Personality Characteristics Of Adolescents Convicted For Sexual Assaults In Russia

Standardized psychometric tests:

• Raymond Cattell’s 16 Personality Factors Questionnaire (Form C), aimed to explore the individual psychological peculiarities of a person;

• the Pathocharacterological Diagnostic Questionnaire developed by Lichko and Ivanov, designed to identify the accentuations of juveniles’ character and their disposition to psychopathy;

• Test “Life Style Index”, LSI (R. Plutchik, H. Kellerman, H. R. Conte).

• Coping Strategies Questionnaire, WCQ (R. Lazarus & S. Folkman).

• «COPE» (C.S. Carver, M.F. Scheier, J.K. Weintraub).

• Purpose-in-Life Test, PIL (Crumbaugh, Maholick, adapt. Leontiev).

• Questionnaire «The sovereignty of psychological space» (S.K.Nartova-Bochaver).

• Timothy Leary’s Interpersonal Diagnosis of Personality, for studying the preferred style of interpersonal relations.

Projective test “Hand Test” by Edwin E. Wagner.

Mathematical methods of data analysis:

• Basic descriptive statistics;

• The Kolmogorov–Smirnov test (Z value)

• Student's t-distribution

• r-Pirson.

Personality traits and traits of character of juveniles convicted for sexual assaults

Result 1. Measuring the essence of personality we got statistically significant differences between groups of juveniles on the these scales: “Warm/Reserved” (A), “Trusting/Vigilant” (L), “Expedient/Rule-Conscious” (G), (either p≤0.05), also “Tolerates Disorder/Perfectionistic” (Q3), “Private/Forthright” (N), “Deferential/Dominant” (E), “Self-Reliant/Group-Oriented” (Q2), “Shy/Bold” (H), “Problem-Solving” (B), “Traditional/Open-to-Change” (Q1) (either p≤0.01).

According to the data, juveniles convicted for sexual assault characterized as undisciplined, impulsive and careless of social rules, also self-conflict and having low self-control. In communication they avoid conflict, are submissive, easily led, cooperative and accommodating. A convicted juvenile is characterized as a deferential and humble person in communication. They also differ from normative schoolchildren in intellectual activity characterised by prevalence of concrete-thinking, less intelligence, lower general mental capacity, and inability to handle abstract tasks.

Result 2. As is well known one of the central factors determining the risk of the formation of deviant behaviour of juveniles is accentuation of psychological type. And in adolescences typological variants of the norm are most pronounced. Therefore, it was important for us also to study the prevailing accentuation of psychological type in juveniles committed sexual crimes.

Collected data on on the accentuation of personality traits and disposition to psychopathy revealed that convicted juveniles are characterised by the epileptoid psychological type, and schoolchildren are characterised by the psychastenic psychological type (Table 1 ).

The juveniles with an epileptoid psychological type are characterized by a peculiarity that is manifested in the inclination to being angry and melancholy states of mood and search for an object to vent their anger on. In an interpersonal relations they show great jealousy towards their partner. Leadership is expressed in the striving for ruling over others. Such juveniles adapt well under strict disciplinary regimes, where they seek to fawn on authorities by giving an appearance of industrious workers and to acquire a status that enables controlling other adolescents. The processes in their nervous system are characterised by inertness, stiffness, and ‘viscosity’, which in turn leaves an imprint on the entire psyche – from movements and emotions to thinking and personal values. They like developing their physical strength. Such juveniles make decisions without haste and in rather a prudent manner. This is why they sometimes miss an opportunity requiring quick action. However, their sluggishness disappears in an affective state. For this reason, they easily lose control of themselves, and act on impulse. Adolescents are very vindictive and inventive in methods of their revenge. Carefulness in details, scrupulousness, meticulous abidance by any rules, even to the detriment of business, and annoying pedantry are considered a compensation for one’s own inertness (Ivanov & Lichko 1995).

The control group of juveniles with an psychastenic psychological type are characterized as an indecisive, mistrustful, inclined to self-analysis, and subject to fixed ideas. They often find it the most difficult task to be responsible for themselves and particularly for others. Imaginary objects and invented rituals help alleviate their constant anxiety about chimerical troubles and misfortunes. They become more indecisive when it comes to making an independent decision on insignificant everyday problems. Serious issues having a marked effect on the future are, on the contrary, often tackled with surprising hastiness. They are excessively pedantic and committed to principles even in terms of minor issues, sometimes becoming despotic. As a result, they are rarely compatible with representatives of almost all other accentuations of character. Psychasthenics’ pedantry is also considered to calm their fears for the future (Ivanov & Lichko 1995).

