Abstract
To what extent have the myths surrounding personality disorders, influenced public perception of male violent and sexual offending? This research project aims to answer this question, personality disorders are becoming increasingly common within the criminal justice sector, however not much is known about public perception of personality disorder in relation to male violent or sexual offending. Public perception is incredibly important within the criminal justice system, as the offender or victim are members of the public. Personality Disorders typically impact on engagement and decision-making processes, which can ultimately increase the likelihood of partaking in risk behaviours.To complete this research a qualitative method is employed to complete primary, semi-structured interviews, this would allow the participant to state their views but also lead to ongoing discussions or talking points. However due to the potential limitations of their understanding of personality disorders, vignettes and freedom of information requests were also utilised to further employ exploratory measure to encourage conversation on personality disorder in relation to male violent and sexual offending. This dissertation will examine the views of members of the public, to ascertain whether it is felt that personality disorders are linked to male violent or sexual offences or may not be linked. The overall results, indicated that although the participants felt that personality disorder, may be a factor in offending, the individual with the disorder still chooses to commit the offence, they believe that the disorder however does influence decisions, which links to offending although they felt that this was not the primary motivator in offending behaviours.
Date of Award | 13 Sept 2021 |
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Original language | English |
Awarding Institution |
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Supervisor | Craig Collie (Supervisor) |