Personality and deviant sexual fantasies: an examination of the MMPIs of sex offenders.

Abstract

A sample of 228 sex offenders and nonsex offender controls were divided into two groups, based on the presence or absence of deviant sexual fantasies, as determined by their replies to the Clarke Sex History Questionnaire Fantasy Scales. The sex offenders were divided into six groups based on sexual preferences and criminal history. There were 14 heterosexual pedophiles, 23 homosexual pedophiles, 51 exhibitionists, 17 incest offenders, 24 sexual aggressives, and 57 multiple/miscellaneous offenders as well as 42 nonviolent nonsex offender controls. A 2 (fantasy group) x 7 (sex offender group) multivariate analysis with age and education as covariates was used to compare the MMPI validity scales (L, F, and K) and the 10 clinical scales as dependent variables. Deviant fantasizers had more clinically significantly scores on the F, Psychopathic Deviate, Masculinity-Femininity, Paranoia, and Schizophrenia Scales compared to nondeviant fantasizers, regardless of group membership. Results suggest that deviant fantasizers may be more socially alienated and less emotionally stable than nondeviant fantasizers, although few were diagnosed as psychotic. The sex offender and control groups showed considerable overlap on mean MMPI Scales. The groups tended to differ in level of depression and extent of persecutory ideas, but the multivariate sex offender group effect was not statistically significant when problems of inhomogeneity of variance were corrected. There was no interaction of fantasy groups and sex offender groups, indicating that the two factors can be considered independently.