Comparing the Clinical Model of Personality in Offender with Violent and Property Crimes

According to Durkheim, in all societies, there is always a percentage of individuals who are not subject to the law; therefore, punishment and imprisonment are required in all societies. However, if this population proceeds its normal range, it will face serious problems. The reason and motivation of individuals to commit violent crimes is debatable. Evidence suggests that this phenomenon has expanded in our society and is evident in various ways; psychological causes could be considered as a predictive factor for them. The severity and frequency of crimes of violence are different for groups and individuals in the community. Over the past few years, extensive research has been conducted to identify and identify individuals who are more prone to commit violent crimes. A characteristic that appears to be involved in crime and especially violent crime is personality traits. The personality determines the specific profile of the personchr('39')s behavioral patterns. Considering the relationship between crime and mental disorders and personality traits is based on the assumption that patients with mental disorders fail to care about the laws of the community. Besides, their behavior is unpredictable and they cannot control their actions. Accordingly, some offenders have mental conditions and serious personality problems. The current study aimed to compare the clinical patterns of personality in the perpetrators of violent and non–violent crimes.

This was a descriptive and comparative study. The statistical population of this study was all Shiraz prisoners. To conduct this research, 40 offenders with violent crime and 40 non–violent offenders were selected by convenience sampling method. After selecting the samples, Millon Clinical Multiracial Inventory–II (MCMI–2) was distributed among them. This questionnaire was developed by Millon in 1977 and revised in 1990. This scale measures 13 personality disorders in 175 items, i.e., answered in a "yes/no" manner. These personality disorders include paranoid, schizoid, schizotypal, antisocial, borderline, histrionic, narcissistic, avoidant, dependent, and obsessive–compulsive. Millon has reported the reliability of this questionnaire in different subscales to range from 0.82 to 0.90. Cronbachchr('39')s alpha coefficient of this questionnaire was also reported from 0.62 to 0.85 by MIBON. In Iran, this questionnaire has been standardized by Chegini and colleagues. In their research, the test–retest reliability of the scale was reported to be between 0.61 and 0.71. Moreover, its reliability has been reported by Cronbachchr('39')s alpha for different subscales to range from 0.44 to 0.89. The obtained data were analyzed using SPSS by descriptive and inferential statistics, including mean and standard deviation as well as Independent Samples t–test.

The results of this study showed that there were borderline personality traits (p = 0.031), antisocial (p<0.001), schizoid (p<0.001), paranoid (p=0.026) and aggressive / harassing (p=0.013) There is a difference between criminals with violent and non–violent crimes.

Considering the current research findings and the differences in personality traits among offenders with violent and non–violent crimes, it is recommended that the relevant specialists be advised in this regard. Furthermore, therapeutic interventions are required to improve personality disorders in criminals with violent crimes. Additionally, because personality disorders are rooted in childhood, improving parenting styles is recommended as preventive measures.