Ego Control Patterns and Attribution of Hostility to Self,Parents,and others

Abstract

This study evaluated the attribution of hostility to self, parents, father of the child, and peers in four MMPI-based ego control patterns—repressors, expressors, sensitizers, and expressor-sensitizers. Ss were administered the MMPI and ICL during the ninth month of pregnancy. Of the four groups, the expressor-sensitizers attributed most hostility to themselves, while the expressor group attributed most hostility to the mothers. Group differences in attribution of hostility to fathers and fathers of the children were generally unreliable. Mutual group endorsement of hostility items for other control groups was related to self-attribution of hostility. Further validation for the repressor end of the repression-sensitization scale was also derived.