Two groups of male serving prisoners, 37 violent and 32 sex offenders with no history of violent crimes, were compared on measures of hostility, self-consciousness, fear of negative evaluation, criminal history and family background. The intent of the study was to identify factors which may have some value for predicting risk for violent or sex-related crimes. Sex offenders, in general, reported more social anxiety, fear of negative appraisal, and indirect hostility than assaultive individuals. A multiple regression analysis showed that three factors: total hostility, fear of negative criticism and social skill deficits, were the "best" predictors of total violent crimes; whereas total sex crimes could not be predicted by any factor. The article discusses the possible links between hostility, self-consciousness and criminal behavior.
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