Empathy, assertiveness, aggressiveness, and defensiveness among sex offenders

Abstract

A total of 98 sex offenders, including 32 incest offenders, 38 pedophiles, 28 sexual aggressives, and 7 exhibitionists, were compared for defensiveness, assertiveness, aggressiveness, and empathy, employing the Interpersonal Behavior Survey (IBS) and Empathy Scales. The measures overall failed to distinguish defensive and violent sex offenders from those less defensive and nonviolent. Results showed that a number of IBS scales as well as the Empathy scale lacked internal consistency. The measures need further development to examine the theoretically important measures of assertion, aggression, empathy and defensiveness in sex offenders.