Modified Aggression Scale

Abstract

The Modified Aggression Scale (MAS) is a widely utilized self-report questionnaire designed to quantitatively assess multiple facets of aggressive and prosocial behaviors in individuals, primarily adolescents. Developed originally in the late 1970s and subsequently modified by researchers including Orpinas (1993) and Bosworth & Espelage (1995), the MAS measures the frequency, intensity, and duration of aggressive acts over the preceding 30 days. It is structured around four distinct subscales: Fighting, Bullying, Anger, and Caring/Cooperative Behavior, making it valuable for research and clinical assessment across diverse populations, including those with severe mental health disorders.

The MAS has established its utility as a reliable and valid measure, employed extensively in violence prevention studies among middle school youth, as well as in clinical settings to assess aggression risk in individuals presenting with psychiatric conditions such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder.

Keywords

Aggression, Bullying, Fighting, Anger, Prosocial Behavior, Cooperative Behavior, Adolescents, Self-Report, Violence Prevention, Delinquency, Peer Relationships.

Authors

P. Orpinas, K. Bosworth, D. Espelage. (Original development attributed to researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles in the late 1970s).

Purpose

The primary purpose of the MAS is to provide a standardized, quantifiable measure of an individual’s engagement in various forms of aggressive and antisocial behavior, alongside an assessment of their protective or prosocial behaviors (caring and cooperation). This dual focus allows researchers and clinicians to evaluate both risk factors (aggression, bullying, anger) and mitigating factors (cooperative behavior) within a single instrument.

It is specifically employed in educational and clinical settings to monitor the effectiveness of violence prevention programs, assess behavioral risks in middle school youth, and aid in the clinical evaluation of patients exhibiting persistent or problematic aggressive behavior. The scale helps quantify the severity of aggressive acts by assessing their frequency, intensity, and duration.

Construct

The MAS measures the multidimensional construct of aggression, breaking it down into observable and measurable behavioral patterns. The scale operationalizes aggression into three distinct domains: physical aggression (fighting, such as hitting and pushing), verbal aggression (name-calling, threats), and internal emotional state (anger). It assesses direct and indirect aggression.

Crucially, the MAS also assesses a countervailing construct: Caring/Cooperative Behavior. This inclusion acknowledges the importance of prosocial skills in mitigating aggressive tendencies and provides a more holistic view of social behavior and conflict resolution abilities among respondents, particularly in peer relationship contexts.

Validity

The MAS has been found to be a valid measure of aggressive behavior across various research studies involving diverse youth populations. Its structure, composed of distinct subscales (Fighting, Bullying, Anger, and Cooperative Behavior), suggests good content and construct validity in differentiating types of aggressive acts and prosocial responses. The modifications introduced by Bosworth and Espelage (1995) further enhanced its relevance to contemporary youth conflict dynamics.

Furthermore, its consistent application in clinical settings with psychiatric populations (e.g., those with schizophrenia or borderline personality disorder) suggests strong criterion validity for identifying clinically relevant levels of behavioral disturbance and persistent aggression risk, confirming its utility both in research and practical clinical assessment.

Reliability

The literature supports the MAS as a reliable instrument for assessing aggressive behavior. While specific internal consistency coefficients (e.g., Cronbach’s alpha) are often detailed in validation studies, the scale’s established use in numerous academic contexts indicates acceptable levels of stability and internal consistency across its four subscales. High reliability is essential for self-report tools, ensuring that repeated measurements yield consistent results when assessing the frequency of aggressive and cooperative behaviors over a defined time frame.

Factor Analysis

The MAS is structured around four empirically derived or conceptually distinct factors, which form its subscales: Fighting, Bullying, Anger, and Caring/Cooperative Behavior. This explicit structure implies that underlying factor analysis studies, particularly following the 1995 modifications, support the segregation of aggressive behavior into these primary components. The clear separation of physical acts (Fighting) from relational acts (Bullying) and emotional state (Anger) indicates a robust factor structure designed to capture the complexity of aggressive manifestation in youth.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Self-Report Questionnaire

Format: Pencil and paper self-report administered over a 30-day recall period.

Language Available: English (as presented in the source content).

Population Group: Youth and Clinical Populations.

Age Group: Typically utilized with middle school age youth (Grades 6–8), but also applicable to older adolescents and adults in clinical research settings.

Population Details: The scale has been used widely to study aggressive behavior in general school populations, as well as in individuals with severe psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and borderline personality disorder.

Test Methodology: Respondents are presented with 22 behavioral statements and asked to mark the number of times they engaged in that behavior during the last 30 days using a structured rating scale:

• No opportunity = 1
• Never = 1
• 1 or 2 times = 2
• 3 or 4 times = 3
• 5 or more times = 4

Scoring for the Fighting subscale requires reverse coding Item 5 before summation. High scores on the Fighting, Bullying, and Anger subscales indicate higher levels of aggression, while a high score on the Caring/Cooperative Behavior subscale indicates higher levels of prosocial behavior.

Keywords

Aggressive Behavior, Antisocial Behavior, Violence, Psychiatric Assessment, Middle School, Self-Report Questionnaire, Conflict Resolution, Scoring Methodology.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original Aggression Scale was first developed in the late 1970s by researchers at UCLA. Significant modifications leading to the current MAS structure were completed by Orpinas (1993) and Bosworth & Espelage (1995). The scale is often cited in academic compendiums related to violence prevention research.

The instrument can be found on pages 169-170 of Measuring Violence-Related Attitudes, Behaviors, and Influences Among Youths: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.cdc.gov/violenceprevention/pdf/YV_Compendium.pdf. An additional resource is available here: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED486261.pdf.

Reference’s

• Orpinas, P. (1993). Skills training and social influences for violence prevention in middle schools. a curriculum evaluation. Doctoral Dissertation. Houston, TX: University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, School of Public Health.
• Bosworth K, Espelage D. Teen Conflict Survey. Bloomington, IN: Center for Adolescent Studies, Indiana University, 1995.
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Researchers (Original development, late 1970s).

Items of the Modified Aggression Scale

Fighting

1. I hit back when someone hit me first.
2. I encouraged other students to fight.
3. I pushed, shoved, slapped, or kicked other students.
4. I got into a physical fight because I was angry.
5. I walked away from a fight.

Bullying

6. I teased other students.
7. I said things about other students to make other students laugh (made fun of them).
8. I called other students names.
9. I threatened to hit or hurt another student.

Anger

10. I frequently get angry.
11. I was angry most of the day.
12. I got into a physical fight because I was angry.
13. I was mean to someone when I was angry.
14. I took my anger out on an innocent person.

Caring/Cooperative Behavior

15. I helped someone stay out of a fight.
16. I told other students how I felt when they did something I liked.
17. I cooperated with others.
18. I told other students how I felt when they upset me.
19. I protected someone from a “bully.”
20. I gave someone a compliment.
21. I helped other students solve a problem.
22. I avoided getting in trouble at home, school, or in the community.

(Items 5, 10, 13, 14, 15, 19, 20 and 22 were added by Bosworth & Espelage, 1995. Item 6 was modified.)