Object Relations and Reality Testing in Psychopathic and Antisocial Methadone Patients

Abstract

The Bell Object Relations and Reality Testing Inventory (BOR-RTI) was used to evaluate differences in object relations and reality testing in a sample of 215 male and 25 female methadone patients based on their degree of psychopathy, measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R), and their degree of antisociality, measured by the Personality Disorder Examination (PDE). As hypothesized, results showed that compared to non psychopaths, psychopaths demonstrated significantly greater impairment in object relations and, also, unexpectedly in reality testing. No significant differences in object relations or reality testing between antisocial and non-antisocial individuals were revealed. Additionally, it was hypothesized that differences in object relations would be found in antisocial subjects who were and were not considered to be psychopathic. No significant differences in object relations were revealed, however, but differences in reality testing were revealed between antisocial individuals based on...