U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government, Department of Justice.

NCJRS Virtual Library

The Virtual Library houses over 235,000 criminal justice resources, including all known OJP works.
Click here to search the NCJRS Virtual Library

PHYSIQUE AND TEMPERAMENT OF WOMEN DELINQUENTS COMPARED WITH WOMEN UNDERGRADUATES

NCJ Number
55957
Journal
BRITISH JOURNAL OF MEDICAL PSYCHOLOGY Volume: 25 Dated: (1952) Pages: 249-255
Author(s)
P EPPS; R W PARNELL
Date Published
1952
Length
7 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY COMPARES THE PHYSIQUE AND TEMPERAMENT OF 177 FEMALE INMATES IN BORSTAL TRAINING IN ENGLAND TO THOSE OF 123 COLLEGE WOMEN TO DETERMINE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THESE FACTORS AND CRIMINALITY.
Abstract
THE FULL LIST OF PHYSICAL MEASUREMENTS TAKEN FOR THE STUDY ARE HEIGHT, WEIGHT, BIACROMIAL, BI-ILIAC, CHEST WIDTH, CHEST DEPTH, SITTING HEIGHT, CHEST CIRCUMFERENCE, AND HIP CIRCUMFERENCE. IN ADDITION, FAT WAS MEASURED BY SUBCUTANEOUS TISSUE CALLIPERS IN THREE PLACES. WHEN MEASUREMENTS FOR THE TWO GROUPS WERE COMPARED, THOSE FOR THE COLLEGE WOMEN EXCEEDED THOSE FOR BORSTAL TRAINEES FOR HEIGHT, SITTING HEIGHT, LEG LENGTH, CHEST WIDTH, BIACROMIAL, AND BI-ILIAC MEASUREMENTS. THE BORSTAL WOMEN EXCEEDED THE COLLEGE WOMEN IN AVERAGE WEIGHT, CHEST DEPTH, AND IN EACH OF THE SKIN-FOLD MEASUREMENTS OF SUBCUTANEOUS FAT. THUS BORSTAL WOMEN ARE NOT ONLY SHORTER AND HAVE SHORTER TRUNKS AND SHORTER LIMBS, BUT AS A GROUP, THEY ARE MORE STOCKY IN BUILD. WHEN THE MEASUREMENTS ARE PLOTTED ON A GRAPH SHOWING HEIGHT AND WEIGHT AS ORDINATE AND THE TOTAL OF THE THREE SUBCUTANEOUS FAT MEASUREMENTS AS ABSCISSA, BORSTAL WOMEN APPEAR TO BE CONCENTRATED HEAVILY IN THE ENDOMORPHIC-MESOMORPHIC AREA. THIS FINDING IS SIMILAR TO THAT GAINED IN A RELATED STUDY USING DELINQUENT AND NONDELINQUENT MEN. TO EXAMINE TEMPERAMENT DIFFERENCES, RESEARCHERS RATED THE WOMEN ON A 7-POINT SCALE FOR EACH OF THREE COMPONENTS: VISCEROTONIA (RELAXATION, LOVE OF COMFORT, SLOW REACTIONS, COMPLACENCY), SOMATOTONIA (ASSERTIVENESS, ENERGETIC REACTIONS, OVERMATURE APPEARANCE, LOVE OF RISK), AND CEREBROTONIA (RESTRAINT, LOVE OF PRIVACY, VOCAL RESTRAINT, OVERFAST REACTIONS). SCORES FOR THE WOMEN WERE ALSO PLACED ON A PSYCHIATRIC INDEX TAKING INTO ACCOUNT SUCH ASPECTS AS AFFECTIVE-CONATIVE EXAGGERATION (I.E., EXAGGERATED EMOTIONAL RESPONSE, TOO ENERGETIC, DISTRACTIBLE ATTENTION, EXTRAVERTED), PARANOID PROJECTION (I.E., HOSTILITY, SYSTEMATIC PROJECTION OF BLAME, SUBJECTIVE, PEDANTIC, SARCASTIC), AND SCHIZOID REGRESSION (I.E., APATHETIC WITHDRAWAL, LISTLESS, PAUCITY OF THOUGHT CONTENT, UNKEMPT). COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS REVEALS THAT DELINQUENTS SHOWED A PREDOMINANCE OF SOMATOTONIA, VISCERATONIA, AND AFFECTIVE-CONATIVE EXAGGERATION. AGAIN, THESE FINDINGS SUPPORT THOSE OF A PREVIOUS STUDY DONE WITH MEN. REFERENCES AND STUDY DATA ARE PROVIDED. (DAG)

Corporate Author
Cambridge University Press
Address

The Pitt Building, Trumpington Street, Cambridge, CB2 IRP England, United Kingdom

British Psychological Soc
Address

St Andrews House, 48 Princess Road East, Leicester, LE1 7DR England, United Kingdom

Publication Format
Article
Publication Type
Report (Study/Research)
Language
English
Country
United Kingdom