The Characteristics Of Personality And Behavior For Criminals

Objective:To investigate the criminal personality characteristics, and the relationship between personality and parenting styles, social support, coping styles, adult attachment, aggressive behavior and the decision-making behavior, we conducted four studies.Methods:In study1, a sample of384prisoners completed measures of the PDQ-4+and EMBU. Pearson correlation, t-test, analysis of variance, cluster analysis and linear regression analysis were used to explore the criminal personality characteristics and the influence of the parenting styles on the criminal personality.In study2, a sample of369prisoners completed measures of the PDQ-4+, PSSS and CSQ. Pearson correlation analysis, t-test, and Logistic regression analysis were used to explore the relationship among the criminal personality disorder symptoms, social support and coping styles.In study3, a sample of421prisoners completed measures of the NEO-FFI, BIS-II, AAS and AQ. Pearson correlation analysis, analysis of variance,canonical correlation analysis, and linear regression analysis were used to explore the relationship among criminal personality characteristics, adult attachment and aggressive behavior.In study4, a sample of41prisoners and21Normal subjects completed measures of the NEO-FFI, BIS-II, BIS/BAS Scale,DDT and IGT. Mann-Whitney U test, Wilcoxin sign-rank test, multivariate analysis of covariance (MANOVA), correlation analysis and t-test were used to explore the criminal decision-making behavior characteristics and relationship between personality and decision-making behavior.Results:In study1, it was found that the positive rate of each type of personality disorder for Criminals was very high (P between19.58%60.05%). The mean of total PDQ-4+scores and the subscales for different type of personality disorder in criminal sample were higher than university sample and normal sample in China(t=2.62-22.59, p<0.01or p<0.001). The criminals parenting styles have extreme tendency and inconsistencies. There exist significant difference between mother parenting styles and father parenting styles of criminals (P<0.05).Clustering analysis showed that the criminals parenting style can divide roughly for doting type, indulgent type and contradictory type. There exist significant difference in criminal personality characteristic and parenting styles for different type of crime. Correlation analysis showed there were significant correlations among emotional warmth and understanding, rejection and deny, punishment and strictness, and each type of personality disorder(r is from0.11-0.43, P<0.05or P<0.05). Multiple regression analysis indicated that the corresponding factors of parenting style could explain5%-27%total variance of corresponding type of personality disorder.In study2, results indicated that significant difference exist in social support, and help-seeking, problem-solving and rationalization for different type of crime. T-test showed that significant difference exist in social support and coping styles for the positive personality disorder group and negative personality disorder group of criminals. The Positive personality disorder group of criminals get less social support, more use negative coping styles such as fantasy, self-blame, Escape-Avoidance and rationalization, and less use positive coping styles such as problem solving and help-seeking. Correlation analysis indicated that there were a significant negative correlation between the three dimensions of PSSS and the subscales for different type of personality disorder except the compulsive personality disorder. And that there were a significant positive correlation between the coping style such as rationalization, fantasy, self-blame, escape-Avoidance and the subscales for different type of personality disorder. Classification of multiple Logistic regressions was used to study the relationship among the coping styles, social support, personality and the crime type for further. And logistic regression model of each kind’s crime type was established.In study3, The mean of each dimension and total score of BIS-II in criminal sample were significantly higher than rural residents, urban residents and college students (p<0.01). There exist significant difference in the Big Five Personality dimensions,Nonplanning Impulsiveness,anxiety dimension of AAS, and dimensions of AQ for different type of crime. The three dimensions of BIS-II was significantly negatively related with close dimension of AAS, and was significantly positively related with anxiety dimension of AAS, anger, hostility, physical attacks and the total score of AQ (P<0.01). Neuroticism was significantly negatively related with close and dependence of AAS, and was significantly positively related with anxiety of AAS, four dimensions and total score of AQ(P<0.01or P<0.05). Conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness were significantly positively related with close dimension of AAS, and were significantly negatively related with anxiety of AAS, four dimensions and total score of AQ.(P<0.01or P<0.05).In the canonical correlation analysis, one significant canonical correlation coefficient was found for the Big Five Personality dimensions and AQ dimensions (r=0.616,P<0.01), two significant canonical correlation coefficient were found for BIS-II and AQ(r=0.63,0.22, P<0.01), And one significant canonical correlation coefficient was found for the Big Five dimensions and Adult attachment(r=0.499, P<0.01).All have reached a moderate correlation. Regression analysis found that Motor Impulsiveness, Nonplanning Impulsiveness and neuroticism can explain40%total variance of angry behavior; Agreeableness and agreeableness neuroticism, Nonplanning Impulsiveness and Motor Impulsiveness can explain33.2%total variance of hostile behavior; Agreeableness, attentional Impulsiveness Nonplanning Impulsiveness and Motor Impulsiveness can explain34.3%total variance of physical attacks; extraversion, neuroticism, openness and conscientiousness can explain13.6%total variance of verbal attacks; Motor Impulsiveness, Nonplanning Impulsiveness, Attentional Impulsiveness, agreeableness and neuroticism can explain44.9%total variance of total AQ score.In study4, in the Delay Discounting Task, the criminal group were displayed the trend of rapid discount compared with normal group. Mann-Whitney U test showed that,the discount rate of criminal group in both two different improved conditions were significantly higher than the normal group (U10000=197.00,p<0.01; U1000=207.00,p<0.05).In the Iowa Gambling Task, multivariate analysis of covariance indicated that the main effect of decision module was significant (F (4,252)=10.66, p=0.000), and the main effect of subject group was significant too (F (1,63)=4.52, p<0.05), but the interaction effect was not significant (F (4,252)=0.72, p=0.57). There was a significant correlation between extraversion and the net scores of IGT (r=-0.458,P<0.05).The Delay-discounting rates(k) of DDT were not significantly correlated with the net scores of IGT, all the Big Five dimensions and Impulsiveness scale dimensions(P>0.05). There was no significant difference between the net scores of IGT and the Delay-discounting rates(k) of DDT for different type of crime. The BIS and BAS are irrelevant to the net total scores of IGT. In two different delayed reinforcement, there was no significant difference between net score of IGT of the high discount group and low discount group for criminals sample. It suggests that delay-discounting rates are irrelevant to the IGT task performance for criminals.Conclusion:1. The positive rate of each type of personality disorder for Criminals was very high and their Personality disorder symptoms were more significant. The criminals parenting style has extreme tendency and inconsistencies, and their parenting style play an important role in the formation and development of personality to criminals.2.The Positive personality disorder group of criminals get less social support, more use negative coping styles such as fantasy, self-blame, Escape-Avoidance and rationalization, and less use positive coping styles such as problem solving and help-seeking. The personality characteristics of Criminals, social support, and coping styles can influence each other, and collectively affecting selecting crime type.3. The criminal’s personality has remarkable impulse characteristic; the early parent-children relationship plays an important role on the formation and development of the personality. Neuroticism and impulsiveness of personality characteristics are fairly effective variables in the prediction of criminal aggressive behavior.4. Compared with normal group, the criminal group has impairment of decision making function. In win-risk coincidence situations, criminals have their immediate win-priority selecting pattern and the tolerance to high risk. In delayed reinforcement situations, criminals have their hyposensitivity to immediate reward and their insensitivity to delayed value, which led to the quick decay of long-time value. These further illustrates the criminal personality has impulsivity and adventurous characteristics.