Mally Shechory

Pathways to Women's Crime: Differences Among Women Convicted of Drug, Violence and Fraud Offenses

ABSTRACT The current study was conducted on 60 Israeli female inmates. Our aim was to examine the differences among women convicted for drug, violence, and fraud offenses by socio-demographic variables and self-control and aggression levels. Results revealed that the drug group was characterized by measures attributed to chronic delinquency, and the fraud group was found to fit the pathway to low crime. At the same time, the violence group was not characterized by any of these patterns. The findings were discussed in relation to their theoretical contribution and applicability.

Ideological Delinquency: Gender Differences Among Israeli Youth During the Withdrawal From the Gaza Strip

This study aims to examine the factors that channel boys and girls toward committing illegal activity. The measures examined include social control factors (belief, commitment, attachment, and involvement) and ideological religious worldviews. The study examines 262 Israeli adolescents who have taken part in illegal and legal activities during the resistance to the Gaza evacuation. Findings suggest that illegal activity levels are greater among boys than girls, whereas ideological obligation and commitment are greater among girls than boys. Involvement with friends positively predicts ideological obligation among boys, which in turn is related to increased likelihood of illegal activity. Among girls, lower commitment and lower belief as well as greater ideological obligation are predictive of illegal activity.

Social Control Theory and the Connection With Ideological Offenders Among Israeli Youth During the Gaza Disengagement Period

The present study examined whether social control theory is capable of explaining youths law violations in instances of conflict between the ideological religious worldview and the laws of the country in which they reside. Differences in the control factors (commitment, belief, attachment, and involvement) were examined among Israeli adolescents who took part in legal activity (n = 163) and illegal activity (n = 99) during the resistance to the Gaza evacuation. The findings indicate that the model provides a partial explanation for ideological delinquency. It was found that involvement with friends and the absence of belief in the formal legal system were associated with illegal ideology activity. Attachment to friends and parents and involvement with parents had no effect on youths participation in illegal ideological activities.

Attachment Styles, Coping Strategies, and Romantic Feelings Among Battered Women in Shelters

The aim of the study was to examine coping strategies, attachment styles, and romantic feelings among a sample of battered women (BWS) in shelters in Israel compared with a sample of women recruited from the community (CS; defined as nonbattered women). Results indicate that BWS were significantly more anxious and avoidant than CS and their romantic feelings for their partners were lower. However, contrary to prediction, BWS used more problem-focused than emotion-focused coping. Also contrary to prediction, attachment style and romantic feelings predicted problem-focused coping among BWS while predicting emotion-focused coping among CS. Aside from challenging common assumptions, the findings of the current study enhance our understanding of the associations between coping style, attachment style, and emotions experienced by BWS and highlight the importance of considering the larger context within which an individual instance of leaving occurs. Even so, future studies should employ a longitudinal design so as to shed additional light on interrelationships between these variables.

A Comparative Analysis of Delinquency Among Youth From the Former Soviet Union and From Ethiopia in Israel

Israel is a nation characterized by great ethnic complexity. It consists of the dominant group of native Israelis and various other immigrant ethnic groups from the former Soviet Union (FSU) and the immigrants from Ethiopia. These 2 immigrant ethnic groups differ from each other both with regard to their adaptation to and the impact of Israeli society on them. The aim of the present article is to examine the delinquency among youth from the FSU and from Ethiopia in Israel and factors that may influence their delinquency. The analysis of official data and self-reported studies indicate that the youths from the FSU and Ethiopia are overrepresented in delinquency and this can be attributed to risk factors related to the lack of integration in the Israeli society.

Effects of Stereotypes and Suggestion on Memory

In this study, the interactive effect of stereotype and suggestion on accuracy of memory was examined by presenting 645 participants (native Israelis and immigrants from the former Soviet Union and Ethiopia) with three versions of a story about a worker who is waiting in a manager’s office for a meeting. All versions were identical except for the worker’s name, which implied a Russian or an Ethiopian immigrant or a person of no ethnic origin. Each participant was presented with one version of the story. After an hour delay, the participants’ memories were tested via two questionnaires that differed in terms of level of suggestion. Data analyses show that (a) when a suggestion matched the participant’s stereotypical perception, the suggestion was incorporated into memory but (b) when the suggestion contradicted the stereotype, it did not influence memory. The conclusion was that recall is influenced by stereotypes but can be enhanced by compatible suggestions.

Differentiating Offenders by Index Offense and Personality Inventories: The Characteristics of Adult Probationers in Israel

The current study examines the differences between four groups of offenders (N = 230) according to the type of crime they committed: domestic violence, sex offenses, traffic violations, and nonspecific violence offenses. The study was conducted on the offenders undergoing treatment in the Israeli Adult Probation Service. A comparison between the groups included an examination of the differences in aggression levels, anxiety levels, and two Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory–2 (MMPI-2) scales—the Psychopathic Deviate (PD-4) and the Antisocial Practices (ASP) scales. The findings provide a glimpse of the features that characterize each group, in relation to each other and in relation to the body of literature. The domestic violence group differed from the other groups in most of the research variables. They were found to have low anxiety levels and high aggression levels. Together with other findings that pointed to antisocial practices and attitudes, this group constitutes a population that is violent and aggressive to a far greater extent compared with the other groups. Sex offenders were found to be a unique group that does not fit in the “classic offenders” category. They were found to have low aggression levels and high anxiety levels and their scores on PD-4 and ASP scales were low compared with the other groups. The traffic group was characterized with typically low levels of anxiety and high levels of physical aggression. This group also obtained high scores on ASP scale and the measure that examined confrontation with authority figures. Finally, study findings did not indicate characteristics that typify the nonspecific violence offenses.

Effects of the holding technique for restraint of aggression in children in residential care.

The purpose of the present study was to further understanding of the therapeutic value of the holding technique for children who exhibit extreme uncontrolled behavior. The data collection in this study was from reports on the use of the holding technique and a questionnaire based on the RAF (regulation, assessment, follow-up) Method, which includes three subscales of a Teachers Report Form questionnaire (TRF): Social Problems, Aggressive Behavior and Anxious/Depression. The RAF questionnaires were administered to 91 children in a residential care facility of which 51 underwent holding. The questionnaires were administered twice with an intervening period of one year indicating no improvement in the indices examined, including aggressive behavior, but suicide attempts in children who were held declined.