Psychopathic and Nonpsychopathic Violent Offenders on the Rorschach: Discriminative Features and Comparisons With Schizophrenic Inpatient and University Student Samples

Abstract

We examined discriminant and convergent validity of theoretically relevant Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS) variables (Exner, 2003) and Meloy and Gacono's (1992) aggression variables in distinguishing between imprisoned violent offenders (VO) who were psychopathic (P–VO) and nonpsychopathic (NP–VO) under psychiatric treatment, schizophrenic inpatients (ISs), and university students (USs). A total of 7 of 12 variables discriminated significantly between P–VO and NP–VO, which suggests more aggressive, cognitive, and interpersonal disturbances among P–VO. We also found significant differences between VOs, ISs, and USs. Logistic regression analyses revealed that AgPast accumulated incrementally in the classification of P–VO versus NP–VO, and AgC accumulated incrementally in the classification of VO versus IS when entered after CS variables. The findings support the view that psychopathy is a distinctive form of antisocial personality disorder (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) organized at a more severe pathological level.