Projective test of a treason psychological construct

Treason and betrayal as psychosocial phenomena do not exist independently of a person. Many religions consider them to be a violation of a moral taboo. These deeds, marked since ancient times, are based on unchecked egoistic attitudes of a subject which dominate over the declared social norms, while traditional moral imperatives were always considered values of the society. The triggers of deviation from the accepted norms may be humiliation, envy and many other concomitant determinants which fringe upon a person’s self-esteem.

Treason is a psychological construct which cannot be directly quantitatively measured. By definition, treason is a process of a subject’s secret unilateral abuse of the trusting principles of community members’ coexistence. The most reliable markers of treason are the subject’s behavioral acts, most often performed subconsciously. They are akin to patterns — conservative schemes of behavior which crystallize as a product of additive algorithm as early as in the pre-school childhood. They are not manifested daily, but most often in crisis situations. The frequency of markers’ manifestations may indicate the established complexes; configuration of the latter as a result of an inflicted psychological trauma distorts the deeds normative for the society and serves as a predictor of treason.

The author proposes the following conception: the composition of a treason act ripens from the psychological complexes of a subject, which serve as predictors of the deed; the complexes are represented by complementary dyads: power — fear, offense — revenge, avidity — devaluation of values.

The objective of the theoretical and empirical research is to construct a diagnostic tool based on the protective mechanism of a subject’s projective identification while the subject attests the deeds of a thoroughly familiar person.

The test was validated with the help of volunteers with higher education and academic degrees. The diagnostic scales were normalized with a sigma method on a sample consisting of 242 people. At χ = 8.4 и σ = 2.2, a quintile scale of the subjects’ moral attitudes was calculated. The test reliability by Spearman-Brown formula was +0.76 and validity by criterion was +0.72. The test discriminatory power by Ferguson formula was determined as 0.857 ≈ 0.86.

The test checks on representative sample confirmed its compliance with all psychometric characteristics. Applicability limits were outlined, ulterior prognostic possibilities of the constructed diagnostic tool were revealed.