We also have got results on analysis of deviant forms behaviour of juveniles (Table 2 ).

Table 2 demonstrates that convicted juveniles characterized by elevated frankness and at the same time they look for not revealing their character traits. In self-other system they differ in prevalence of masculinity. Such juveniles also look to free themselves from paternalism and control of elders. In addition they differ in being prone to alcohol addiction and personality traits in organic psychopathy. It is worth noting a high indicator of the possible organic nature of the formation of psychopathy and character accentuation is often found in the epileptoid psychological type, as noted by Lichko (2009).

Result 3. According to Vasiliev (2016), aggressive tendencies are common among young rapists. But which exactly? And how do aggressive tendencies manifest themselves? To investigate the tendencies of activity (aggressiveness) of juveniles, we used a “Hand-test”. So studying the action tendencies - acting-out and aggressive behavior - revealed aggressive behavior in both groups of juveniles: 83.0 % of convicted juveniles (М=0.7; SD=0.39) and 78.0 % of schoolchildren (М=0.6; SD=0.25). We suppose this data may not indicate aggressiveness as a personality trait, but may be due to psychological characteristics of the age period.

Collected data showed statistically significant differences between groups of juveniles on the scales presented in table 3 .

The most pronounced categories of responses from convicted juveniles were such categories as: “Active” (М=16.60; SD=1.35), “Affection” (М=8.60; SD=1.54), “Crippled”(М=8.00; SD=1.56) and “Exhibition” (М=7.50; SD=1.26).

The answers of the categories “Active” and “Affection” reflect the tendency of convicted juveniles to acting-out aimed at adapting to the environment, however, the effect on the aggressiveness of the behavior of this category of answers is ambiguous. The answers of the categories “Crippled” and “Exhibition” are not take account of assuming the probability of aggressive behavior, but it can specify motives of such behavior. Thus, the identified aggressiveness and high scores in the specified categories (compared to scores in other categories) can indicate the determination of aggressive behavior of convicted juveniles by the desire to flaunt oneself, on the one hand, and a feeling of inability to act, on the other hand.

Imagine the difficulties in convicted juveniles in testing this technique. Difficulties were expressed in the length of reflection on answers, brevity (one or two options), and the frequency of responses. This data allows to identify the low level of visual thinking, difficulties in solving abstract tasks, reduced efficiency of thinking, lower general mental capacity of juveniles convicted of sexual assault. These difficulties become especially obvious in comparing the speed and results of passing this test by other groups of juveniles including normative schoolchildren (from the personal experience of the authors).

Therefore, juveniles convicted for sexual assault differ in impulsiveness, undisciplined behavior and low self-control. Their aggressive behavior is a tendency to acting-out aimed at adapting to the environment. Aggressive behavior of convicted juveniles can be determinate by the desire to flaunt oneself, on the one hand, and a feeling of inability to act, on the other hand. In addition, their intellectual activity characterised by prevalence of concrete-thinking, lower general mental capacity, and inability to handle abstract tasks.

Psychological defense mechanisms and coping behaviors of the juveniles convicted for sexual assault

Stressful and frustrating situations happen in everyone’s life. In that periods strong, but opposite motivations can arise forming an intrapersonal conflict. Psychological defense mechanisms allow to stabilize this condition. Social behavior, called coping behavior allows to overcome a difficult situation. Coping behavior is important for a person’s social adaptation. However, not all people form such a set of coping strategies that would effectively cope with stressors. Therefore, the study of coping behavior, as well as the psychological defense mechanisms of convicted juveniles are significant for understanding their personality.

The data on coping behaviours showed that juveniles convicted for sexual assault more often than schoolchildren use the “Distancing” coping strategy (χ2=10.659; р<0.01). The prevailing psychological defense mechanisms of criminal juveniles are such mechanisms as “reaction formation” (р<0.046), “repression” (р<0.020) and “displacement” (р<0.036). In addition we found that jjuveniles convicted for sexual assault use such ineffective coping strategies as “behavioral disengagement” (р<0.023), “mental disengagement” (р<0.021) and “alcohol-drug disengagement” (р<0.028) and also “denial” coping strategy (р<0.015). In this way, convicted jjuveniles use aspects of what might be viewed as emotion-focused coping and coping responses that arguably are less useful. In contradistinction to them, school children with normative behaviors use conceptually distinct aspects of problem-focused coping as “seeking of instrumental social support” (p<0.013) and such aspects of what might be viewed as emotion-focused coping as “positive reinterpretation”(p<0.034).

