Identification With a Violent and Sadistic Aggressor: A Rorschach Study of Criminal Debt Collectors

abstract

This study examined personality functioning in a group of 27 incarcerated criminal debt collectors as assessed by the Rorschach Inkblot Method (RIM; Rorschach, 1921/1942) and the Psychopathy Checklist–Revised (PCL–R; Hare, 2003). To explore whether these individuals represent a distinct subgroup within the violent offender population, we compared them to a group of incarcerated homicide offenders (n = 23) without a previous history of significant violence and a group who had committed less serious violent crimes (n = 21). Results revealed significantly more Rorschach indicators of past trauma (Trauma Content Index), aggressive urges (Aggressive Potential) and identification (Aggressive Content) among the debt collectors than the 2 other groups. In addition, debt collectors displayed significantly more interpersonal interest (Sum Human content), and significantly higher scores on the PCL–R. Our findings suggest that the debt collector might be viewed as a hostile variant of psychopathy.

Acknowledgments

A special thanks to Nicolay Nørbech, Lars Ekeland, Olav Henriksson Bendiksby, and Inge-Arne Teigset for help with data collection, and independent rating of PCL–R and violence data. A special thanks also to Marianne Teigland for granting the first author permission to spend a percentage of his clinical work time on academic research.

Funding

This research was supported by a grant from Akershus University Hospital, and by the National Program for Integrated Clinical Specialist and PhD Training for Psychologists in Norway. The program is a joint cooperation between the Universities of Bergen, Oslo, and Tromsø, the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (Trondheim), the Regional Health Authorities, and the Norwegian Psychological Association. The program is funded jointly by the Ministry of Education and Research and the Ministry of Health and Care Services.

Notes

¹ Extract from an interview with a criminal debt collector, cited in Ekeland (2008).