NCJ Number
67025
Date Published
1978
Length
15 pages
Annotation
A RESEARCH PAPER FOCUSING ON THE APPLICATION OF SCRIPT ANALYSIS TECHNIQUES FOR ASCERTAINING THE LIFE PLANS OF BANK ROBBERS AND NON BANK ROBBERS IS PRESENTED.
Abstract
SCRIPT ANALYSIS IS A TRANSACTIONAL ANALYTIC TECHNIQUE FOR ASCERTAINING THE TYPE OF LIFE PLAN AN INDIVIDUAL HAS DECIDED UPON. THIS RESEARCH TESTED THE PROPOSITION THAT BANK ROBBERS OPERATE FROM A DIFFERENT SET OF SCRIPT BELIEFS THAN DO NON BANK ROBBERS. ACCORDING TO TRANSACTIONAL ANALYTIC THEORY, MOST PERSONS' MAJOR DECISIONS REGARDING THE COURSE OF THEIR LIVES ARE FORMED IN CHILDHOOD. IN THE STUDY IT WAS HYPOTHESIZED THAT BANK ROBBERS WOULD PREFER CHILDHOOD GAMES OF 'COPS AND ROBBERS,' WOULD HAVE A HIGHER PREFERENCE FOR FICTIONAL OR DRAMATIC CHARACTERS INVOLVED IN 'COPS AND ROBBERS' THEMES, AND WOULD IDENTIFY WITH PERSONS ENGAGED IN CRIMINAL ACTIVITIES, SUCH AS JOHN DILLINGER. THE SUBJECTS WERE 40 MALE FELONS. TWENTY OF THE SUBJECTS HAD COMMITTED AT LEAST TWO BANK ROBBERIES, AND 20 FELONS HAD NO BANK ROBBERY CONVICTIONS ON RECORD. SUBJECTS MET WITH THE EXPERIMENTER WHO OBTAINED BRIEF BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION, AND THEY THEN COMPLETED A 38-ITEM QUESTIONNAIRE DESIGNED TO PROVIDE DATA RELEVANT TO TRANSACTIONAL ANALYTIC DIAGNOSTICS, E.G., 'WHAT WERE YOUR FAVORITE GAMES AS A CHILD?' THE SAMPLES WERE COMPARABLE IN TERMS OF THE DEMOGRAPHIC VARIABLES OF AGE, RACE, AND NUMBER OF SIBLINGS IN THE FAMILY. A CHI-SQUARE ANALYSIS WAS PERFORMED ON THE DATA; ALL THREE HYPOTHESES WERE SUPPORTED BY THE RESULTS. BANK ROBBERS IDENTIFIED MORE FREQUENTLY WITH REAL INDIVIDUALS WHO OPERATED OUTSIDE THE LAW, PREFERRED CHILDHOOD GAMES OF CHASE, AND PREFERRED FICTIONAL CHARACTERS WHO WERE ENGAGED IN GAMES WITH 'COPS AND ROBBERS' THEMES. THE DATA ARE CONSISTENT WITH AND SUPPORT HYPOTHESES DRAWN FROM TRANSACTIONAL ANALYTICAL THEORY. TABLES AND REFERENCES ARE PROVIDED IN THE STUDY. (LWM)