This study attempted to determine the relationship between fantasy aggression and behavioral aggression, and whether fantasy aggression measured by the Thematic Apperception Test is related to behavioral aggression. Participant TAT protocols from psychology clinic files were scored for fantasy aggression, and these scores were correlated with self-reported presence or absence of behavioral aggression. The scoring system used was a blend of popular aggression scales used in the 1960s and newer theory. Other variables that were examined were story length and gender in relation to the measured amount of fantasy and behavioral aggression.

Graduation date: 2004 / Best scan available. Text at top of each page is blurry or missing on original copy.

There have been a number of studies showing that the Conditional Reasoning Test for Aggression (CRT-A) is a valid measure of one's implicit preparedness to engage in activities that are intended to harm others. Few studies have examined the predictive power of subscales of the CRT-A. The purpose of this project is to examine the validity of the CRT-A and its subscales for predicting unnecessary corrective action requests filed in a sample of employees working in a nuclear power plant. Results indicate that the Powerlessness subscale differentiates employees who file unnecessary reports from employees who do not.

This dissertation employs modern psychometric techniques to estimate the item characteristics of the Conditional Reasoning Test of Aggression (CRT-A) and three related subscales. Using a sample size of 5,511 respondents, this dissertation provides an accurate assessment of the capability of the CRT-A to measure latent aggression. Additionally, a differential item functioning analysis compares student and applied samples. Results suggest that 21 of the 22 CRT-A items work as intended for the measurement of aggression and all 22 of the CRT-A items are good indicators of their respective factor subscales. Information curves indicate that the CRT-A is best suited for use with individuals who are high on latent aggression.

Efforts to develop an empirically derived typology of a major component of the implicit aggressive personality are described. A variety of samples (from both student and work populations) completed the Conditional Reasoning Test for Aggression (CRT-A; James, McIntyre, Glisson, Bowler, and Mitchell, 2004; James et al., 2005). Individual scores on the CRT-A were analyzed utilizing cluster analytic methodology in order to develop a typology of the key defense mechanisms used by the implicit aggressive personality. The resulting clusters were analyzed using affirmation analysis (Feild and Schoenfeldt, 1975) to test the reliability of each. A useful system for classifying the implicit aggressive personality resulted from this endeavor. It is expected that both scientists and practitioners can use this typology as a means for classifying aggressive individuals. Implications include the development of an organizing framework facilitating scientific communication in research on the aggressive personality as well as a classification system for organizations to identify those applicants and incumbents that might be potentially detrimental to the well-being of their coworkers.

This study tested a dissociative model of aggression measurement. Aggression is construed as having two components, each of which is associated more strongly with either implicit or explicit measures of aggression. A videogame based frustration manipulation was used to elicit hostile aggressive responses in the form of hard force applied to buttons. Instrumental aggression criteria were also assessed in the form of honesty in reporting game outcomes, willingness to pause games while believing that pausing could damage the study results, and willingness to use unfair strategies that are also described as damaging to study results. Differential prediction of these behaviors by implicit and explicit measures of aggression supported a dissociative model of aggression measurement.