Predictive effect of injunctions on personality disorders in dysfunctional Catholic priests and religious sisters: a study using Millon's model and Transactional Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to investigate the preference of different sets of injunctions – as measured by the Espero Questionnaire – in the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory-III (MCMI-III) psychopathology cluster subgroups in a sample of Catholic priests and religious sisters who had voluntarily sought therapy. A hierarchical agglomerative cluster analysis was employed to identify high (n = 21), moderate (n = 32), and low (n = 38) MCMI-III psychopathology cluster subgroups. Members of the low psychopathology subgroup demonstrated a significantly lower numerical set of injunctions than high and moderate psychopathology subgroups. The high psychopathology subgroup reported a greater number of negative injunctions than the moderate psychopathology subgroup. The results suggest that priests and religious sisters who present fewer negative injunctions – those belonging to the low psychopathology subgroup – are generally well adjusted and socially skilled. Those who present more negative injunctions – those belonging to the high psychopathology subgroup – are more at risk for pathological tendencies.

Keywords:

• priests
• religious sisters
• Catholic Church
• psychopathology subgroups