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The relationship of personality to antisocial and neurotic behaviours as observed by teachers
019l-xx69~x3~010097-04s03.00.0 Copyright G 19X3 Pergamon Press Ltd
The relationship of personality to Antisocial and Neurotic hehaviours as observed by teachers
Summary -weight hundred and eight children in normal schools between the ages of 7 and 16 yr were rated on Rutter’s Teachers’ Rating Scale, and completed the EPQ giving Psychoticism (P). Extraversion (t). Neuroticism (N) and Lie (L). The children also reported on their own misbehaviour and social attitudes. Children exhibiting Antisocial behaviours were markedly high on P; also scoring low on L, and rcportlng non-conforming behaviour and attitudes. Children showing Neurotic behaviours did not have particularly distinctive personality scores. but were rather extraverted and conforming (high L). There was no relationship between Neuroticism as a disorder and Neuroticism as a personality trait. It is auggcsted that the P scale might usefully assist in the detection of antisocially disturbed children or In the sclectlon of ‘high risk’ groups.
INTRODUCTION In a study of normal school children between 7- and 16-years-old. Powell (1976. 1977) found in accordance with Eysenck’s (1964) theories of social IearnIng and criminality that non-conforming children (those who smoked early; admitted fighting and potentially delinquent acts such as minor theft and trespass: and who had antisocial. progressive or non-traditlonal attltudcs) were high on the Psychoticlsm (P). ExtraversIon (E) and Neuroticism (N) dimensions of personality and low on the Lie (L) scale that measures social acquiescence. As part of the study. each child’s teacher completed the Teachers’ Rating Scale B2 (Rutter. lY69: Rutter et trl.. 1970). which was designed as a screeening test to indicate those children who might be exhibiting either an Antisocial or Neurotic childhood disorder and who should be investigated further by psychiatric interview. The scale serves such a function with reasonable reliability and validity (Rutter et d., 1970). The purpose of the present paper is to see how children showing Antisocial or Neurotic behaviours differ from each other and from the remaining subjects in terms of: (1) Personality; (2) self-reported misbehaviour; and (3) social attitudes. Of particular interest is whether the high P children are observed as antisocial; whether high N children are observed as neurotic. and whether children who claim to misbehave are seen to do so.
METHOD Suhjrcts
The Ss were taken from the three secondary schools and four junior schools that constituted one educational district of a fairly large provincial town. In this manner, most of the junior children would eventually go to one or other of the scnlor schools. ensurmg a soclo-economic match between older and younger age groups. I’he Jumor chddren (,Y = 394. I86 boys) were from the last three year groups (i.e. X-, 9- and IO-year-olds with a mean age of 9.4 yr) whilst the senior children (h’ = 414. I95 boys) were taken from the first, third and fifth forms (i.c. I I-. 13- and 15.year-olds with a mean age of 13.3 yr). The final sample of 808 children constituted approximately one third of the total avallable population of the required ages. the sample being those children who could conveniently complete the tests without severely disrupting the schools’ time tables. The sample is all white and predominantly middle class, and 1s further described in Powell (1077).
Subjects completed: (1) the Junior EPQ (Eysenck and Eysenck, 1975) yielding P. E. N and L scores: (2) a 55-item misbehavlour scale based on Gibson (1967) and Allsopp (1975) giving a single score, B. being the number of misbehaviours admitted: (3) the Children’s Scale of Social Attitudes (Wilson et ctl..1972) which gives a Conservatism. C, score reflecting unorthodox, liberal, non-conforming or non-traditional attitudes. For the youngest four age groups, each item on every questionnaire was read aloud to them, so as to avoid contamination of results by poor reading. SubJects were rated on the I’eachers’ Katmg Scale B2, which contams 26 behavioural Items rated 0. 1 or 2 dependent upon how well they describe the child. The scale was scored in the following manner: (I) T, the total score across all items to indicate the general level of disturbance in the child’s behaviour: (2) A, the score across 6 items that form an Antisocial factor (destroying property: fighting: disobedient: lies; steals: bullies); (3) NT, the score across the 4 items that constitute a Neurotic factor (often worried; often unhappy: fearful; tearful).
