Abstract
Background: A specific personality profile, characterized by low character maturity (low scores on the self-directedness and cooperativeness character dimensions) and high scores on the novelty seeking temperament dimension of the temperament and character inventory (TCI), has been associated with aggressive antisocial behavior in male prison inmates. It has also been shown that yoga practiced in Swedish correctional facilities has positive effects on the inmates’ well-being and on risk factors associated with criminal recidivism (e.g., antisocial behavior). In this study, we aimed to investigate whether the positive effect of yoga practice on inmates’ behaviors could be extended to include eventual changes in their personality profile. Methods: Male prison inmates (N = 111) in Sweden participated in a randomized controlled 10-week long yoga intervention trial. Participants were randomly assigned to either a yoga group (one class a week; n = 57) or a control group (free of choice weekly physical activity; n = 54). All the inmates completed the TCI questionnaire before and after the intervention period as part of an assessment battery. Results: After the 10-week-long intervention period male inmates scored significantly lower on the novelty seeking and the harm avoidance and significantly higher on the self-directedness dimensions of the TCI. There was a significant medium strong interaction effect between time and group belonging for the self-directedness dimension of character favoring the yoga group. Conclusion: A 10-week-long yoga practice intervention among male inmates in Swedish correctional facilities increased the inmates’ character maturity, improving such abilities as their capability to take responsibility, feel more purposeful, and being more self-acceptant—features that previously were found to be associated with decreased aggressive antisocial behavior.
Highlights
Personality and Trait Aggression of Prison InmatesA long-standing question among scientists is whether there is a specific personality profile associated with criminality
The mean scores of the seven dimensions of the temperament and character inventory (TCI) at pre- and post-intervention for the yoga group and for the control group are presented in Table 2 and Figures 1 and 2
Repeated-measures ANOVA was conducted to assess the impact of the yoga intervention compared to the control group of physical activity on participants’ personality traits according to TCI across two periods
Summary
Personality and Trait Aggression of Prison InmatesA long-standing question among scientists is whether there is a specific personality profile associated with criminality. According to Cloninger’s psychobiological model of personality, the temperament dimensions (comprising the dimensions novelty seeking, harm avoidance, reward dependence, and persistence) of an individual’s personality are neurobiologically based, inheritable features [5, 6] These temperament dimensions are defined as habitual responses to stimuli and are considered to be rather stable over the individual’s lifetime, they might interact with and be modified by the character dimensions (comprising the dimensions self-directedness, cooperativeness, and selftranscendence) of an individual’s personality [7, 8]. A specific personality profile, characterized by low character maturity (low scores on the self-directedness and cooperativeness character dimensions) and high scores on the novelty seeking temperament dimension of the temperament and character inventory (TCI), has been associated with aggressive antisocial behavior in male prison inmates. We aimed to investigate whether the positive effect of yoga practice on inmates’ behaviors could be extended to include eventual changes in their personality profile
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