Aggression in Battered and Non-Battered Women as Reflected in the Hand Test

Abstract

The Hand Test, a projective test which can be used to assess an individual's potential anger, aggression, and acting out, was administered to 26 battered and 26 non-battered women. 9 women in the control group were battered, and constituted a third group, community battered. Analysis indicated that battered women displayed more acting out and aggression than the non-battered women and showed lessened capacity to manipulate the environment constructively. Results support previous ones indicating the prevalence of domestic violence in the community. Use of the Hand Test to assess states of aggression and other personality variables in abused women was discussed, and implications of the study presented.