A Rorschach Analysis of Violent Murderers and Nonviolent Offenders

Abstract

The study was designed to compare the Rorschach protocols of violent murderers with nonviolent offenders. A total of 46 convicted male felons, that is, 23 violent murderers and 23 nonviolent offenders with a mean age of 34.43 and 32.48, respectively, participated in the study. Each subject was administered a Rorschach utilizing the Exner Comprehensive System for administration, scoring, and interpretation. The two groups differed at a .01 level of significance on 7 of the 22 variables that were subjected to a one-way analysis of variance. The violent murderers had a greater distortion of perceptual accuracy and cognitive mediation. In addition, they demonstrated a higher potential for impulsivity and vulnerability to stress. Both groups had a high frequency of ambitents, T-less protocols, and difficulty with emotional modulation. Although these findings should be viewed as tentative, they provide some initial information on the differences between the groups. Further study will be needed to replicate and extend the results.

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