Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI)

Abstract

The Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI) is a classic and highly influential psychological assessment tool, developed in 1957 by Dr. Arnold Buss and Marion Durkee. It was specifically designed to quantify and measure the complex, multidimensional nature of hostility as a core personality trait. Operating as a comprehensive self-report instrument, the BDHI typically consists of 75 items distributed across eight distinct subscales.

These subscales capture the varied manifestations of anger, resentment, and aggression, covering both direct behavioral actions and internalized affective states. The BDHI remains highly valued in clinical and research contexts globally due to its robust psychometric properties, offering essential insight into an individual’s propensity for aggressive behavior and potential risk assessment for violence.

Keywords

Hostility, Aggression, Anger, Resentment, Psychological Assessment, Self-Report Inventory, Violence Risk, Personality Trait, BDHI, Arnold Buss, Clinical Assessment, Psychometrics.

Authors

Arnold Buss, Marion Durkee.

Purpose

The fundamental purpose of the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI) is to provide a standardized, quantitative measure of an individual’s chronic level of hostility and underlying aggressive tendencies. Its development was driven by the need to move beyond simplistic, unitary conceptions of hostility by systematically differentiating its various affective, cognitive, and behavioral components.

Clinically, the BDHI is instrumental in aiding the diagnosis and evaluation of anger-related disorders, such as intermittent explosive disorder, and is frequently employed to assess potential risk factors for violent or destructive behavior. Academically, it serves as a foundational research tool for investigating the correlation between chronic hostility as a personality trait and detrimental health outcomes, including cardiovascular disease, as well as comorbid mental health issues like depression and anxiety.

Construct

The theoretical foundation of the BDHI rests upon Arnold Buss’s multidimensional model, which conceptualizes hostility not as a singular emotion but as a broad construct encompassing distinct cognitive, affective, and behavioral dimensions. The complete 75-item inventory is structured to provide a detailed profile across these facets, ranging from covert feelings to overt aggressive actions.

The eight empirically derived subscales measured by the BDHI are:

• Assault (Physical Aggression): Measures the propensity for physical violence and the intention to inflict physical harm on others.
• Indirect Hostility: Assesses covert and circuitous aggressive behaviors, such as passive-aggression, malicious gossip, or intentional social exclusion (sulking).
• Verbal Hostility: Captures overt expressions of ill will through language, including arguing, shouting, verbal abuse, and the use of strong language.
• Negativism: Reflects oppositional and defiant behavior, resistance to rules, and generalized passive refusal to cooperate with authority figures.
• Resentment: Measures feelings of bitterness, jealousy, and the conviction of being unjustly treated or receiving a “raw deal” in life.
• Suspicion: Assesses generalized mistrust, cynicism, and paranoid ideation concerning the motives and intentions of other people.
• Irritability: Measures the physiological and emotional readiness to experience anger, characterized by short-temperedness, low frustration tolerance, and quick annoyance.
• Guilt: This unique factor assesses internalized consequences of hostile actions, manifesting as remorse, self-criticism, and heightened concern over past misdeeds.

Validity

The psychometric profile of the BDHI demonstrates robust evidence for its construct validity, which strongly supports Buss’s original theoretical assertion that hostility is a complex, multidimensional construct. Empirical studies conducted across diverse populations, including adolescents, university students, and clinical adults, consistently confirm that the eight subscales are statistically distinguishable yet meaningfully correlated components of a global hostility factor.

Furthermore, the scale exhibits established predictive validity, showing significant correlations with actual observed aggressive behaviors and clinical diagnoses related to chronic anger and violence risk. Its sustained utility in clinical research confirms its reliability as an indicator of persistent hostile personality traits over time.

Reliability

The Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory maintains good psychometric reliability, which underpins its continued relevance in clinical and academic settings. It consistently demonstrates high internal consistency, ensuring that the items within each specific subscale are highly intercorrelated and effectively measure the intended dimension of hostility.

Longitudinal studies have also confirmed satisfactory test-retest reliability. This stability indicates that scores obtained remain consistent over reasonable time intervals, reflecting the inherent enduring nature of hostility when viewed as a stable personality trait. This characteristic is particularly valuable for conducting longitudinal research and for monitoring changes in hostility levels during therapeutic intervention.

Factor Analysis

The original development of the BDHI relied on rigorous factor analysis to empirically derive its underlying structure. This analysis successfully confirmed the existence of multiple, distinct facets of hostility, rejecting the hypothesis of a single, monolithic aggressive construct. The resulting structure yielded the eight primary factors: Assault, Indirect Hostility, Verbal Hostility, Negativism, Resentment, Suspicion, Irritability, and Guilt.

This eight-factor structure has been widely replicated in subsequent research, although some cultural adaptations or abbreviated versions may present minor variations. This detailed factor structure allows practitioners to generate a nuanced psychological profile, differentiating between purely affective states (e.g., Irritability, Resentment) and overt behavioral manifestations (e.g., Verbal and Physical Aggression).

Instrument

Test Type: Psychological Assessment; Personality Inventory.

Format: Self-report questionnaire, consisting of 75 items. The original scoring format is True/False, although contemporary adaptations often employ a 5-point Likert-type scale for greater nuance.

Language Available: English (Original); translations are available in numerous languages reflecting its wide international use.

Population Group: General population, including adolescents, college students, and adults, as well as various clinical populations.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults.

Population Details: The instrument has been validated across diverse groups, including non-clinical samples (college students) and various clinical populations, such as psychiatric patients and individuals diagnosed with conditions like depression and anxiety. It is broadly utilized across research and clinical assessment settings.

