NCJ Number
138241
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 7 Issue: 1 Dated: (Spring 1992) Pages: 15-28
Date Published
1992
Length
14 pages
Annotation
This study assessed 87 maritally violent (MV) men, 42 maritally nonviolent, maritally discordant (NVD) men, and 48 maritally nonviolent, maritally satisfied (NVS) men on the California Psychological Inventory (CPI), a test of the normal personality.
Abstract
The study hypotheses were that abusive men would score lower, indicating poorer adjustment and that violent men would have observed more parental violence or experienced more childhood violence than nonviolent men. Analysis of variance and subsequent range tests of the results indicated that the NVD and NVS groups had significantly higher scores than the violent group on 10 of the 18 subscales: responsibility, socialization, self-control, tolerance, achievement via conformance, achievement via independence, good impression, intellectual efficiency, and psychological mindedness. A discriminant analysis contrasting the violent group with the combined other groups correctly classified 68 percent of the subjects and accounted for more than 20 percent of the variance between groups. Along with previous findings, the data indicated that maritally violent males exhibit different personality characteristics than maritally nonviolent men in three general areas: intimacy, impulsivity, and problem-solving skills. Many of these problem areas were significantly correlated with childhood violence experiences. Tables, chart showing the subscales of the CPI, and 47 references (Author abstract modified)