Self-directed and other-directed aggressive behavior in a forensic sample.

Fifty habitually aggressive men were assessed for self-directed aggressive behavior (SDAB) and other-directed aggressive behavior (QDAB). Subjects displaying SDAB were compared with subjects exhibiting exclusively ODAB. The former were found to engage in more frequent acts of verbal aggression, physical aggression against objects, and physical aggression against others, as well as in more severe acts of verbal aggression and physical aggression against others. They were also more likely to receive diagnoses of mental retardation, organic personality disorder, intermittent explosive disorder, or autism. Findings are consistent with the presence of a neurologically based behavioral dyscontrol in the SDAB subjects.