NCJ Number
32168
Journal
FCI RESEARCH REPORTS Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Dated: (1971) Pages: COMPLETE ISSUE
Date Published
1971
Length
22 pages
Annotation
STUDY OF THE RELATION BETWEEN SCORES ON THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INVENTORY'S OVERCONTROLLED HOSTILITY (O-H) SCALE AND THE USE OF REPRESSIVE DEFENSES BY INMATES.
Abstract
FORTY-FIVE YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS - 15 WITH HIGH O-H SCORES, 15 WITH MID-RANGE SCOES, AND 15 WITH LOW SCORES - WERE PRESENTED WITH PICTURES OF VIOLENT AND NEUTRAL SCENES IN A TACHISTOSCOPE. EXPOSURE TIMES RANGED FROM SUBLIMINAL TO SUPRATHRESHOLD FOR MOST SUBJECTS. AS ANTICIPATED, THE THRESHOLD FOR REPORTING CORRECT PERCEPTION OF THE VIOLENT STIMULI WAS SIGNIFICANTLY HIGHER THAN THE THRESHOLD FOR NEUTRAL STIMULI FOR THE HIGH O-H SUBJECTS. ALTHOUGH THE MAGNITUDE OF THE MEAN DIFFERENCES DECREASED REGULARLY FROM THE HIGH O-H TO THE LOW O-H GROUP, THESE INTERGROUP DIFFERENCES WERE NOT SATISTICALLY SIGNIFICANT. THE IMPLICATIONS OF THESE FINDINGS FOR THE CONSTRUCT VALIDITY OF THE O-H SCALE WERE DISCUSSED. RESEARCH WITH THE MMPI OVERCONTROLLED HOSTILITY (O-H) SCALE HAS SHOWN THAT HIGH SCORES IDENTIFY INDIVIDUALS WHOSE MASSIVE REPRESSION OF HOSTILE OR AGGRESSIVE IMPULSES LEADS TO EPISODIC ACTS OF VIOLENCE. THE MEASURING OF LOW AND MID-RANGE O-H SCALES IS LESS CLEAR, BUT RECENT RESEARCH AMONG PRISON INMATES SUGGESTS THAT LOW SCORERS MIGHT CHARACTERISTICALLY DIRECT THEIR AGGRESSION OUTWARD. THE PRESENT STUDY WAS AIMED AT EXPLORING THE RELATION BETWEEN O-H SCORES AND THE USE OF REPRESSIVE DEFENSES. (AUTHOR ABSTRACT)