Object relations and defense mechanisms of a psychopathic serial sexual homicide perpetrator: A TAT analysis

The case of a 24-year-old African American man who committed serial sexual homicide, and who met criteria (Hare, 1991) for psychopathy is presented. H is Thematic Apperception Test (Murray, 1943) responses were used to code ke y aspects of personality organization-object relations and defense mechanis ms-via the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (Westen, Lohr, Silk, & Kerber, 1989) and the Defense Mechanisms Manual (Cramer, 1991), respecti vely. Severe object relations pathology and a reliance on the defense mecha nism of immature projection and immature denial are noted. Findings are rel atively consistent with previous psychodynamic Rorschach studies of psychop athic sexual homicide perpetrators (Gacono, Meloy, & Bridges, 2000; Meloy, Gacono, & Kenney, 1994).