Validity of the Overcontrolled-Hostility (O-H) Scale: a brief report

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Forensic Psychology
• Personality Assessment

Background:

• The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) Overcontrolled Hostility (O-H) Scale measures a specific personality construct.
• Assessing the validity of psychological scales is crucial for accurate personality assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To further evaluate the construct validity of the MMPI O-H Scale.
• To examine the relationship between O-H scores and aggression-related response styles in youthful offenders.

Main Methods:

• High and low O-H scoring youthful offenders were identified.
• Participants completed the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study.
• Responses were categorized as extrapunitive, impunitive, or intropunitive.

Main Results:

• Subjects with high O-H scores demonstrated significantly more impunitive responses compared to low O-H subjects.
• Conversely, subjects with low O-H scores exhibited more extrapunitive responses than high O-H subjects.

Conclusions:

• The observed response patterns align with the established O-H personality typology.
• These findings provide additional empirical support for the construct validity of the MMPI O-H Scale.