The comparison of psychological factors (locus of control, self-esteem, and personality disorders) between normal and prisoner women with emphasis on prostitute women

This research compared psychological charactenstics of women prisoners (prostitutes) on the one hand, other women prisoners (drug addicted and murderers) and normal women, on the other. The psychological characteristics include self- esteem, locus of control, and personality disorders (depression, sociopath, and hypochondriasis. Thus, all the women prisoners in uremia central prison who were arrested because of prostitute, drug addiction, and murder were tested. The women prisoners were 60 including 10 with the crime of murder, 31 with the crime of drug addiction, and 19 with the crime of prostitution,. This research was conducted as a Causal- comparative research, thus a control group was used including 25 person who had the same state as the experimental group in terms of age, academic level, and socio-economic status. The instruments were used included: Cooper smith's self esteem, Rutter's L.O.C. and MMPI questionnaires with the demographic in formation. The results of analysis of variable and follow up tests showed that there were significant differences between women prisoners and normal women in the variables of self- esteem, depression, scciopath behaviour, paranoid, fatigue, and hypochondriasis. However, there was no difference between women prisoners and normal women in terms of locus of control.