NCJ Number
25918
Date Published
1973
Length
140 pages
Annotation
THE SUBCULTURE OF VIOLENCE THEORY SUGGESTS THAT THERE IS A SEGMENT BOTH APART FROM AND A PART OF OUR DOMINANT CULTURE WHICH PLACES POSITIVE MERIT IN AND EVEN ENCOURAGES USE OF VIOLENCE IN INTERPERSONAL RELATIONS.
Abstract
USING NINE GROUPS, THREE FROM THE UPPER/MIDDLE SOCIOECONOMIC CLASS AND SIX FROM THE LOWER (THREE NON VIOLENCE CULTURE AND THREE SUBCULTURE OF VIOLENCE), WITH EACH OF THE THREE CULTURAL LEVELS SPLIT INTO NONCRIMINAL, CRIMINAL NONVIOLENT, AND CRIMINAL VIOLENT SUBGROUPS, THIS STUDY SOUGHT TO DETERMINE WHETHER SEVERAL TRADITIONAL PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS ARE CAPABLE OF DISTINGUISHING PERSONS FROM THE SOCIOLOGICALLY ASCERTAINED CONCEPT OF A SUBCULTURE OF VIOLENCE. THE RORSCHACH TEST (STANDARD SCORES AND PALO ALTO SCALE), THE BUSS-DURKEE INVENTORY OF AGGRESSION, AND THE MAKE A PICTURE STORY (MAPS) TEST (FIVE SCENES) WERE USED AS A BASIS FOR EXPLAINING THE PROJECTIVE ATTITUDES OF THE REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE NINE GROUPS. NO SINGLE TEST HAD THE CAPACITY TO DETERMINE THE AGGRESSIVE, ASSAULTIVE, NONGUILT REPRESENTATIVES FROM THE SUBCULTURE OF VIOLENCE. BUT THE TOTALITY, EXAMINED THROUGH A BLIND TEST, WAS STATISTICALLY MEANINGFUL AND DISCRIMINATORY. THE CLINICAL ASSESSMENT (CA), THROUGH THIS TOTALITY, WAS ABLE TO PICK OUT, BEYOND CHANCE, THOSE MEMBERS OF THE SUBCULTURE OF VIOLENCE. FURTHER RESEARCH INTO TEST FOR PRIOR IDENTIFICATION AND POST-HOC DIAGNOSIS OF PERSONS FROM THIS SUBCULTURE IS SUGGESTED. APPENDED ARE A DISCUSSION OF PRIVIOUS EFFORTS AT PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT OF VIOLENT BEHAVIOR, DESCRIPTIONS OF THE DIAGNOSTIC TESTS USED IN THE STUDY, SAMPLE SCORING FORM, AND A FOUR-PAGE BIBLIOGRAPHY. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED) --SUMMARIES IN ENGLISH, FRENCH, SPANISH, AND ITALIAN