THE MEASUREMENT OF HOSTILITY IN CLINICAL SITUATIONS.

The article discusses a study which attempted to formulate operational definitions for the various meanings of the concept of hostility. The study seeks to identify and define the subconcepts of hostility and investigates their use in measuring hostility in psychiatric patients. The dimensions of hostility used in the study were derived from a rational analysis of hostile behavior and the Iowa Hostility Inventory was administered to subjects. Patients were interviewed and rated for various aspects of hostility such as resentment, verbal hostility, indirect hostility, assault, suspicion, over-all hostility and strength of hostile urges.