In a study spanning 22 years, data were collected on the aggressiveness of over 600 subjects, their parents, and their children. Subjects who were the more aggressive 8-year-olds at the beginning of the study were discovered to be the more aggressive 30-year-olds at the end of the study. The stability of aggressive behavior was shown to be very similar to the stability of intellectual competence, especially for males. Early aggressiveness was predictive of later serious antisocial behavior, including criminal behavior, spouse abuse, traffic violations, and selfreported physical aggression. Furthermore, the stability of aggression across generations within a family when measured at comparable ages was even higher than the within individual stability across ages. It is concluded that, whatever its causes, aggression can be viewed as a persistent trait that may be influenced by situational variables but possesses substantial cross-situational constancy.Interpersonal aggression is a problem whose dimensions in terms of cost to life and property are obviously staggering. Decades of research into the root causes of aggression have yielded numerous models purporting to explain the ontogeny of different aspects of aggressive behavior. Yet, there is little sign that the responses of either the criminal justice or psychological establishments based on these theories have had much impact. It now seems clear that a major reason for such failures is that aggression is a relatively stable, self-perpetuating behavior that is not readily amenable to change by the time it usually comes to the attention of society.Aggression as a characteristic way of solving

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The psychometric properties of the newly developed Peer Nomination Inventory of Depression (PNID) were examined within a cross-validation model. Subjects were 452 boys and 492 girls whose combined mean age was 10.24 years (SD = .78). Consisting of 13 depression, 4 happiness, and 2 popularity items, the PNID was group administered to the children, who were distributed among 61 classes of 10 public schools. Self-ratings, teacher ratings, pupil personnel records, and census tract data were also obtained. Reliability assessed through coefficient alpha, item-total correlations, test-retest coefficients, and interrater agreement proved highly acceptable. Content validity was determined by experts' judgments. Measures of concurrent validity comprised of self-ratings and teacher ratings were significantly correlated with the PNID, as were 13 of the 15 variables used to assess construct validity. Subjects with high PNID scores exhibited depressed intellectual functioning, poor social behavior, and diminished ebullience. They perceived control over events as external and had poor school attendance.The purpose of the present study was to explore the feasibility of constructing a reliable and valid peer nomination technique to assess symptoms of depression in a normal population of prepubertal children. No standardized assessment method exists that can be used in research addressing the epidemiological and longitudinal questions regarding these symptoms.The most salient questions concerning measurement in this area are the prevalence, distribution, and fate of the supposed symptoms of this condition in childhood.

Explored the relationship of parental rejection during childhood and manifestations of depression both then and in young adulthood in 3 studies. In Study 1, 427 Ss were seen in 2 waves at the ages of 8 and 19 yrs. In the 1st wave, the parents of these Ss were also interviewed with a childrearing questionnaire that included a measure of rejection. In the 2nd wave, the Ss, then 19 yrs old, were administered the MMPI––D subscale. In the 2nd study, the contemporaneous relationship between maternal rejection and childhood depression was investigated. The identical measure of rejection used in the prospective study was administered to 245 mothers, and 4 measures of depression––peer ratings, self-ratings, teacher's ratings, and mother's ratings––were obtained for their children (mean age 10.11 yrs). The 3rd study, conducted with 508 mothers and their children (mean age 9.78 yrs) replicated the significant findings of the contemporaneous study. Findings support the hypothesis that deprivation in the generic sense ranging from the death of 1 or both parents to rejection or even parental disharmony is an etiological factor in adult depression. (47 ref)

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