Thus, we found that psychological defense mechanisms and coping behaviors of the juveniles convicted for sexual assault do not contribute to solving their problems, but often intensify the duration of adverse conditions.

The values and specific of motivational sphere and the system of meaningful relationship of the juveniles convicted for sexual assault

Result 1. The characteristics of communication of deviant juveniles are also paid a special attention to in the psychological papers. Therefore, the next step in our study was to identify the preferred style of interpersonal relations of juveniles with criminal sexual behaviors.

Our data on the preferred style of interpersonal relations demonstrate statistically significant differences between groups of juveniles in the following scales: “imperious - leading”, “independent - dominant” and “collaborating - conventional” (either p<0.05), also “straightforward - aggressive”, “submissive - shy”, “dependent - obedient” and “responsible - generous” (either p<0.01).

In contradistinction to normative schoolchildren convicted juveniles have a prevailing responsibly generous type of interpersonal relations (Table 4 ). This type of interpersonal relations is accentuated and means kindness, over-commitment, hypersocial attitudes and emphasized altruism of convicted juveniles.

The schoolchildren differ in prevailing imperious - leading type of interpersonal relations. Such juveniles are intolerant to criticism and reassess their capabilities.

The main social orientations are presented in the form of four orientations: domination - submission, friendliness - hostility. These orientations are also formed by four styles of interpersonal relations: domination - friendliness, domination - hostility, submission - friendliness and submission - hostility. As a Table 4 demonstrates juveniles of both groups have a “domination - friendliness” style of interpersonal relationships.

Result 2. One of the reason for the deviant behavior of juveniles, as a rule, is associated with the space of intra-family and interpersonal relations. Studying the sovereignty of the psychological space, we got statistically significant differences between groups of juveniles by any definition (Table 5 ).

Table 5 demonstrates that convicted juveniles have disturbed sovereignty of psychological space (physical body sovereignty, territory sovereignty, sovereignty of things and habits). This indicates a disturbed ability to keep the integrity of psychological boundaries and not break under the influence of external factors (Nartova-Bochaver, 2014).

As Nartova-Bochaver (2014) notes, the main characteristic of sovereignty for personality is the physical body sovereignty. The physical body sovereignty is laid in childhood due to the respectful and careful attitude of parents to child and to child needs. The low physical body sovereignty of convicted juveniles may be due to their desire to work off dependence on parents and at the same time anxiety of their parents about the independence of children. Disturbance of the territory sovereignty and sovereignty of things is reflected in the ability to manage own time.

In contradistinction to them, normative schoolchildren have a disturbance of sovereignty of social ties and sovereignty values. This indicates a desire of the juveniles to have friends who cannot be approved by parents. It also indicates a desire to have a personal freedom of choice (interest, view of life etc.).

Result 3. Each person evaluates his or her life from the point of view of the meaning of life that can be found by a person in the future (the goals), in the present (the process of life), and the past (the result), or in all three components (Leontiev, 2006).

Analyzing purposes in life, we found that convicted juveniles have a lower integral criterion than control group of schoolchildren (Table 6 ).

This indicates that juveniles convicted for sexual assault live for the day and live in the past, they are not satisfied with their life in the present, and also they do not perceive it as interesting, emotional, productive and full of purpose. Juveniles believe that they cannot control own lives, so it makes no sense to plan something for the future.

Certainly such results may be due to the current situation of juveniles - social isolation.

Therefore, the values and motivations sphere and the system of meaningful relationship of the juveniles convicted for sexual assault is characterized by accentuated meaning kindness, over-commitment, hypersocial attitudes and emphasized altruism of convicted juveniles. Such juveniles also have disturbed sovereignty of psychological space which means the disturbed ability to keep the integrity of psychological boundaries and not break under the influence of external factors. In addition, juveniles convicted for sexual assault live for the day and live in the past, they are not satisfied their life in the present, and also they do not perceive it as interesting, emotional, productive and full of purpose.