The Relationship of Personality to Tolerance of an Irritant Compound

The 18 volunteers exposed to orthochlorobenzylidene malononitrile (CS), a potent skin and mucous membrane irritant, were divided into two groups, based on the length of time they tolerated the exposure. The personalities of the two groups of subjects were compared as measured by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) scores and the General Intelligence Test (GT) scores from the Army Classification Battery. The less tolerant group had significantly higher scores on the lie (L), positive test-taking attitude (K), hysteria (Hy), repression (R), and functional low-back pain (Lb) scales of the MMPI and lower scores on the GT than the more tolerant group. Interpretation of high scores on these MMPI scales suggested that less tolerant subjects could be characterized by greater use of denial, repression, and somatic complaints than more tolerant subjects. (Author)