Is arson an aggressive act or a property offence? A controlled study of psychiatric referrals.

Arsonists seen for psychiatric assessment were compared to property offenders and to violent offenders on a number of clinical measures. It was found that arsonists were a mixture of the two groups but the majority aligned with property offenders in personality, diagnosis, criminal and violence history, family background, alcohol and drug use as well as in sexual behaviour. Significantly 18% of arsonists were mentally retarded. The act of arson was examined in detail using reliable ratings. While there was no obvious motive in two-fifths of the cases, revenge with underlying anger was most frequently a recognized motive for arson. The provocateur for the act of arson was not always readily identifiable and in over half the cases more than one person or an institution was the stimulus for the fire. Directions for future study were discussed.

Diagnosis of killers seen for psychiatric assessment. A controlled study.

109 killers, 38 nonviolent offenders and 54 community controls were compared on psychiatric diagnosis, the MMPI, Cattell 16 PF, IQ and clinical neurological results. Killers did not differ from nonviolent offenders on diagnosis or personality in general. Only higher MMPI Hysteria scale scores differentiated the killers from the other groups. IQ tended to be lower and neurological findings more often positive in homicide cases than in controls. Results suggest that previous uncontrolled research on homicide has been misleading.

The role of alcohol, drugs, suicide attempts and situational strains in homicide committed by offenders seen for psychiatric assessment. A controlled study.

The use of alcohol and drugs at the time of offence, suicide attempts and situational strains were compared in 109 killers and 38 nonviolent offenders seen for psychiatric assessment. More killers than nonviolent offenders used alcohol and drugs at the time of their offence but there was no difference in previous attempts at suicide nor in situational strains. Killers, however, did have more recent frustrations than the other group. Results suggest that the use of intoxicants in violence-prone individuals is the most important factor in homicide.

Ratings of parent behaviours for delinquents from two-parent and single-parent homes.

Mother and son ratings of parent behaviours on the dimensions of loving, demanding and punishing, using the Bronfenbrenner Parent Behaviour Questionnaire, were compared for juvenile delinquents from two-parent and single-parent homes respectively. Mean rating for all variables were in the average range, and little difference in ratings of mothers' behaviours was found, for either boys or mothers, between the single-parent and two-parent groups. These findings are in contrast to the frequently suggested link between delinquency and disturbed family interactions.

A study of homicide: the validity of predictive test factors.

This study is a retrospective comparison of the psychological test findings within four groups, including 61 murderers, 42 assaulters, 71 perpetrators of theft, and 24 unemployed non-criminal controls. Psychological test findings did not discriminate very well among these groups. Some purported hostility scales, such as the Elizur Hostility Scale, the DeVos Hostility Scale, and Megargee's Overcontrolled-Hostility Scale, did not discriminate at all. The 16 Personality-Factor Questionnaire was particularly unhelpful, rating all four groups as having above-average emotional stability, One must conclude that individual psychological test factors are of little value in predicting violent behaviour. Further research is being undertaken to separate the murder group into motivational sub-categories.

Experimental studies of the etiology of genital exhibitionism.

Several studies are reported which examine the critical stimuli and responses as well as personality factors important in genital exhibitionism. Using penile volume measurement, sex history questionnaires, personality tests, and behavioral observations, it was found that (1) exhibitionists responded most to mature females and were comparable to normals in reactions to children and men; (2) while exhibitionists indicated narcissistic desires in exposing, in a laboratory study they did not differ from controls in reactions to exposing with various reactions of the female, from sexual arousal and admiration to fear and anger; (3) the only strong features distinguishing exhibitionists from controls and other sexually anomalous subjects were peeping associated with orgasm and outdoor solitary masturbation; (4) exhibitionists seemed to be less assertive and less feminine than controls, but results were weak and inconsistent; (5) exhibitionists and controls did not differ in separation and divorce or marital satisfaction; (6) blood testosterone and penile reactivity of exhibitionists were within normal limits. Overall, the results suggest that most major theories of genital exhibitionism are wanting. It is suggested that narcissism and pedophilia be examined further in connection with exhibitionism.

The Clarke SHQ: a clinical sex history questionnaire for males.

The development of a 225-item sexual history questionnaire is reported. The frequency, desire for, and disgust for a wide range of sexual behaviors, including anomalous behavior, were examined. Twenty-four scales were derived from factor analysis of the items. The scales were represented by modest unitary factors but were relatively free of bias from age, education, intelligence, social desirability, and defensiveness. The scales generally discriminated clinically relevant groups from control subjects and therefore meet a clinical need in the assessment of anomalous sexual behavior. The instrument also appears to be useful in examining hypotheses for research. Among these observations was the continuity between exhibitionism and heterosexual pedophilia and the apparent bisexuality of some homosexual males. The scale allows for the assessment of the preferences of sexually inexperienced males as well.

The clinical profile of male transsexuals living as females vs. those living as males.

The clinical profiles of five male groups were compared: transsexuals who live as females (FEM), those who live as males (MAL), homosexual patients (HOP), homosexual controls (HOC), and heterosexual controls (CON). The MAL group showed psychotic features on the MMPI and a greater frequency of suicide attempts than the other groups. Their sexual behavior was incongruous in that they have substantial sexual contact with men but less often desired sexual contact with men. They also less often desired to handle the penis of an adult man or to kiss him on the lips. They were more likely to find handling another's penis disgusting. However, they showed considerable involvement of their penis in sex relations with men. The FEM group, in contrast, had MMPI profiles suggestive of character disorders and tended to engage in antisocial behavior. Both MAL and FEM groups were similar in MMPI and 16 PF "femininity." The HOP group showed overall similarity to MAL but was not as pathological. The HOC and CON groups were similar in being normal but their sexual behavior differed, as expected. The paradoxical behavior of MAL is discussed as well as the parallel of the FEM group's behavior to that of criminals.