Offence-specific scripts among juvenile deliberate firesetters: a possible explanation for fire proclivity.

The study employed inductive-thematic analysis to identify dynamic cognitive-emotional processes occurring in proximity to deliberate firesetting among a sample of N = 35 adjudicated juvenile firesetters. Six fire-specific themes were determined. Three of these themes are akin to an implicit theory (i.e. a belief system informed by previous experiences): Fire Interest, Fire is Controllable, and Fire Denial/Accidental. Three of these themes are consistent with a cognitive script (i.e. a behavioural guide for how and when to use fire): (a) fire is destructive; (b) fire conceals evidence; and (c) fire creates calm. When reviewed more closely, the theme 'fire is destructive' is composed of two separate subcategories: 'fire creates destructive fun' and 'fire is a destructive tool for revenge'. The findings have risk assessment and treatment implications for juvenile firesetters.

'You can tell a victim by the tilt of her head as she walks': psychopathic personality and social-emotional processing.

Much contention and speculation exists regarding the emotional and social skills associated with psychopathic personality, including the idea of a predatory perception. The current study examined the relationship between psychopathic personality and social and emotional processing. The study utilised a quasi-experimental design along with self-report measures to examine psychopathy in a community sample (N = 115) of males and females. To examine psychopathy and social information processing, a series of Mixed Design ANOVA's were conducted to examine the effect of psychopathy on character recall. Psychopathy was found to significantly predict recall of the unsuccessful character, however, did not predict recall of character gender or emotion. Two hierarchical regressions analyses were conducted to examine emotional intelligence and empathy. Psychopathy was found to be a significant negative predictor of empathy, however, did not significantly predict emotional intelligence. Implications for the current study lie within advancing the empirical understanding on psychopathic personality and victim vulnerability.

A Typology of Familicide Perpetrators in Australia.

The murder of family members is one of the most difficult crimes to understand. This study uses Shye's action systems framework combined with multivariate data analysis to test the hypothesis that different forms of familicide will reflect the four states an action system can take, namely: Integrative, Expressive, Conservative and Adaptive. A multidimensional scaling analysis (MDS) was performed on 54 crime scene variables describing 104 cases of intra-familial homicide. The analysis revealed four distinct modes of functioning, which provided tentative support for Shye's action system. Each of the four modes had distinct associations with perpetrator characteristics. The Expressive and Integrative modes were associated with Cluster B personality traits, and criminal and substance use histories. The Adaptive mode was associated with trauma histories, mood disorders, and personality disorder traits. The Conservative theme was associated with trauma histories and psychotic disorders. Implications of findings for risk assessment and intervention are discussed.

The Effects of Empathy, Emotional Intelligence and Psychopathy on Interpersonal Interactions.

The current study investigated the relationships between empathy (emotional and cognitive), emotional intelligence, psychopathy, emotional contagion, and non-conscious behavioural mimicry (smiles and hand scratches), using self-report scales and a script-based interview session exhibiting nine non-verbal gestures, on a student sample. Past findings suggest a deficit of emotional but not cognitive empathy in psychopaths. Empirical research on non-conscious behavioural mimicry in psychopathy with reference to emotional intelligence is somewhat scarce; however it was proposed that individuals high in psychopathic traits would show reduced emotional mimicry based on the relation of empathy to mimicry. The study was quasi-experimental, involving individual assessment of 51 participants. Results suggest decreased emotional empathy at high levels of psychopathy and show that emotional intelligence moderates the relationship between psychopathy and non-conscious mimicry (smiles per minute). Social competence might be more predictive of effects of psychopathy on non-conscious mimicry.

Variations in the offence actions of deliberate firesetters: a cross-national analysis.

Since Canter and Fritzon first introduced their "4D" classification system for arson, many studies have replicated the model with samples of arsonists from around the world. However, scholars have reported differences in the offence actions of arsonists across samples. No study as yet has attempted to statically examine the relevance of these differences. Using multidimensional scaling procedures and two-way chi-square contingency analyses, this study examined whether cross-national differences in arson variables existed between Australian and British arsonists. The results indicated that differences did exist and, furthermore, that differences reflected the environmental characteristics of the country from which each sample was drawn. These findings have important theoretical and clinical implications, particularly for the utility of the "4D" model as an investigatory tool and for the wider arson profiling literature.

"Ordinary men" or "evil monsters"? An action systems model of genocidal actions and characteristics of perpetrators.

This study aimed to address the limitations of the existing genocide literature with the development of an empirically based classification system. Using Shye's (1985) action systems model, it was hypothesized that four types of perpetrators would exist and would be distinguishable by differences in the sources and target of individual criminal actions. Court transcripts from 80 perpetrators sentenced by the international courts were subject to content analysis and revealed 39 offense action variables, 17 perpetrator characteristic variables, and 6 perpetrator motive variables. A smallest space analysis using the Jaccard coefficient of association was conducted on the offense variables. The results supported the proposed framework, producing four distinct types of genocidal perpetrators. Correlational analyses were then conducted to examine the relationships between each of the perpetrator types and the remaining variables. The results of those correlations provided further support for the proposed framework. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Functional consistency across two behavioural modalities: fire-setting and self-harm in female special hospital patients.

BACKGROUND: Fire-setting and self-harm behaviours among women in high security special hospitals may be understood using Shye's Action System Theory (AST) in which four functional modes are recognized: 'adaptive', 'expressive', 'integrative', and 'conservative'. AIMS: To test for relationships between different forms of fire-setting and self-harm behaviours and AST modes among women in special hospital, and for consistency within modes across the two behaviours. METHOD: Clinical case files evidencing both fire-setting and self-harm behaviours (n = 50) were analysed for content, focusing on incident characteristics. A total of 29 fire-setting and 22 self-harm variables were analysed using Smallest Space Analysis (SSA). Chi-square and Spearman's rho (rho) analyses were used to determine functional consistency across behavioural modes. RESULTS: Most women showed one predominant AST mode in fire-setting (n = 39) and self-harm (n = 35). Significant positive correlations were found between integrative and adaptive modes of functioning. The lack of correlation between conservative and expressive modes reflects the differing behaviours used in each activity. Despite this, significant cross-tabulations revealed that each woman had parallel fire-setting and self-harm styles. DISCUSSION: Findings suggest that, for some women, setting fires and self harm fulfil a similar underlying function. Support is given to AST as a way of furthering understanding of damaging behaviours, whether self- or other-inflicted.