Victims and Aggressors

Abstract: This pilot study investigated differences in Rorschach responses between incarcerated perpetrators of violence and victims of aggression, focusing on indicators of aggressive content (AGC) and aggressive movement (AGM). The research aimed to contribute to understanding patterns of aggressive imagery in victims and perpetrators by analyzing verbalization subtleties and their associations with trauma, impulsivity, and past experiences. In the first study, four judges experienced in the Rorschach Test evaluated the protocols of victims and perpetrators of violence, identifying and justifying which responses belonged to each group. The results showed notable differences between the groups. The interrater reliability coefficient among the judges in Study 1 was 0.75, classified as excellent. In the second study, qualitative analyses were conducted. In this study, victims tended to present AGC responses marked by drama, fear, and disgust, while perpetrators often produced AGC linked to power, strength, and anger. Perpetrators also showed attempts to suppress content that clearly reflected aggressiveness. This study is relevant as it addresses a gap in the literature by comparing the content and verbalizations of victims and perpetrators using the Rorschach in the R-PAS system, offering meaningful insights into psychological functioning and supporting future research with larger, more diverse samples.