* To whom
all reprint
requests
should
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IT=01
lT=I-8)
Overall
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T
Antisocial
(A=lt)
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A
Fig. I. Mean P scores for males and females and junior and sentor children in the three categortes overall disturbance (T) and in the two categortcs of antisocial disturbance (A).
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disturbance,
I LOW
High
(A=01
Antisocial
1
I
LOW
1’ / /
(T=Ol
A
I
(T-I-8)
Overall
Fig. 2. Mean misbehaviour scores (B) for males and females and juntor and senior children tn the two categories of antisocial disturbance.
I
Medium
Fig. 3. Mean N score as a function overall disturbance
Htgh fT=S+l
disturbonce,
T
of age and degree of (T).
related to T via an interaction with age. These data are given in Fig. 3. It is clear from the ligure that although low, medium and high T groups in the junior sample have much the same N score, groups higher on T in the senior subgroup WY higher on Neuroticism. Therefore. Neuroticism is related to perceived overall disorder in older. but not younger, children. The type of disorder that these high N older children show is not. however. either Antisocial (A) or Neurotic (NT) in nature. since there were no srgniticant Age x A or Age x NT interactions. All that can be said is that neurotic children are generally noticed by teachers to have problems.
CONCLUSIONS The results shovv that there is a consistent relationship between teachers’ observations of children on the one hand and the same childrens’ self-reports of personality, behaviour and attitude on the other. Children who score high overall on Rutter’s scale (i.e. over all items) are particularly high on the Psychottcism dimension of personality. This seems reasonable since it is predictable that children who are “solitary”, “troublesome”, “cruel”, “sensation-seeking”. ” hostile” and “liking of unusual things” (Eysenck and Eysenck. 1969. 1970) should be seen by teachers as disturbed: they are also non-acquiescent (low L) and report more frequent misbehaviours such as smoking. getting into fights and minor theft (high B). As for the two subscales of T, the Antisocial scale (A) yields precisely the same results as with T with the addition that high A children hold less traditional or orthodox social attitudes (low C). Children high on the second, Neurotic. subscale (NT) do not have such a marked ‘type’ of personality. They are slightly more acquiescent and dependentprone (higher on L) and slightly more extraverted. Interestingly they do not come out as particularly neurotic in the personality sense. perhaps because Neuroticism is in many ways a private phenomenon, since being fearful. or a worrier. can be well hidden. whereas the antisocial child is almost by definition liable to be disruptive enough to come to the teacher‘s attention. It is suggested. therefore. that the neurotic items on Rutter’s Scale tap only a few select features of Neuroticism as a whole, such that the two scales bear little relationship to each other. However, in a more positive vein. it was apparent that the older children with neurotic personalities were rated as having non-specific problem behaviours.
Overall. the findmg that objectively obxrvcd Antisocial behavlour I\ stl-ongly related to Psychotlclsm suggcsta that Eysenck’s scale mav be it useful adjunct to present mwwrc~ of childhood dlsordcr and to current indices used in the selection of .at risk’ groups.
REFEREI\CES AI.LSOPP J. F. (1975) Investigations into the applicablllty of Eysenck’s theory ofcrim~nalit) of school children. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis. Unlvcrhity of London. Eysi.~c,a H. J. (1964) C‘riuw wd Pu~ur~r/ir~~. Routledge Kr Kevan Paul. London.
