OBJECT RELATIONS AND REALITY TESTING IN PSYCHOPATHIC AND ANTISOCIAL METHADONE PATIENTS

The Bell Object Relations and Reality Testing Inventory (BORRTI) was u sed to evaluate differences in object relations and reality testing in a sample of 215 male and 25 female methadone patients based on their degree of psychopathy, measured by the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised ( PCL-R), and their degree of antisociality, measured by the Personality Disorder Examination (PDE), As hypothesized, results showed that comp ared to non psychopaths, psychopaths demonstrated significantly greate r impairment in object relations and, also, unexpectedly in reality te sting. No significant differences in object relations or reality testi ng between antisocial and non-antisocial individuals were revealed, Ad ditionally, it was hypothesized that differences in object relations w ould be found in antisocial subjects who were and were not considered to be psychopathic. No significant differences in object relations wer e revealed, however, but differences in reality testing were revealed between antisocial individuals based on their level of psychopathy.