HDHQ (HOSTILITY AND DIRECTION OF HOSTILITY QUESTIONNAIRE) RESULTS OF LONG-TERM PRISONERS - RELATIONSHIPS WITH CRIMINAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BEHAVIOUR

• NCJ Number: 58269
• Journal: BRITISH JOURNAL OF SOCIAL AND CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY Volume: 16 Issue: 4 Dated: (NOVEMBER 1977) Pages: 391-394
• Author(s): D A CRAWFORD
• Date Published: 1977
• Length: 4 pages
• Corporate Author: Cambridge University Press; British Psychological Soc
• Publication Format: Article
• Language: English
• Country: United Kingdom

Annotation

RESULTS OF THE HOSTILITY AND DIRECTION OF HOSTILITY QUESTIONNAIRES (HDHQ) ADMINISTERED TO 100 LONG TERM PRISONERS SHOW THAT THE TEST HAS LITTLE VALUE IN PREDICTING CRIMINALITY.

Abstract

IN A STUDY OF EXTREME AGGRESSION IN PSYCHIATRIC OFFENDERS, BLACKBURN (1968) FOUND THAT HOSTILITY SCORES WERE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER IN A MODERATELY ASSAULTIVE GROUP THAN AN EXTREMELY ASSAULTIVE ONE; BUT THAT THERE WERE NO SIGNIFICANT DIFFERENCES IN THE DIRECTION OF HOSTILITY. THIS IS SEEN AS SUPPORTING MEGARGEE'S PROPOSAL THAT ASSAULTIVE OFFENDERS CAN BE DIVIDED INTO OVERCONTROLLED AND UNDERCONTROLLED PERSONALITY TYPES, THE FORMER COMMITTING THE MORE SERIOUS ACTS OF AGGRESSION. HOWEVER, THIS THEORY WAS DISPUTED BY COCKETT (1970) WHO IN A STUDY OF HOSTILITY IN YOUNG OFFENDERS, CONCLUDED THAT ON THE HDHQ YOUNG OFFENDERS SHARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF NORMAL NON-DELIQUENT PERSONS, AND THAT THE FEATURES MEASURED BY THE HDHQ DO NOT APPEAR TO BE STABLE FEATURES OF PERSONALITY. THE PRESENT STUDY REPORTS THE HDHQ SCORES OF A SAMPLE OF LONG TERM PRISONERS AND RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN THE HOSTILITY MEASURES AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR. THE RESULTS SHOW THAT LONG TERM PRISONERS SCORE SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN NORMALS ON THE HOSTILITY SCALE OF THE HDHQ. NORMALS AND VIOLENT PERSONS DO NOT DIFFER IN THEIR DIRECTION OF HOSTILITY, THE TWO GROUPS HAD VIRTUALLY IDENTICAL SCORES WHICH CASTS DOUBTS ON THE HDHQ AS A VALID MEASURE OF HOSTILITY. THE RESULTS DO NOT SUPPORT MEGARGEE'S HYPOTHESIS OF OVERCONTROLLED AND UNDERCONTROLLED AGGRESSORS AND FAIL TO SUPPORT BLACKBURN'S FINDINGS. A SAMPLE OF PSYCHIATRIC OFFENDERS HOSPITALIZED BECAUSE OF VIOLENT ASSAULT WILL BE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO HAVE OVERCONTROLLED PERSONALITIES THAN A PRISON SAMPLE. OVERALL RESULTS SHOW LITTLE EVIDENCE THAT THE HDHQ CAN SATISFACTORILY DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN GROUPS OF PRISONERS TO AN EXTENT TO BE OF USE IN PREDICTING FUTURE CRIMINALITY. FINDINGS ARE CONSISTENT WITH THOSE OF COCKETT, ON THE IMPORTANCE OF SITUATIONAL DETERMINANTS, IN THIS CASE LONG PRISON TERMS, RATHER THAN PERSONALITY TRAITS AS DETERMINANTS OF BEHAVIOR. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (STB)