The Palo Alto Destructive Content Scale as a predictor of physical assaultiveness in men

The Palo Alto Destructive Content Scale was developed to assess assaultive behavior in men in Veterans Hospital settings. It involves scoring each response on the Rorschach test for the level of destructive aggression. Five groups of men who were, or currently are, at Atascadero State Hospital were studied. The groups consisted of assaultive non-reoffenders, assaultive roeffenders, rapists, murderers, and nonassaultive child molesters. Each group was administered the Rorschach test while they were at the hospital and the mean Palo Alto Destructive Content Score was computed. The results indicate significant differences between non-reoffenders and reoffenders. There were no significant differences between the following groups: non-reoffenders vs. non-assaultive patients; reoffenders vs. assaultive patients and murders vs. rapists. The core issue in the treatment of assaultive offenders appears to be hostility and its capability for overt expression.