LEARY'S OVERT INTERPERSONAL BEHAVIOR: A VALIDATION ATTEMPT.

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the validity of Leary's interpretation of overt interpersonal behavior for a nonpsychiatric population. Subjects were 102 white pregnant females to whom MMPIs were given at monthly intervals during the last three months of pregnancy. Pooled ratings of each subject's behavior were obtained from other subjects by means of Interpersonal Check Lists. Differential agreement was obtained between a person's overt behavior (MM PT ratings) and the pooled ratings by type of behavior, with agreement ranging from 76.3 per cent for dominant behavior to zero per cent for submissive behavior. Positive correlations also were found between the sets of standard love scores. The results demonstrate the utility of the methodology investigated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]