Form DPT-45Scale: Hostile Aggression8 items
Hostile aggression
Wanting to hurt, get even with or fight other people.
What does hostile aggression look like?
These are typical examples, written by us to illustrate the statements below — not a checklist for diagnosing anyone.
- Holding grudges and wanting payback
- Escalating arguments instead of ending them
- Using rumors, insults or force when angry
Where does this trait come from in the research?
Hostile aggression is one of seven factors that emerged when researchers analyzed 234 antagonism items from seven questionnaires (Sleep et al., 2021) (the study's label was “aggression”). The statements used here come from the “Hostile Aggression” scale of the CAT-PD static form, a personality-disorder trait measure built in a project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (Simms et al., 2011), published in the public-domain International Personality Item Pool.
The item pool reports internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha) for this scale of 0.82 in a community sample and 0.87 in a patient sample. Values above about .80 mean the statements hang together well; it does not by itself show the scale measures what it claims. Validation studies found the static-form scales relate to other trait measures as expected (Long et al., 2021).
Which statements measure hostile aggression?
| Item | Self-report wording | Scored |
|---|---|---|
| 345 | Am often out for revenge. | As answered |
| 214 | Am excited to inflict pain on others. | As answered |
| 1346 | Get even with others. | As answered |
| 1743 | Hurt people. | As answered |
| 2718 | Will spread false rumors as a way to hurt others. | As answered |
| 393 | Am ready to hit someone when I get angry. | As answered |
| 1914 | Like to start fights. | As answered |
| 1031 | Enjoy a good brawl. | As answered |
Your hostile aggression score is the average of these 8 answers. Item numbers are the item pool's own identifiers.
If you scored high
- Agree on a pause rule with people close to you: either person can stop a heated talk and resume later.
- When you want to get even, delay any action by 24 hours.
- If anger has led to threats or violence, talk to a licensed professional — this is beyond self-help.
If it's someone you deal with
- Your safety comes first. If you feel threatened, leave and get help; in an emergency call 911.
- Don't argue while the person is escalating; end the conversation and return later, if at all.
- Keep a record of incidents, especially at work, and use formal channels.
These suggestions are our editorial judgment, not tested interventions. For the research on whether people can change these traits, read how to be less difficult; for others, dealing with a difficult person.
Take the full testRate someone
The other six traits
- 01
- 02
- 03
- 04
- 05
- 06
Sources
- Sleep CE, Crowe ML, Carter NT, Lynam DR, Miller JD (2021). Uncovering the structure of antagonism. Personal Disord 12(4), 300-311. PubMed 34323587 · doiCross-sectional factor analysis. 532 university students answered 234 antagonism items from seven trait measures; a seven-factor solution emerged: callousness, grandiosity, domineering, manipulation, suspiciousness, aggression and risk taking. Limits: One student sample, self-report only. Checked against the abstract only, October 26, 2026.
- Simms LJ, Goldberg LR, Roberts JE, Watson D, Welte J, Rotterman JH (2011). Computerized adaptive assessment of personality disorder: introducing the CAT-PD project. J Pers Assess 93(4), 380-9. PubMed 22804677 · doiMeasure development. Describes the NIMH-funded project that built the CAT-PD trait model and item pool (59 candidate traits, 2,589 initial items). Limits: Early-phase report. Checked against the abstract only, October 26, 2026.
- Long TA, Reinhard E, Sellbom M, Anderson JL (2021). An Examination of the Reliability and Validity of the Comprehensive Assessment of Traits Relevant to Personality Disorder-Static Form (CAT-PD-SF). Assessment 28(5), 1345-1357. PubMed 32125172 · doiValidation study. CAT-PD static-form scores related to other personality measures in expected ways and moderately to functional impairment. Limits: The five-factor structure fit only marginally. Checked against the abstract only, October 26, 2026.
Item text and reliability values: International Personality Item Pool (IPIP): CAT-PD-SF v1.1 scale keys, retrieved 2026-10-26. Public domain (IPIP): use for any purpose, commercial or non-commercial, is pre-granted.