LACK OF SELF-MONITORING COMPETENCE IN AGGRESSIVE SCHIZOPHRENICS

Scores in 2 self-report personality questionnaires for 13 aggressive a nd 13 non-aggressive schizophrenic patients (AS and NAS) were compared to 13 healthy controls (HC), matched for age, and with similar educat ional background. The Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ, with 20 extra impulsiveness items yielding 114 items, 5 scales) and the Karoli nska Scales of Personality (135 items, 15 subscales) were given. Premo rbidly, the AS group had psychopathic as well as aggressive traits. Th e AS group perceived themselves as very similar to the HC group, in co ntrast to the NAS patients who seemed to be more aware of their proble ms. The most note-worthy finding was that the extremely aggressive and dangerous AS patients did not differ from the non-aggressive groups i n terms of ratings of aggressiveness. The findings were interpreted as a lack of self-monitoring competency of the AS group, possibly relate d to other signs of frontal lobe dysfunction.