difficultpersontest

Form DPT-45Scale: Domineering6 items

Domineering

A strong need to be in charge and to have things done your way.

What does domineering look like?

These are typical examples, written by us to illustrate the statements below — not a checklist for diagnosing anyone.

  • Taking over plans, conversations or group decisions by default
  • Feeling uneasy when someone else is running things
  • Hearing that people stop offering ideas around you

Where does this trait come from in the research?

Domineering 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 “domineering”). The statements used here come from the “Domineering” 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 0.83 in a community sample and 0.84 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 domineering?

ItemSelf-report wordingScored
639Boss people around.As answered
1869Like having authority over others.As answered
1752Insist that others do things my way.As answered
2005Make demands on others.As answered
1466Have a strong need for power.As answered
251Am known as a controlling person.As answered

Your domineering score is the average of these 6 answers. Item numbers are the item pool's own identifiers.

If you scored high

  • In the next group decision, speak last and ask two questions before giving your view.
  • Hand one decision you'd normally make to someone else and accept their result.
  • Replace "we're doing X" with "I'd suggest X — what am I missing?"

If it's someone you deal with

  • Agree roles and decision rights up front, in writing if it's work.
  • State your own preference early and clearly; vague hints get overridden.
  • Pick the decisions that matter to you and let the rest go.

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

  1. 01

    Callousness

  2. 02

    Grandiosity

  3. 03

    Manipulativeness

  4. 04

    Mistrust

  5. 05

    Hostile aggression

  6. 06

    Risk taking

Sources

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.