Implicit and Explicit Self-Esteem, Narcissism, Risk, and Psychopathy in a Forensic Population

• Author / Creator

  Kostiuk, Nicole E

• Abstract
  The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to identify the relationships between explicit and implicit self-esteem, offender categorization, risk of reoffence, narcissism, and psychopathy. Participants were 90 adult male offenders sentenced for a nonviolent, violent, or sexual offence against a child, recruited from both federal and provincial institutions. Participants completed the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Survey, a self-esteem implicit association test (IAT), the Narcissism Personality Inventory, and the Self-Report Psychopathy Scale – III. File information was used to collect demographic information and to score the Violence Risk Appraisal Guide and/or Sexual Offence Risk Appraisal Guide. It was found that sexual offenders had lower explicit, but not implicit, self-esteem scores than the nonviolent and violent offenders. Offender group, risk of reoffence, narcissism, and psychopathy could not be predicted by main effects or interaction effects of self-esteem. Overall, the results suggest that self-esteem, whether explicit or implicit, at most plays a very minor role in criminal behaviour.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Narcissism
  • Explicit self-esteem
  • Implicit self-esteem
  • Psychopathy

• Graduation date

  Fall 2012

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Doctor of Philosophy

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3N917

• License

  This thesis is made available by the University of Alberta Libraries with permission of the copyright owner solely for non-commercial purposes. This thesis, or any portion thereof, may not otherwise be copied or reproduced without the written consent of the copyright owner, except to the extent permitted by Canadian copyright law.