Abstract
Inclusion criteria for the classification of malingering are shaped and largely predetermined by our explanatory theories. Current theories have postulated the motivation to malinger is either the product of underlying psychopathology (pathogenic model) or criminal backgrounds (DSM III-R model). I have proposed a third model that malingering is typically an adaptive response to adverse circumstances which may best be understood in the context of decision theory. Based on this approach I have argued that indices of malingering should be empirically derived and focused on clinical presentation. Finally, I have proposed a preliminary model for the classification of malingerers which combines clinical data with corroborative evidence.
Footnotes
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Dr. Rogers is senior psychologist and coordinator of research at METFORS/Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, and associate professor of psychiatry and psychology at the University of Toronto. This paper was delivered as an invited lecture as part of the Manfred S. Guttmacher Award on May 13, 1990, at the Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association and is cosponsored by the American Academy of Psychiatry and Law. Address reprint requests to Dr. Rogers, METFORS/Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, 1001 Queen St. West, Toronto, Ont. M6J 1H4 Canada.
- Copyright © 1990, The American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law
