Psychosis-proneness positively predict criminal beahvior, but negatively associates with homicide

• In Event: Cognitive capacities and criminal behaviour

Abstract

Psychotic and schizophrenic experiences are not restricted only to individuals with a clinical diagnosis of these illnesses; the research showed that these experiences exist in the general population as well, i.e., in individuals considered to be psychologically healthy. This behavioral disposition is labeled as schizotypy or psychosis-proneness. There are still many unknowns in the literature regarding the relations between psychosis-proneness and criminal behavior. In this study we explored the relations between psychosis-proneness, various indicators of criminal behavior (number of offences, penal recidivism, antisocial behavior, age of first offence), and homicide offence using the newly developed comprehensive model of psychosis-proneness labeled Disintegration: the main goal of the research was to explore the links between 9 narrow Disintegration modalities, criminal behavior, and homicide. Base on the existing knowledge, the overall hypothesis was that there are positive associations between Disintegration, criminal behavior and homicide. The sample was composed of prisoners (N=277) serving their sentences in penitentiary facilities in Serbia. The research results showed that psychosis-proneness significantly positively predicts various aspects of criminal behavior: General executive impairment (various executive dysregulations including speech comprehension and regulation, attention, planning, memory and emotional reactions) and Somatic dysregulations (experiences of organ malfunctions and body numbing, motor and sensory conversions) were the most prominent predictors. Unexpectedly, Disintegration facets were negatively associated with homicide offence; this especially stands for Perceptual distortions (depersonalization and derealization phenomena) and Depression. The results are implicative for the understanding of the links between psychosis-proneness and crime; we particularly paid attention to the explanations of the surprising negative association between psychosis-proneness and homicide offence. Despite the study limitations the findings have both theoretical and practical implications for the measurement of psychotic dispositions in individuals who engage in antisocial behavior.

Author

• Janko Međedović, Institute of criminological and sociological research, Belgrade, Serbia