The 13 basic Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scales, 21 experimental scales of hostility and control, and 4 response-bias scales were cross-validated on 168 male criminals assigned to four aggressive criterion groups (nonviolent, threat, battery, and homicide). All but 1 of the 17 hostility scales showing group differences confirmed Megargee's prediction of lower scores on hostility measures and higher on control for aggressive individuals. However, a more parsimonious interpretation in terms of a naysaying response style in the aggressive groups accounted for all group differences. Balancing of item scoring on experimental MMPI scales was suggested until such time as the issue of acquiescence response style on true/false tests is resolved.
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