The goal of the present study was to assess some clinical hypotheses about nonaggressive child molesters. The clinical approach to the study of the personalities of child molesters is represented by Bell and Hall (1971). They analyzed the dreams of a child molester and made suggestions about their characteristics. The inference from their case report was that child molesters have a basic character disorder shown by schizoid and passive traits as well as a severe dread of adult sexuality. Cohen, Seghorn, and Calmas (1969) described three types of child molesters derived from their clinical studies. One type characteristically has a history of relatively normal functioning and the incident of molestation appears to reflect a reaction to a severe threat to their sense of sexual adequacy. Another type has a history of poor social-sexual fu~ctioning and is regarded as primitive and immature
in terms of adult social-sexual skills. A third type has offenses involving cruel and vicious assaults on children and the act of molesta~tionis regarded as more aggressive then sexual. The present study investigated whether there are differences among child molesters in terms of their number of previous offenses. Two groups were established - those with no previous offenses and those with one or more prior sex offenses. First offendlers have been portrayed as exposing themselves in response to a severe life stress while the act of molestation may reflect severe personality disturbance in the repeated offender (Rooth, 1973). MMPI personality test scores of the two groups were compared in order to test the hypothesis that offenders with prior sex offenses would show greater pathology. Method The sample consisted of 33 persons convicted of child molestation in various municipal courts of Los Angeles County. The offenders were sent to the UCLA Legal Psychiatry Clinic by the courts for a dispositional evaluation. MMPIs were given as part of the evaluation during the post-conviction, pre-sentencing phase of the legal process. The cases were divided into two groups according to the presence (N = 15) or absence (N = 18) of previous sexual offenses and average MMPI profiles were constructed for each subgroup. Results and Discussion The group with no previous arrests (Group I) averaged 45.5 years in age while the group with one or more previous arrests (Group 2) averaged 44.2 years.
592
Personality Differences Among Child Molesters Table 1
MMPI Scores of the Two Groups of Child Molesters
Score
No Prior Arrests (n = 18) Mean
One or More Prior Arrests ( n = 15) Mean
L F K Hs Downloaded by [New York University] at 11:24 16 April 2015
D HY Pd
MF Pa Pt sc Ma
si Es Alcoholism Over-controlled Hostility Family Conflict (Pd I ) Authority Confhct (Pdz)
The absence of an age difference lends support to the inference that there is no age artifact which is responsible for any difference between groups. Also, groups did not differ on educational level. Group 1 completed an average of 10.9 years of school while Group 2 finished 11.4 years.
In terms of marital status, 10 out of 18 from Group 1 were married, while 2 were widowed and 6 were single, separated or divorced. On the other hand, only 4 out of 15 from Group 2 were married while one was widowed and the remaining ten were single, separated or
Downloaded by [New York University] at 11:24 16 April 2015
CHARLES I?. McCREARY divorced. A Fisher's Exact Test comparing the two groups in terms of married versus unmarried (excluding widowed) showed a significant difference ( p < .05). It appears that child molesters with n o prior arrests are more likely to have stable marriages. The existence of a stable marriage may indicate a higher degree of social competency and maturity in offenders with no prior arrests. The means, standard deviations, and t values of the MMPI K- corrected raw scores of the two groups are given in Table 1. On Sc there was a significant difference between the variances of the two groups; therefore, the t value was based upon a separate variance estimate. All other comparisons involved a pooled variance estimate and were one-tailed tests. The group with no prior arrests was significantly lower ( t = 3.38, p < .01), on the P d scale and on P d 2 , ( t = 3.63, p < .01), a subscale of Pd reflecting conflicts with authority figures. Also, this group was lower than the group with prior sex offenses on the Hs, Hy, and Sc scales (ts = 2.05, 2.24 and 1.78 respectively, p < .05). Furthermore, the average MMPI standard scores of the group with no prior offenses ranged from 54 to 63. Their highest score was on the depression scale and this finding may reflect a temporary result of being arrested and appearing in court. On the other hand, the group with prior sex offenses had standard scores ranging from 54 to 73. The two scales beyond the normal range (standard score of 70) were Pd (73) and Sc (70). These findings are consistent with clinically derived postulations which stress the heterogeneity of personality
factors among child molesters. There seemed to be a relationship between the severity of the personality disturbance and the greater number of prior arrests of those offenders. Chronic offenders were more impulsive and unconventional (Pd), more bizarre, confused and alienated (Sc) and they had more authority conflicts (Pdz) and psychosomatic complaints (Hs and H y ) than child molesters ~ 1 1 t no h previous arrests. However, the two groups were not significantly different in terms of masculinity or shyness (Si). It is not possible t o infer a causative relationship between chronicity of offense and severity of personality disturbance. Either more disturbed persons express their pathology through repeated episodes of mdestatnon (typical viewpoint) or certain circumstances, such as imprisonment, may produce more personality disturbance in the repeated offender. More research is needed to clarilfy this relationship.
(Am
References Bell, A. P., Hall, C. S. The personality of (a child molester: An analjxis of dreams. Chicago: Aldine and Atherton, 1971. Cohen, M., Segharn, T., & Calmas, W. Sociometric study of the sex offender. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 1969, 74, 249-255. McCreary, C. Personality profiles of persons convicted of indecent (exposure. Journal of ClinicalBsychology,1975,31, 260-26;!. Rooth, G. Exhibitionism, sexual violence, and paedophilia. British Journal of Psychiatry, 1973,122, 705-710. Charles P. McCreary, W D Department of Psychiatry UCLA School of Medicine Los Angeles, California 90024 Received: October 10,1974 Revised: December 6, 1974