to the anti-hoclal
bcha\iour
The relationship of personality to Antisocial and Neurotic hehaviours as observed by teachers
Summary -weight hundred and eight children in normal schools between the ages of 7 and 16 yr were rated on Rutter’s Teachers’ Rating Scale, and completed the EPQ giving Psychoticism (P). Extraversion (t). Neuroticism (N) and Lie (L). The children also reported on their own misbehaviour and social attitudes. Children exhibiting Antisocial behaviours were markedly high on P; also scoring low on L, and rcportlng non-conforming behaviour and attitudes. Children showing Neurotic behaviours did not have particularly distinctive personality scores. but were rather extraverted and conforming (high L). There was no relationship between Neuroticism as a disorder and Neuroticism as a personality trait. It is auggcsted that the P scale might usefully assist in the detection of antisocially disturbed children or In the sclectlon of ‘high risk’ groups.
INTRODUCTION In a study of normal school children between 7- and 16-years-old. Powell (1976. 1977) found in accordance with Eysenck’s (1964) theories of social IearnIng and criminality that non-conforming children (those who smoked early; admitted fighting and potentially delinquent acts such as minor theft and trespass: and who had antisocial. progressive or non-traditlonal attltudcs) were high on the Psychoticlsm (P). ExtraversIon (E) and Neuroticism (N) dimensions of personality and low on the Lie (L) scale that measures social acquiescence. As part of the study. each child’s teacher completed the Teachers’ Rating Scale B2 (Rutter. lY69: Rutter et trl.. 1970). which was designed as a screeening test to indicate those children who might be exhibiting either an Antisocial or Neurotic childhood disorder and who should be investigated further by psychiatric interview. The scale serves such a function with reasonable reliability and validity (Rutter et d., 1970). The purpose of the present paper is to see how children showing Antisocial or Neurotic behaviours differ from each other and from the remaining subjects in terms of: (1) Personality; (2) self-reported misbehaviour; and (3) social attitudes. Of particular interest is whether the high P children are observed as antisocial; whether high N children are observed as neurotic. and whether children who claim to misbehave are seen to do so.
METHOD Suhjrcts
The Ss were taken from the three secondary schools and four junior schools that constituted one educational district of a fairly large provincial town. In this manner, most of the junior children would eventually go to one or other of the scnlor schools. ensurmg a soclo-economic match between older and younger age groups. I’he Jumor chddren (,Y = 394. I86 boys) were from the last three year groups (i.e. X-, 9- and IO-year-olds with a mean age of 9.4 yr) whilst the senior children (h’ = 414. I95 boys) were taken from the first, third and fifth forms (i.c. I I-. 13- and 15.year-olds with a mean age of 13.3 yr). The final sample of 808 children constituted approximately one third of the total avallable population of the required ages. the sample being those children who could conveniently complete the tests without severely disrupting the schools’ time tables. The sample is all white and predominantly middle class, and 1s further described in Powell (1077).
Subjects completed: (1) the Junior EPQ (Eysenck and Eysenck, 1975) yielding P. E. N and L scores: (2) a 55-item misbehavlour scale based on Gibson (1967) and Allsopp (1975) giving a single score, B. being the number of misbehaviours admitted: (3) the Children’s Scale of Social Attitudes (Wilson et ctl..1972) which gives a Conservatism. C, score reflecting unorthodox, liberal, non-conforming or non-traditional attitudes. For the youngest four age groups, each item on every questionnaire was read aloud to them, so as to avoid contamination of results by poor reading. SubJects were rated on the I’eachers’ Katmg Scale B2, which contams 26 behavioural Items rated 0. 1 or 2 dependent upon how well they describe the child. The scale was scored in the following manner: (I) T, the total score across all items to indicate the general level of disturbance in the child’s behaviour: (2) A, the score across 6 items that form an Antisocial factor (destroying property: fighting: disobedient: lies; steals: bullies); (3) NT, the score across the 4 items that constitute a Neurotic factor (often worried; often unhappy: fearful; tearful).
* To whom
all reprint
requests
should
be addressed. 97
2, 0
x
I( 0 i
I2 I, 4
0 ‘,
99
F
..* BOYS
5:.
