Title:
Narcissism and overcontrolled hostility: personality characteristics of priests with pedophilia
Author:
Kathryn L. Savitz
Thesis Advisor:
Ruth Stemberger
Committee Member:
Deborah Haskins
Committee Member:
Charles LoPresto
Degree Granting Institution:
Loyola University Maryland--College of Arts and Sciences
Place:
Baltimore (Md.)
Publisher:
Loyola University Maryland
Date Created:
2000
Type of Resource:
text
Genre:
thesis
Language:
eng
Format:
application/pdf
Physical Form:
electronic
Digital Source:
reformatted digital
Abstract:
Individuals who commit sexual crimes against children are among the most scorned in society. Those who possess a sexual preference for children are diagnosed with Pedophilia and typically are men. This study focused on determining hallmark personality traits (narcissism and overcontrolled-hostility) of a subpopulation of pedophilia, specifically, priest pedophiles which, if identified, could serve as a foundation for risk assessment and treatment interventions. Meloy (1986) theorized that priest pedophiles exhibit narcissistic traits in a dichotomous relationship to their self-perception as being conveyors of God's word. Consistent with this theory, this study used Wink's (1991) categorization of narcissism: Grandiosity Exhibitionism (GE: extroverted, self-centered, and assertive) and Vulnerability Sensitivity (VS: introverted, anxious, and defensive) to compare priest pedophiles and non-priest pedophiles. Statistical analyses failed to confirm Hypothesis 1 that priest pedophiles would demonstrate higher levels of GE narcissism than other pedophiles. Although not significant, priest pedophiles had lower levels than non-priest pedophiles, suggesting that this personality trait may have diminished by the identification of their crime as well as the loss of their identity as an active messenger of God. On the other hand, as predicted, pedophiles demonstrated higher levels of VS than priest pedophiles, indicating that these traits could distinguish the two subpopulations of pedophilia. Results failed to support the hypothesis that priest pedophiles would evidence higher levels of overcontrolled-hostility than pedophiles. Another significant finding which was not predicted was that pedophiles presented themselves as having greater psychological problems than priest pedophiles. This suggests pedophiles and priest pedophiles may differ in this respect as well. Overall, this study introduces the likelihood that, with refined methodology, particular personality characteristics within subpopulations of pedophiles, as subtle as they may be, could be highlighted and considered in preventative and treatment interventions.
Subject:
Child molesters
Subject:
Priests--Psychology
Subject:
Narcissism--Religious aspects
Subject:
Hostility (Psychology)
Degree:
Doctor of Psychology
Level:
Doctoral
Discipline:
Psychology
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Identifier:
SavitzKL-00
