Intrapsychic conflict and deviant sexual behavior in sex offenders

Sex offenders have been shown to possess a number of consistent characteristics such as lack of empathic responding, distorted cognitions, a sense of entitlement, and lack of self-esteem. Though these constructs have been given considerable attention in the literature, little attention has been paid to what role intrapsychic conflict may play in the commission of sexual offenses. The purpose of the present study was to determine how well the associated affective and cognitive characteristics of intrapsychic conflict could distinguish between incarcerated sex offenders and incarcerated non-sex offenders. Results indicated that significant differences in intrapsychic conflict were obtained for these two populations as measured by the Discordance subscale of the Garos Sexual Behavior Index. Clinical and research implications of these findings are discussed.