Borderline personality traits correlate with death penalty decisions

This study tested the hypothesis that borderline personality characteristics, including the use of splitting as a defense mechanism, would predict support for the death penalty. A sample of 262 undergraduates responded to the Self-, Other- and Family-Splitting factors of the Splitting Index along with the Borderline Syndrome Index (BSI), the Juror Bias Scale, and a number of instruments measuring support of capital punishment. Instead of the hypothesized direct relationships, Family-Splitting and the BSI correlated inversely with death penalty support. Males were slightly more likely than females to favor capital punishment, and only males displayed an inverse association of Other-Splitting with death penalty support. These unexpected outcomes suggested that complexities in relationships and processes associated with identity formation might require additional research attention as potentially important sources of bias in capital jury trials.