NCJ Number
138419
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 6 Issue: 4 Dated: (Winter 1991) Pages: 309-320
Date Published
1991
Length
12 pages
Annotation
The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was administered as part of a standard assessment and screening process to 56 adult male batterers, aged 18 to 65 years, who participated in an 8-week, court mandated aggression management group treatment program.
Abstract
The MMPI consists of 566 items divided into three validity scales to assess test-taking attitudes, 10 clinical scales to assess categories of personality and behavior, and 14 scales to assess additional personality dimensions. This study's hypotheses were that the MMPI findings would show that male batterers act impulsively and then minimize or externalize the blame, feel inadequate and dissatisfied with themselves, are overly dependent on their female partners, and have a tendency toward addiction and situational depression. The MMPI results showed a 4-2 profile for both the composite-mean analysis and the elevated profile revealed by the cluster analysis. Fifty-two percent of the sample exhibited Scale 4 as one of the two scales in the high-point pair, providing partial support for the hypotheses. To meet the goal of more appropriately matching treatment approaches to client profiles, future research should incorporate multidimensional behavioral and personality assessments of batterers. 2 tables, 3 figures, 2 notes, and 31 references