Gender differences in personality functioning between male and female juvenile offenders by means of the Rorschach

The study assessed whether personality differences existed between male and female juvenile offenders based on their Rorschach protocols. The researcher collected individual variables from the Rorschach structural summary and subjected those variables to a series of t tests to determine group differences. A component of the study controlled for intelligence, a possible confound in the data. As exploratory research, the study analyzed all variables of the Rorschach for group differences. Results indicated some measurable differences but failed to reveal the expected differences overall. Significant findings were found in the areas of ideation, mediation, interpersonal relatedness, and self-perception. Chi square analyses of frequency data revealed some significant findings that provide information about this adolescent offender sample. Such findings are consistent with past research with adult females and adolescent males, indicating the invaluable information that can be gleaned from Rorschach research and the adolescent offender population.