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The Multidimensional Anger Inventory
1U California School of Public Health, Div of Behavioral Sciences & Health Education, Los Angeles.
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
|July 1, 1986
Summary
The Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI) offers a comprehensive assessment of anger, moving beyond simple measures. This validated tool identifies key anger dimensions, crucial for understanding its health impacts.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Health Psychology
- Psychometrics
Background:
- Anger has significant social and health implications, especially for cardiovascular health.
- Previous research on anger's health effects is limited by unidimensional measurement tools.
- Identifying pathogenic aspects of anger requires a multidimensional approach.
Purpose of the Study:
- To introduce and validate the Multidimensional Anger Inventory (MAI).
- To assess the MAI's ability to capture distinct dimensions of anger.
- To examine the psychometric properties and validity of the MAI.
Main Methods:
- Development and administration of the MAI to college students and factory workers.
- Factor analysis to identify underlying anger dimensions.
- Psychometric analyses including reliability and validity testing against other anger/hostility measures.
Main Results:
- Factor analysis confirmed anger-arousal (frequency, duration, magnitude), range of situations, and hostile outlook as key dimensions.
- Mode of anger expression was best represented by anger-in and anger-out factors.
- The MAI demonstrated adequate test-retest reliability and high internal consistency.
Conclusions:
- The MAI is a psychometrically sound instrument for assessing the multidimensional nature of anger.
- The findings support the MAI's utility in research on anger's social and health consequences.
- The inventory provides a more nuanced understanding of anger expression and experience.