Psychological Profile of a Violent Union Militant
[1]
Larry Craig Litman, Department of Psychiatry, Western University, London, Canada.
Large organizations usually include, as a minute fraction of their membership, a few individuals with aggressive tendencies that become overt in behaviour when the aggression appears to be approved of (or misinterpreted) by some fellow staff members as for a “righteous and just cause.” The strike situation appears to serve individuals who possess an immanent generalized propensity for interpersonal violence or abusive behaviour (i.e., to act out these behaviours) even though they are otherwise not judged publicly to be antisocial and may even be socioeconomically successful. A case study is presented of such an aggressive militant union member (a middle-aged university graduate) who vehemently threatened the well-being of those workers who disagreed with the strike. MMPI-2 and MCMI-II psychological profiles indicated a Sadistic/Aggressive/Authoritarian Personality Style or Disorder.
Unions, Violence, Sadistic Personality, Aggressive Personality, Authoritarian Personality
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