THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CRIMINAL OFFENCE AND SELF SERVING COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS
THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE CRIMINAL OFFENCE AND SELF SERVING COGNITIVE DISTORTIONS

Summary/Abstract: Literature in the field of aggressive and violent behavior indicated a strong link between anti-social behavior and self-serving cognitive distortions. The concept of self-serving is represented by a series of distorted cognitive processes, which can take shape due to the generally oversized tendency of self-perception. The purpose of this study was to investigate the possible positive relationships between different levels of offences/ crimes and self-serving cognitive distortions in a sample of juvenile delinquents and young individuals from Romania. The assessment of the self-serving cognitive distortions was measured with the How I Think Questionnaire and the type of the criminal offence was taken from the Institutional evaluation sheet. Data was gathered from 55 juvenile delinquents, ages between 15 and 19, the average age being 17.13 (SD = .92). Positive correlations were found between the different levels of offences/ crimes and self-serving cognitive distortions, except for Self-Centered, Minimizing/Mislabeling, Physical Aggression and Stealing. These results suggest that as the level of offence gets higher so does the level of self-serving cognitive distortions and anti-social tendencies.

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