Date of Award

Spring 8-1-1999

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Psychology (PsyD)

Department

Psychology

First Advisor

Virgil Sheets

Second Advisor

June Sprock

Third Advisor

Thomas J. Johnson

Abstract

Aggressive behavior is a serious problem in the United States and has been studied from a variety of perspectives. Psychologists in many different settings are frequently asked to assess the risk of future dangerous behavior by individuals. Due to their important role, research into the prediction of dangerousness has dramatically increased in the past ten years. However, to date, research has offered few reliable predictors that can be used in such assessments. This exploratory study was designed to examine whether homicidal fantasies can be used to reliably discriminate between violent and non-violent individuals. Undergraduate male students (N=l42) completed a questionnaire designed to elicit information about homicidal and other aggressive fantasies and past aggressive behavior. The frequency, duration, and content of the fantasies, as well as the extent of past aggressive behavior, was analyzed. The results reveal that participants who reported less detail (than average) in their fantasies, who reported having experienced similar kinds of homicidal and aggressive thoughts in the past more frequently (than average), and who reported having these fantasies in the presence of others, reported more aggressive pasts. These results are consistent with an "impulsive" view of aggression among "normal" participants. The implications of the research for the assessment of dangerousness are explored and directions for future research are discussed.

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