:..
,
BOYS’
:.
. .. .
:. P
Juniors
4-
F
3
f a
2-
I-
IT=01
lT=I-8)
Overall
(A=01
iT=S+)
disturbance,
T
Antisocial
(A=lt)
disturbance,
A
Fig. I. Mean P scores for males and females and junior and sentor children in the three categortes overall disturbance (T) and in the two categortcs of antisocial disturbance (A).
20 -
m -
;
I8 -
l ___---s-H
16-
X@
.p
14
I!
12 -
--
c.Ct
I4l-
X Seniors Soys
/
/)
/
of
x Seniors
//
/-
4 .
%,&
_ -
d
Juniors
d fi
IO *
t B e
d
6x
4r
I
I
lA=I+l
disturbance,
I LOW
High
(A=01
Antisocial
1
I
LOW
1’ / /
(T=Ol
A
I
(T-I-8)
Overall
Fig. 2. Mean misbehaviour scores (B) for males and females and juntor and senior children tn the two categories of antisocial disturbance.
I
Medium
Fig. 3. Mean N score as a function overall disturbance
Htgh fT=S+l
disturbonce,
T
of age and degree of (T).
related to T via an interaction with age. These data are given in Fig. 3. It is clear from the ligure that although low, medium and high T groups in the junior sample have much the same N score, groups higher on T in the senior subgroup WY higher on Neuroticism. Therefore. Neuroticism is related to perceived overall disorder in older. but not younger, children. The type of disorder that these high N older children show is not. however. either Antisocial (A) or Neurotic (NT) in nature. since there were no srgniticant Age x A or Age x NT interactions. All that can be said is that neurotic children are generally noticed by teachers to have problems.
CONCLUSIONS The results shovv that there is a consistent relationship between teachers’ observations of children on the one hand and the same childrens’ self-reports of personality, behaviour and attitude on the other. Children who score high overall on Rutter’s scale (i.e. over all items) are particularly high on the Psychottcism dimension of personality. This seems reasonable since it is predictable that children who are “solitary”, “troublesome”, “cruel”, “sensation-seeking”. ” hostile” and “liking of unusual things” (Eysenck and Eysenck. 1969. 1970) should be seen by teachers as disturbed: they are also non-acquiescent (low L) and report more frequent misbehaviours such as smoking. getting into fights and minor theft (high B). As for the two subscales of T, the Antisocial scale (A) yields precisely the same results as with T with the addition that high A children hold less traditional or orthodox social attitudes (low C). Children high on the second, Neurotic. subscale (NT) do not have such a marked ‘type’ of personality. They are slightly more acquiescent and dependentprone (higher on L) and slightly more extraverted. Interestingly they do not come out as particularly neurotic in the personality sense. perhaps because Neuroticism is in many ways a private phenomenon, since being fearful. or a worrier. can be well hidden. whereas the antisocial child is almost by definition liable to be disruptive enough to come to the teacher‘s attention. It is suggested. therefore. that the neurotic items on Rutter’s Scale tap only a few select features of Neuroticism as a whole, such that the two scales bear little relationship to each other. However, in a more positive vein. it was apparent that the older children with neurotic personalities were rated as having non-specific problem behaviours.
Overall. the findmg that objectively obxrvcd Antisocial behavlour I\ stl-ongly related to Psychotlclsm suggcsta that Eysenck’s scale mav be it useful adjunct to present mwwrc~ of childhood dlsordcr and to current indices used in the selection of .at risk’ groups.
REFEREI\CES AI.LSOPP J. F. (1975) Investigations into the applicablllty of Eysenck’s theory ofcrim~nalit) of school children. Unpublished Ph.D. Thesis. Unlvcrhity of London. Eysi.~c,a H. J. (1964) C‘riuw wd Pu~ur~r/ir~~. Routledge Kr Kevan Paul. London.
to the anti-hoclal
bcha\iour