Homogeneous scales for the neurotic triad of the MMPI.

This study used item statistics for the nonduplicated items of the MMPI and the CPI to develop homogeneous scales for the neurotic triad (Hs, D, Hy) of the MMPI. The construction and partial cross-validation of scales were based on data from a predominantly clinical sample of 563 male subjects and 347 female subjects. Two non-overlapping scales of high internal consistency were developed which contained embedded subscales designed to be relatively independent of factor dimensions previously identified in the data. The first of the two scales comprised items exclusively related to health concern, and the second was a more concentrated measure of poor morale than the MMPI Depression scale. The nature of the revised scales was analyzed in relation to the standard MMPI scales and factor dimensions from previous research. Implications of the study for development of an hierarchical inventory were discussed.

Marital quality and disturbed child behaviour.

A set of 12 measures based on separate reports by husbands and wives was used to determine whether families of children displaying disturbed behaviour have poorer marital relations than those of children without presenting symptoms. Following an initial discriminant analysis which revealed significant differences between a clinical and non-clinical group of marital pairs, cluster analysis of the total sample yielded three subgroups with greater homogeneity. Two discriminant functions distinguished significantly between these groups; the first function, which accounted for most of the variance, arranged the groups in linear order along a general dimension of marital quality. The second, smaller function separated the middle group from the two extremes which represented mainly clinical and non clinical cases respectively. The quality of marital relations was found to decline from high levels of mutual regard and consensus in the non-clinical group to mutual dissatisfaction in the clinical group and this was greater for wives than husbands. In the middle group, of mixed clinical and non-clinical cases, the wives remained strongly committed to parental and marital roles but dissatisfaction was expressed in the quality of their interpersonal conduct. In general the wife's evaluation of her husband was an important contributor to her level of marital satisfaction and, in turn, to the general quality of the marital relation.

The number and kind of invariant personality (Q) factors: a partial replication of Eysenck and Eysenck.

A study by Eysenck & Eysenck (1969) investigated the invariance across sex of factors derived from the Eysenck, Cattell and Guilford personality inventories. They found only neuroticism and extraversion invariant. The present study was designed as a partial replication of their study, but employed simpler, common-sense methods that gave the more moderate sized factors a chance to demonstrate the extent of their invariance across sex. Four invariant factors were found: the first two, neuroticism and sociability, were large and demonstrated almost complete invariance across sex; the third and fourth factors were moderate-sized and showed less, but substantial invariance across sex. They were called 'sensitivity v. practicality' and 'group-centred morality v. self-centred independence'.