Preferred Means of Hostility Expression among Missionaries: An Exploratory Study

Abstract

The effects of the stresses in a missionary's environment were examined in terms of their responses to a measure of hostility and an index of stress. The Buss-Durkee Inventory (BD; Buss & Durkee, 1957) was used to measure hostility among 34 missionaries, 15 of whom were currently on the mission field and 19 of whom were home on furlough. The groups were compared with the norms on the BD for hostility scores and preferred means of hostility expression. Hostility expression was divided into seven different measures: Assault, indirect hostility, irritability, negativism, resentment, suspicion, and verbal hostility. Scores for indirect hostility and negativism did not differ significantly from the norms. On five of these measures the missionary groups scored significantly lower than the norms. Comparisons were also made between the two missionary groups for each hostility measure. No significant differences were found between missionaries on the field and those on furlough, except on the measure of indirect hostility where male missionaries on the field scored higher than those on furlough. The inverse was true for females. Perception of stress increased as the number of years on the field increased.