Proposer: Iacolino Calogero (1)
(1) Facoltà dell'Uomo e della Società, Università degli Studi di Enna "KORE"
Discussant: Giorgi Antonino (2)
(2) Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore di Brescia
The term mafia indicates a specific and particular type of criminal organization, born in Sicily in the nineteenth century, spread on a territorial basis. Modern analysis of the phenomenon considers the mafia, even before a criminal organization, a system of power based on the social consensus of the population and on the social control, this shows how its main guarantee of existence is not in the unlawful gains, but in the consensus of the population. In psycho-anthropological terms we can talk about Mafia thinking or a way of thinking that requires a certain line of conduct in a given order of social relations. Mafia psychic has the ability to affirm itself in time as a true cultural identity. The affiliate future is educated from the beginning to the mafia thinking, a real intergenerational transmission of mafia’s typically values such as the cult of respect and honor and of homage. In this symposium we will address the various factors related to the mafia phenomenon distributed in the Sicilian and national territory. In the first contribution, we will analyze the differences of personality traits in convict people and the ones part of Cosa Nostra and Camorra. Two criminal organizations which, although they share some similarities, are actually rooted in separate territories. In the second contribution we will try to better understand the post-murder experience, coping strategies and the social support perceived by the relatives of the Mafia victims living in Sicily and Calabria. In the third contribution, we will continue to analyze the category of "mafia victims" by proposing a search on the thoughts, emotions and experiences of the extortion victims of the three main criminal organizations in southern Italy. Finally, we will conclude the symposium, presenting in
particular the analysis of the perception of the mafia phenomenon and the influence of it in students in northern and southern Italy.
PERSONALITY PROFILES AMONG MEMBERS OF COSA NOSTRA AND CAMORRA: A PRELIMINARY STUDY
Craparo Giuseppe (1), David Vincenzo (1), Costanzo Giulia (1), Fasciano Silvia (1), Gori Alessio (2), Lo Cascio Silvestro (1)
(1) Facoltà di Scienze Umane e Sociali, Università degli Studi di Enna “Kore” (2) Dipartimento di Psicologia, Università LUMSA di Roma
Cosa Nostra and Camorra are deeply rooted in an immoral familism in which group interests are protected to the detriment of the individual. Although they share some similarities, they are actually rooted in two distinct territories (Sicily and Campagna, respectively) and the trees that each of them generates in the social landcape have their own particular foliage and fruit. We evaluated personality traits of 10 prisoners (5 = Cosa Nostra, 5 = Camorra). We administered the following instruments: 1) The Hare Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R) to assess the level of psychopathy; 2) The Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory -III (MCM-III) to assess personality disorders; 3) The Structured Interview of Personality Organization (STIPO) to evaluate personality organization. We have not found a serious pathological condition among participants, neither high levels of psychopathy. Our data to the STIPO have shown a more diffusion of borderline personality organization. In the specific, the internal reality was chacterized by dysfunctional coping, behavior dominated by aggression destructive, absence of guilt, tendency to use primitive defenses, and contradictory object relations. The results of our research show a significant absence of psychopathological conditions among participants interviewed. Although one of the limits of our research was the small number of participants interviewed, it nonetheless suggests an important fact to us:
regardless of which of the three organizations members belong to they seem to be in full possession of their mental faculties and capable of giving consent. Despite this, it is important to consider the significant diffusion of the borderline personality organization in two groups. From a psychoanalitycal perspective, the borderline personality organization is associated to a pattern of instability of interpersonal relationship, self-image, affects.
