EXPLORATORY STUDY OF SOME PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE DEATH PENALTY AS MEASURED ON THE MMPI (MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY) OF CONVICTED MURDERERS

• NCJ Number: 49239
• Author(s): G C RAWLINGS
• Date Published: 1974
• Length: 69 pages
• Sale Source: UMI Dissertation Services
• Publication Type: Thesis/Dissertation
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: CALIFORNIA SCHOOL OF PROFESSIONAL PSYCHOLOGY DISSERTATION

Annotation

THE HYPOTHESIS THAT THERE ARE PERSONALITY FACTORS WHICH CAUSE THE DEATH PENALTY TO BE AN INDUCEMENT TO MURDER FOR SOME PEOPLE, AND NOT A DETERRENT IS TESTED.

Abstract

IT IS HYPOTHESIZED THAT THERE WILL BE PERSONALITY DIFFERENCES BETWEEN PEOPLE WHO MURDERED WHEN THE DEATH PENALTY WAS A POSSIBILITY AND THOSE WHO MURDERED WHEN THE DEATH PENALTY WAS NOT USED. THE HYPOTHESIS REASONS THAT FOR SOME PATHOLOGICALLY GUILTY PEOPLE THE DEATH PENALTY SERVES AS AN INDUCEMENT TO MURDER ALLOWING THEM TO RELEASE THEIR MURDEROUS IMPULSES WHILE ASSUAGING THEIR GUILT FEELINGS THROUGH THE DEATH PENALTY. THIS HYPOTHESIS WAS TESTED BY ADMINISTERING THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY TO 40 MEN WHO HAD MURDERED WHEN THE DEATH PENALTY WAS A POSSIBILITY AND 60 MEN WHO MURDERED WHEN THE DEATH PENALTY WAS DISALLOWED. IT WAS PREDICTED THAT THE 'DEATH PENALTY' GROUP WOULD SCORE HIGHER THAN THE OTHER GROUP ON MEASURES REFLECTING OVERCONTROL AND GUILT AND LOWER ON MEASURES INDICATING EXPRESSIONS OF ANGER. THE ANALYSIS SHOWED NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES ON THE PREDICTED MEASURES; HOWEVER, SOME NONPREDICTED DIFFERENCES WERE OBSERVED. SOME SPECULATIONS ON THESE NONPREDICTED DIFFERENCES ARE OFFERED TO GUIDE HYPOTHESES FOR FURTHER RESEARCH. GRAPHS, TABULAR DATA AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED -- RCB)