Extreme samples on the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire Psychoticism Scale

The P scale of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was examined in three samples of normals which obtained either very high or very low means on the P scale. Psychometric problems such as low internal consistency and items with no variance were identified in the sample with a low P mean. Although more desirable psychometric properties were identified in the two samples with high P means, it was undesirable to label such samples of normals as being high in "Psychoticism". It was recommended that the scale be renamed, perhaps, "Toughmindedness".