Reinforcement sensitivity in reoffenders and violent offenders

Abstract

The relationship between personality and crime has been vastly examined in theoretical and empirical studies in different scientific domains. The Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) is a neuropsychological model that has recently sparked increasing research interest, although studies on RST and crime have mostly been focused on characteristics that distinguish offenders from non-offenders. Considering the lack of empirical research in offending subgroups this study examines whether RST facets can differentiate reoffenders from primary offenders and violent from nonviolent offenders. The participants are male offenders (N=162) incarcerated in three penitentiary institutions in Macedonia. We utilized the recently developed RST Personality Questionnaire (RST-PQ). The comparison of separate RST facets indicates that two dimensions of reward sensitivity have moderate discriminant value. Namely, reoffenders are significantly more impulsive that primary offenders, while reward interest is significantly lower in violent offenders. Considering the fact that the data revealed more similarities than differences in personality traits of the compared offender subgroups, further research is needed on the effects of prison life experiences, since these might potentially determine offending behaviour more significantly that primary personality dispositions.