Evaluating Charles Manson’s Rorschach for Schizophrenia Using R-PAS  (1.5 CEs)

  • Authors: Joni L. Mihura, Ph.D, ABAP, 
  • Level: Beginner: R-PAS and Psychosis; Intermediate: Psychopathology and Assessment
  • 1.5 CEs
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Dr. Mihura discusses the blind rescoring of Manson’s Rorschach protocol using R-PAS—that was originally using the Comprehensive System—and the implications related to Manson’s diagnosis of schizophrenia. 

1.5 CEs are included with purchase. 

  • Schedule:
    Wednesday, March 29th 
    4:00 – 5:30pm CDT 
    Omni Austin Hotel Downtown, Austin Texas

Course Overview

  • Charles Manson gained notoriety for orchestrating the “Tate–LaBianca” murders of seven individuals in August 1969, for which he received the death penalty in 1971. The death penalty was invalidated in 1972 by the U.S. Supreme Court. He served out his life sentence in the California Department of Corrections until his death in 2017 at the age of 83. During the course of his confinement, Manson was evaluated many times by psychiatrists and psychologists. His diagnoses ranged from various personality disorders to schizophrenia, undifferentiated type. In August 1997, Manson was transferred to Pelican Bay State Prison to serve a Secure Housing Unit term for a serious rule infraction. A comprehensive psychological evaluation was conducted using the Rorschach, the MMPI-2, WAIS-R Similarities and Vocabulary subtests, WRAT-R, TONI-2, and PCL-R. This 1997 evaluation and test results became publicly available after Manson’s death in 2017, the first known existence of psychological test data from Charles Manson. The main focus of this first article on which Dr. Mihura was a co-author was assessing Manson for schizophrenia.

    Dr. Mihura, discusses the blind rescoring of Manson’s Rorschach protocol using R-PAS—that was originally using the Comprehensive System—and the implications related to Manson’s diagnosis of schizophrenia. She also compares the CS interpretation to the R-PAS interpretation in regard to the implications for diagnosing psychotic disorders, schizophrenia in particular. The presenter discusses the findings presented in “The Last Psychological Evaluation of Charles Manson: Implications for Personality, Psychopathology, and Ideology” by Roy, Mihura, Friedman, Nichols, and Meloy (2022) as well as an interview with Diane Sawyer and its implications for thought disorder. Attendees are not required to have expertise in assessing psychosis nor R-PAS.

Educational Objectives

  • Describe what characteristics of R-PAS scores conceptually map onto the key schizophrenia dimensions
  • List what R-PAS scores have the most empirical support for assessing the key schizophrenia dimensions
  • Apply Manson’s R-PAS results to differential diagnosis of schizophrenia
  • Describe how the R-PAS assessment of disorganized thinking maps onto interview-based ratings of disorganized thinking (TLC) using the Manson case as illustration
  • Obtain applicable skills for clinical and forensic practice by illustration of the Manson case in which schizophrenia was the main assessment question

Agenda

  • 4:00 – 4:20   Brief Manson History and Overview of Other Assessment Findings
  • 4:20 – 5:30   Manson’s Rorschach Responses, Results, and Evaluating for Schizophrenia

Discounts & CEs

  • Discounts: Students (40% off), university instructors (20% off), and clinical supervisors (10% off) may request a discount code prior to completing registration by contacting us at info@r-pas.org. Students should submit proof of academic enrollment or an unofficial transcript, while instructors and supervisors should submit some documentation attesting to their role. Discounts are not available after registration is completed and partial refunds are not available if you do not apply relevant discount codes in advance. Thus, if for some reason it appears your discount code is not working, contact us prior to completing the registration.
  • Cancellations: You may cancel and receive a full refund minus a $25 processing fee up to one day before the event. 
  • Continuing Education Credit:  Participants are eligible for 1.5 hours of continuing education credit. The program must be completed in its entirety with sign-in each morning and sign-out each evening in order to qualify for this credit (i.e., partial hours cannot be accommodated). CEs are included with registration. Certificates of completion can also be provided by emailing Adrienne at info@r-pas.org.
    This program is co-sponsored by Alliant International University and R-PAS. Alliant International University is approved by the American Psychological Association to Sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Alliant International University maintains responsibility for this program and its content. Alliant University is not registered as an approved CE provider in the state of New York.
Meet the PRESENTER

Joni L. Mihura, Ph.D., ABAP

Joni L. Mihura, Ph.D., ABAP, is Professor of Psychology at the University of Toledo. She received early career awards from the American Psychoanalytic Association and the Society for Personality Assessment (SPA), as well as the Walter G. Klopfer Award for Distinguished Contribution to the Literature from SPA. She is an SPA Fellow, has served several years on its board of trustees, and is currently the President Elect. Dr. Mihura serves on the editorial boards of the Journal of Personality Assessment and Rorschachiana. She has published many articles and chapters on psychological assessment and is coeditor of the Handbook of Gender and Sexuality in Psychological Assessment and Using the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS). She is a codeveloper of R-PAS (www.r-pas.org) and presents invited lectures and trainings internationally.
Patrick Jones - Course author
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