MAFIA HOMICIDE AND PSYCHOLOGICAL OUTCOMES IN FAMILY MEMBERS: THE ROLE OF SOCIAL SUPPORT AND COPING STRATEGIES
Giordano Cecilia (1), Cannizzaro Giusy (1), Tosto Crispino (1), Di Blasi Maria (1)
(1) Department of Psychological and Educational Sciences, University of Palermo
Literature has highlighted that survivors of homicide are affected by several psychological, familial, and social problems. Despite the relevant number of Mafia homicide in Italy, to date, no research has focused on the aftermath within surviving family members. Moreover, to the best of our knowledge, in Italy, comprehensive programs addressing psychological difficulties in Mafia murder survivors are lacking. Therefore, the current descriptive- exploratory study seeks to better understand the post-homicide experience, coping strategies and perceived social support of the Mafia victims’ relatives living in Sicily and Calabria, two high-density organized crime (Cosa Nostra and 'Ndrangheta) Italian regions. Semi-structured clinical interview were administered to 17 family members. The interviews, fully audio recorded and transcribed, were analyzed using Consensual Qualitative Research (CQR). Coping strategies and perceived social support were also assessed by administering self-report instruments to 41 survivors. The
results show that survivors of organized crime homicide cope with relevant long-term psychological and psychopathological problems, and significant impairment in familial and social relationships. Specifically, psychological suffering was characterized by anxiety and depressive disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, complicated grief, family disruption, social impairment and withdrawal. Additionally, the special nature of the crime results in specific coping strategies and perceptions of available sources of social support to deal with the consequences of the traumatic event. The results of the present research are important to better understand the peculiar needs of this neglected population of co-victims and to create systematic effective responses to help them coping with the traumatic loss. Implication for future policy and practice, and limitations of the current study are discussed.
QUALITATIVE ANALYSIS OF THE LIVES OF THE VICTIMS OF THE RACKET
Calogero Iacolino (1), Ferraro Anna Maria (2), Lo Cascio Maria (2)
(1) Facoltà di scienze umane e sociali, Università degli studi di Enna "kore" (2) Dipartimento di psicologia, università di Palermo
Recently, the literature on victimism has highlighted the need to analyze the experiences and behaviors of the victims. This primarily involves the recognition of the "victim's categories" and, subsequently, the exploration of experiences and reactions (including clinical and psychopathological interest) related to this category. In particular, this paper proposes a research on the thoughts, emotions and experience of the victims of the three major criminal organizations in Southern Italy (Mafia, Camorra and Ndrangheta) following the extortionary request. The aims of the work are: to analyze the psychic experiences after the extortion request; Identify the main events and motivations that allow (or not) to denounce; Investigate the representation
of the support network before and after the complaint. Research involved n. 29 subjects (17 entrepreneurs and 12 traders) resident and operating in Sicily, Calabria and Campania. A semi-structured interview and a projective test (network cards) were used to investigate the psychic experience; the reasons for the denunciation and the perception of the support network before and after the same. Collected interviews were reviewed at a descriptive level through in-depth analysis of the content. Subsequently, a further analysis was carried out through a text analysis software. The results show the presence of anger, indignation, humiliation, mortification and moral offenses that often accompanying the complaint. They also show the presence of fear and tension; Insecurity, anxiety, demoralization, impotence and early shock. The results also show a hesitation on the complaint, along with the certainty that you do not want to go back. And finally, the importance of the support network both before and after the complaint, which is perceived as composed not by civil society but by police and antiracket associations. The study is useful as it deepens the data on a target and on a set of psychodynamic issues so far not in-depth
BEYOND MAFIA THOUGT: THE ADOLESCENT EXPERIENCE. NORTH AND SOUTH ITALY COMPARISION
Mannino Giuseppe (1), Caradonna Antonina (1), Giunta Serena (1)
(1) Dipartimento di giurisprudenza, LUMSA, Libera Università Maria Santissima Assunta, Roma
The proposed work inserts inside the range of studies about the mafia phenomenon psychology and specifically concerns the analysis of the mafia phenomenon perception by the northern and southern Italy students. The studied group consists of 200 students, average 17 years, and specifically 100 students of the Higher Education Institute of Carini “Ugo Mursia”, in Palermo Province and 100 students of The Higher Education State Institute
"Alberto Parolini ", of Bassano del Grappa, in Vicenza Province. The survey focused the attention on the analysis of the mafia phenomenon perception among students to try to understand if and how much their growth is influenced, directly and indirectly, by the phenomenon studied. The research has used a semi-structured and ad hoc questionnaire. For the part of the collected data analysis, those with open response, have been used thematic- conceptual maps, extrapolated with the Grounded Theory method, which have allowed an extrapolation of areas macros particularly relevant. The data rest is analyzed through the frequencies, highlighting the weight taken by each variable being analyzed. The data emerged from the research show a mafia phenomenon perception that takes on changing traits according to the prevailing aspect with which this phenomenon occurs in the two Italian regions considered. New intervention methods inside the schools can make substantial transformations as a starting point for possible and future interventions with and for adolescents.