The definition and measurement of psychoticism

It is suggested that an experimental approach must be combined with a psychometric one to obtain answers which go beyond the sterility often associated with a purely correlational approach, as suggested by Cronbach.

Abstract

In this paper an attempt is made to answer certain questions and criticisms concerning the concept of psychoticism (P) as a dimension of personality. The points addressed are: (1) Is it reasonable to talk about psychosis as a unitary concept, rather than about separate, unrelated disorders (schizophrenia, manic-depressive disorder)? (2) Is such a concept generalizable to form a continuum of ‘psychoticism’ with normality? (3) Is psychoticism related to psychopathy rather than to psychosis? (4) What methodology can be used to answer questions like those raised above to make answers more compelling than the suggestive naming of psychometric factors? It is suggested that an experimental approach must be combined with a psychometric one to obtain answers which go beyond the sterility often associated with a purely correlational approach, as suggested by Cronbach (1957; American Psychologist, 12, 671–684).