Test Methodology: Respondents are required to indicate whether statements describing hostile feelings or behaviors are true or false as applied to themselves. Scores are computed for both a total hostility index and for each of the eight constituent subscales, providing a comprehensive, detailed profile of an individual’s aggressive attitudes and tendencies.

Keywords

Assault, Indirect Hostility, Verbal Hostility, Negativism, Resentment, Suspicion, Irritability, Guilt, Clinical Psychology, Aggression Measurement, Personality Assessment, Psychometric Reliability.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The original instrument, the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory, was first published in 1957. Permissions and usage fees for current versions of the scale are typically managed by the specific publisher or relevant academic institutions, depending on the version utilized and the context of the study (e.g., research vs. clinical practice).

The original PDF describing the inventory and its development can be accessed and downloaded here: https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/3896/7511254.PDF?sequence=1

Reference’s

The development and theoretical grounding of the BDHI are documented in the following seminal works and supporting research literature:

• Buss, A. H., & Durkee, M. (1957). The Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
• Buss, Arnold and Durke, Ann. (1957). An Inventory for Assessing Different Kinds of Hostility. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21, 343-380.
• Bushman, B. J., & Anderson, C. A. (2002). Does the media make people more violent? Science, 291, 2377-2379.
• Lemerise, E. A., & Dodge, K. A. (2008). The development of anger and aggression. In M. W. Vasey & M. R. Brendgen (Eds.), Handbook of developmental psychology: Social, emotional, and personality development (pp. 395-420). New York, NY: Wiley.
• Swang, John I. (1974), The “AAA Syndrome”: Relationships Between Alienation, Anxiety and Aggression. University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. PhD Dissertation.

Items of the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory (BDHI)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. I seldom strike back‚ even if someone hits me first.

2. I sometimes spread gossip about people I don’t like.

3. Unless somebody asks me in a polite way‚ I won’t do what they want.

4. I lose my temper easily but get over it quickly.

5. I don’t seem to get what’s coming to me.

6. I know that people tend to talk about me behind my back.

7. When I disapprove of my friend’s behavior‚ I let them know it.

8. The few times I have cheated‚ I have feelings of remorse.

9. Once in a while I cannot control my urge to harm others.

10. I never get mad enough to throw things.

11. Sometimes people bother me just by being around.

12. When someone makes a rule I don’t like‚ I am tempted to break it.

13. Other people always seem to get the breaks.

14. I tend to be on guard with people who are somewhat more friendly than I expected.

15. I often find myself disagreeing with people.

16. I sometimes have bad thoughts which make me feel ashamed of myself.

17. I can think of no good reason for ever hitting someone.

18. When I am angry‚ I sometimes sulk.

19. When someone is bossy‚ I do the opposite of what he asks.

20. I am irritated a great deal more than other people are aware of.

21. I don’t know any people that I downright hate.

22. There are a number of people who seem to dislike me very much.

23. I can’t help getting into arguments when people disagree with me.

24. People who shuck on the job must feel very guilty.

25. If somebody hits me first‚ I let him have it.

26. When I am mad‚ I sometimes slam doors.

27. I am always patient with others.

28. Occasionally when I am mad at someone‚ I will give him the “silent treatment.”

29. When I look back on what’s happened to me‚ I can’t help feeling mildly resentful.

30. There a number of people who seem to be jealous of me.

31. I demand that people respect my rights.

32. It depresses me that I did not do more for my parents.

33. Whoever insults me or my family is asking for a punch in the nose.

34. I never play practical jokes.

35. It makes my blood boil to have somebody make fun of me.

36. When people are bossy‚ I take my time just to show them.

37. Almost every week‚ I see somebody I dislike.

38. I sometimes have the feeling that others are laughing at me.

39. Even when my anger is aroused‚ I don’t use strong language.

40. I am concerned about being forgiven for my sins.

41. People who continually pester you are asking for a “punch in the nose.”

42. I sometimes pout when I don’t get my way.

43. If someone annoys me‚ I am apt to tell him what I think of him.

44. I often feel like a powder keg ready to explode.

45. Although I don’t show it‚ I am sometimes eaten up with jealously.

46. My motto is “Never trust strangers.”

47. When people yell at me‚ I yell back.

48. I do many things that make roe feel remorseful later.

49. When I really lose my temper‚ I am capable of slapping.

50. Since the age of ten‚ I have never had a temper tantrum.

51. When I get mad‚ I say nasty things.

52. I sometimes carry a chip on my shoulder.

53. If I let people see the way I feel. I’d be considered a hard person to get along with.

54. I commonly wonder what hidden reason another person may have for doing something nice for me.

55. I could not put someone in his place‚ even if he needed it.

56. Failure gives me a feeling of remorse.

57. I get into fights about as often as the next person.

58. I can remember being so angry that I picked up the nearest thing and broke it.

59. I often make threats I don’t really mean to carry out.

60. I can’t help being a little rude to people I don’t like.

61. At times I feel I get a raw deal out of life.

62. I use to think that most people told the truth‚ but now I know otherwise.

63. I generally cover up my poor opinion of others.

64. When I do wrong‚ my conscience punishes me.

65. If I have to resort to physical violence to defend my rights‚ I will.

66. If someone doesn’t treat me right‚ I don’t let it annoy me.

67. I have no enemies who really wish to harm me.

68. When arguing‚ I tend to raise my voice.

69. I often feel that I have not lived the right kind of life.

70. I have known people who pushed me so far that we came to blows.

71. I don’t let a lot of unimportant things irritate me.

72. I seldom feel that people are trying to anger or insult me.

73. Lately‚ I have been kind of grouchy.

74. I would rather concede a point than get into an argument.

75. I sometimes show my anger by banging on the table.