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Published on: July 4, 2013
Defense mechanisms and self-reported violence toward strangers
Myeong Kim1, Rosemary Cogan, Stacy Carter
1University of Arkansas-Monticello, USA.
Abstract:
College men who reported committing violence toward strangers (N = 30) and nonviolent college men (N = 30) completed Thematic Apperception Test cards (TAT) and responded to the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2 (MMPI-2). Defense mechanisms were coded from the TAT responses with the Defense Mechanism Manual (DMM). The men who reported violence toward strangers had higher DMM Denial scores and higher MMPI-2 Antisocial Practices scores than the nonviolent men. Student violence toward strangers seems to reflect immaturity rather than psychopathy.
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