The high number of inmates in American prison facilities might explain why thousands of men and women have spouses or partners in jails. Surprisingly, previous literature suggests that there exist women that consciously seek romantic relationships with convicted violent offenders. What type of women are interested in seeking romantic relationship with convicted violent offenders, specifically those who have committed a violent crime resulting in the death of another person? This study investigates, by using an online questionnaire which consists of three questionnaires, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (Bernstein & Fink,1998), the 50 items Personality Questionnaire (Goldberg,1992) and 5 Specific Questions (Burkhardt, 2015), whether particular personality traits predict the desire to choose a dominant partner. Specifically the 5 personal characteristics extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, emotional stability and intellect as predictors of the preference for seeking romantic relationship with convicted violent offenders were examined. This study sought to shed more light on the association between women’s past experiences and personality and their interest in seeking romantic relationships with convicted violent offenders. There was a statistically significant weak, positive relationship between women’s experiences of physical neglect and sexual abuse and their interest in dating convicted violent criminals. The study also revealed a statistically nonsignificant relationship between emotional abuse and physical abuse in dating convicted violent offenders. The findings are somewhat consistent with the findings of previous research. However, the previous studies purposively included only women who had reported having contacted incarcerated men and entered into romantic relationships while the current study used women from the general population. It is not explicitly clear why women seek romantic relationships with convicted violent offenders, but the literature seems to point to dominance, control, and self-protection. An examination of the relationship between personality traits and interest in dating convicted violent criminals showed weak, negative or positive correlations between conscientiousness, agreeableness, extraversion, emotional stability, and intellect/imagination and women’s interest in dating convicted violent criminals.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 – Introduction
1.1 Research Problem
1.2 Study Question and Objectives
1.3 Study Hypotheses
1.4 Nature of the Study
Chapter 2 – Literature Review
2.1 Literature Summary
2.2 Definition of personality and character
2.2.1 What is personality?
2.2.2 Innate or Environment?
2.2.3 The Big Five Theory
2.2.4 What is a Character?
2.3 Definition of sexual abuse, abuse and neglect
2.3.1 Abuse
2.3.2 Neglect
2.3.3 Effects of abuse and neglect
2.4 Personality disorder and choice of partner
Chapter 3 – Methods
3.1 Research Design
3.2 Participants
3.3 Sample size calculation
3.4 Procedure
3.5 Data Collection/Materials/Measurements
3.6 Statistical Analysis
3.7 Ethical Considerations
Chapter 4 – Results
Chapter 5 – Discussion
Chapter 6 – Conclusion
Research Goals and Themes
This study aims to investigate the potential relationship between childhood trauma, previous experiences of domestic violence, and specific personality traits in women, and their reported interest in forming romantic relationships with convicted violent offenders.
- Analysis of the influence of childhood abuse and neglect on adult partner selection.
- Examination of Big Five personality traits as predictors for interest in incarcerated violent partners.
- Evaluation of the "dominance and control" theory in the context of hybristophilia.
- Comparative analysis of women from the general population versus previous clinical study samples.
- Development and validation of an instrument to measure interest in dating convicted violent offenders.
Excerpt from the Book
2.2.1 What is personality?
With the question of the human personality- how it arises and how it can be described- philosophers, writers and scientists are busy since the ancient past. One of the oldest models of personality we know, was developed by Hippocrates (460 to 377 BC). He divided people into four different types of temperament sanguine, phlegmatic, choleric and melancholic, and assigned each of them not only certain character traits, but also the tendency to certain diseases (Widiger & Trull, 2006).
Hippocrates' model of personality is, of course, long been obsolete, but until now, researchers have not finally been able to agree on a common definition of personality (McLeod, 2014). Most likely it might be said that our personality is a complex construct, which consists of our everyday perception, thinking and acting (Feist & Feist, 2009). Conversely, affects our personality how we perceive the world around us, how we think and how we act. In this regard, the relationship between abuse experiences and the interest in a romantic relationship with a convicted violent offender was examined in this study.
According to Myers (2010), are most of current theories about personality based on the theory of the existence of permanent and relatively stable characteristics (dispositions). These characteristics influence our behavior in a variety of concrete situations in the same way. They affect, for example, whether someone is more anxious or more confident or whether someone is a rather sociable or more reserved person (McLeod, 2014). For this study, it was interesting if there are certain characteristics which encourage the desire for a romantic relationship with a convicted violent offender. It was assumed, that women with a lower value in emotional stability and intellect, rather tend to have a romantic relationship with a convicted offender, than women with a higher value on these characteristics. One question that was very long been debated is, if these characteristics are innate or influenced by our environment?
Summary of Chapters
Chapter 1 – Introduction: This chapter introduces the phenomenon of women seeking romantic relationships with convicted violent offenders and outlines the research problem and objectives.
Chapter 2 – Literature Review: This section provides a theoretical overview of personality models, the definition of abuse, and existing literature regarding the motivations behind dating incarcerated men.
Chapter 3 – Methods: This chapter details the quantitative research design, participant selection criteria, the data collection instruments used, and the statistical methods employed.
Chapter 4 – Results: This chapter presents the findings derived from the surveys, specifically focusing on the correlations between abuse history, personality traits, and interest in convicted offenders.
Chapter 5 – Discussion: This section interprets the findings in the context of existing literature and explores potential psychological drivers for these romantic choices.
Chapter 6 – Conclusion: This final chapter summarizes the core findings and offers recommendations for future research in this field.
Keywords
personality traits of women, childhood traumata, past experience of women, sexual abuse, dating convicted violent offenders, choice of partner, romantic relationship, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, 50 items Personality Questionnaire, prison, hybristophilia, domestic violence, mate selection, Big Five theory, dominance
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the core subject of this dissertation?
The research explores the psychological profiles and background experiences of women who express interest in seeking romantic relationships with convicted violent offenders.
What are the primary fields of study covered?
The work integrates forensic psychology, personality psychology (Big Five theory), and trauma research concerning childhood abuse and neglect.
What is the main research question of the study?
The study seeks to determine if there is a statistically significant relationship between childhood abuse/domestic violence experiences and specific personality traits in women, and their preference for dating convicted violent criminals.
Which scientific methodology was used?
The researcher employed a cross-sectional, non-experimental quantitative survey design, utilizing online questionnaires to collect data from the general population.
What is discussed in the main body of the research?
The main body covers the theoretical background of personality and character types, detailed definitions of abuse, the role of personality disorders in partner choice, and the empirical analysis of survey data.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Key terms include personality traits, childhood trauma, mate selection, hybristophilia, romantic relationship, and convicted violent offenders.
Did the study confirm that childhood physical neglect is linked to dating offenders?
Yes, the study found a statistically significant weak, positive relationship between women’s experiences of physical neglect in childhood and their interest in dating convicted violent criminals.
How does this study differ from previous research?
Unlike previous studies that specifically targeted women already in relationships with incarcerated men, this research utilizes a sample from the general population.
Is there a link between conscientiousness and interest in violent partners?
The study identified a statistically significant negative correlation between conscientiousness and the interest in dating convicted violent offenders.
- Citar trabajo
- Sarah Burkhardt (Autor), 2016, In love with a murderer. Why do women date convicted violent offenders?, Múnich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/337551
