NCJ Number
18888
Date Published
1969
Length
666 pages
Annotation
CONSIDERS THE FEASIBILITY OF MAKING AN ACCURATE POSTMORTEM MORPHOGENETIC PERSONALITY STUDY OF A SINGLE SUBJECT.
Abstract
THE SUBJECT USED IN THIS STUDY WAS A MAN CONVICTED OF MURDER AND INCARCERATED IN SOLITARY CONFINEMENT FOR ALMOST A HALF CENTURY - ROBERT F. STROUD, POPULARLY KNOWN AS THE 'BIRDMAN OF ALCATRAZ'. OTHER PROBLEMS INVESTIGATED WERE WHETHER THE SUBJECT COULD BE DIAGNOSED AS HOMOSEXUAL, PSYCHOPATHIC AND/OR PREDISPOSED AT VIOLENT CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR, AND, IF SO, WHAT WERE THE ACCOMPANYING FACTORS AND BEHAVIOR PATTERNS. PERSONAL STRUCTURE ANALYSIS (PSA) WAS UTILIZED FOR THIS PSYCHOLOGICAL AUTOPSY. THE SUBJECT'S 814 PAGE AUTOBIOGRAPHY THROUGH HIS MID-TEENS WAS ANALYZED IN TERMS OF 593 INCIDENTS, 29 TOPICS AND 231 ATTITUDINAL CATEGORIES, THE FREQUENCIES OF REFERENCES TO EACH PAIR. CHI-SQUARE COMPUTATIONS WERE MADE OF ALL CORRESPONDENCES AND THE SUBJECT'S PERSONALITY WAS DESCRIBED BY INTERPRETING THE FREQUENCIES AND SIGNIFICANT CORRESPONDENCES. FIVE TRAINED PSYCHOLOGICAL CLINICIANS RATED THE ACCURACY OF HYPOTHESES AS APPLICABLE TO THIS SUBJECT ON THE BASIS OF THE PSA. THEIR RATINGS WERE COMPARED WITH THOSE MADE BY ANOTHER GROUP OF FIVE JUDGES, ON THE BASIS OF THEIR OWN PERSONAL KNOWLEDGE AND ACQUAINTANCE WITH THE SUBJECT WHILE HE WAS INCARCERATED. FURTHER COMPARISONS WERE MADE WITH RATINGS BY A THIRD GROUP OF JUDGES BASED SOLELY ON READING THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY. ALL THREE GROUPS OF JUDGES FOUND THE SUBJECT TO HAVE BEEN HOMOSEXUAL, PSYCHOPATHIC AND CRIMINALLY PREDISPOSED. RATINGS BASED ON PSA SUPPORTED 147 OF 172 HYPOTHESES ON CONCOMITANTS OF SUCH CATEGORIES, ALMOST ALL CORROBORATED BY RATINGS OF THE OTHER TWO GROUPS OF JUDGES. IN ADDITION, RATINGS BY THE SECOND GROUP OF JUDGES SUPPORTED 12 OF 16 HYPOTHESES ON CONCOMITANTS OF LONG-TERM INCARCERATION AS APPLICABLE TO STROUD, BUT REJECTED HYPOTHESES THAT INCARCERATION PREVENTED HIS SELF ACTUALIZATION. CONCLUSIONS ARE THAT A POSTMORTEM MORPHOGENIC PERSONALITY STUDY OF A SINGLE SUBJECT CAN BE BOTH ACCURATE AND VALID. THAT PSA IS A RELIABLE AND VALID METHODOLOGY; THAT ONE'S PERSONALITY STRUCTURE IS LARGELY DETERMINED BY THE TIME HE PASSES PUBERTY AND PERSISTS UNTIL DEATH; AND THAT SELFACTUALIZATION OF THE INDIVIDUAL IS INFLUENCED BUT NOT NECESSARILY THWARTED BY LONG-TERM SOLITARY CONFINEMENT. THE APPENDIX CONTAINS A BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY OF THE LIFE OF ROBERT F. STROUD, A DESCRIPTION OF THE LEGAL PROCEEDINGS AND CORRESPONDENCE REQUIRED TO OBTAIN STROUD'S RECORDS FROM THE UNITED STATES BUREAU OF PRISONS, AND EXCERPTS FROM RECORDS OF STROUD OBTAINED BY COURT ORDER. AN EXTENSIVE LIST OF REFERENCES IS ALSO INCLUDED. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT MODIFIED)