Table 2.

Items Delineating Facets of the Externalizing Spectrum

Scale	No. items	ρ	Item
Relational Aggression	19	.94	“I’ve made fun of someone who annoyed me.”
			“I’ve made a fool of someone because it made me feel good.”
			“When someone upsets me, I make sure no one else will have anything to do with them.”
Physical Aggression	21	.92	“If someone hit me, I would probably walk away without fighting.” (−)
			“One or more times in my life, I have beaten someone up for bothering me.”
			“I’ve held someone down to get what I wanted from them.”
Destructive Aggression	15	.84	“I have damaged someone’s property because I was angry with them.”
			“I vandalized someone’s house or things because they were rude to me.”
			“I’ve started a fire that caused damage to get back at someone who hurt me.”
Empathy	31	.96	“I am an understanding person.”
			“It doesn’t bother me to see someone else in pain.” (−)
			“At times I don’t really care how others feel.” (−)
Blame Externalization	14	.92	“I’ve been accused of things I never did.”
			“I get unfairly blamed for things.”
			“I have been charged for crimes that weren’t my fault.”
Alienation	9	.87	“I rarely feel used.” (−)
			“People have avoided blame by taking advantage of me.”
			“I have often been disappointed by placing too much trust in others.”
Alcohol Problemsa	30	.98	“I’ve often ended up drinking more than I should.”
			“People have told me they’re worried about my drinking too much alcohol.”
			“After cutting down on alcohol, I saw or heard things that weren’t really there.”
Alcohol Usea	23	.90	“I don’t need alcohol to have a good time.” (−)
			“A little alcohol makes a good time even better.”
			“I have not tried drinking hard liquor.” (−)
Marijuana Problemsa	18	.97	“I’ve taken breaks from work or school to get high on marijuana.”
			“My marijuana use has led to problems at home, work, or school.”
			“I spent a long time recovering from the effects of marijuana.”
Marijuana Usea	17	.97	“I have tried smoking marijuana.”
			“I have rolled a marijuana joint.”
			“Sometimes I function better with marijuana than without it.”
Drug Problemsa	25	.98	“I’ve used hard drugs.”
			“At some point in my life, I couldn’t get high from a drug dose that worked before.”
			“I’ve accidentally overdosed on drugs.”
Drug Usea	13	.96	“I’ve never taken illegal drugs.” (−)
			“I don’t like being around people who are using drugs.” (−)
			“I have inhaled the fumes of something to get high, like paint or glue.”
Problematic Impulsivity	20	.93	“I have made someone angry with me by doing something without thinking.”
			“I have lost valuable goods or money because I decided things too quickly.”
			“I have done things on impulse that led to others getting badly hurt or killed.”
Planful Control	11	.90	“I plan my life carefully.”
			“I think about things before I do them.”
			“Most of the time, I have good self control.”
Impatient Urgency	12	.90	“I have no problem waiting for things I want.” (−)
			“I have a hard time waiting patiently for things I want.”
			“My wants often feel more like needs.”
Theft	15	.80	“I have taken items from a store without paying for them.”
			“I have broken into a house, school, or other building.”
			“I have taken a purse or wallet from someone who was carrying it.”
Fraud	14	.89	“I have lied to get out of things I didn’t want to do.”
			“I have lied to get benefits I didn’t deserve.”
			“I have gotten money from people by threatening to tell their secrets.”
Honesty	15	.93	“I am a truthful person.”
			“I tell the truth whenever others are involved.”
			“I lie sometimes without even thinking about it.” (−)
Irresponsibility	25	.93	“I’ve let people down who trusted me.”
			“I’ve missed a rent or mortgage payment.”
			“I’ve missed a child support payment.”
Dependability	23	.95	“I keep my word.”
			“I let others know if I’m running behind.”
			“I’ve often missed things I promised to attend.” (−)
Rebelliousness	15	.93	“I usually do what I’m supposed to do.” (−)
			“Many people consider me a rule breaker.”
			“Having rules hasn’t kept me from breaking them.”
Excitement Seeking	18	.93	“I try to fill my life with action and excitement whenever possible.”
			“I seek out thrills almost everywhere I go.”
			“I would enjoy being in a high-speed chase.”
Boredom Proneness	12	.93	“I lose interest in things if they’re not exciting.”
			“I often get bored quickly and lose interest.”
			“It takes a lot to keep me entertained.”

Note. Reverse-keyed items are indicated by a minus sign in parentheses following item text. Example items were selected according to the location of maximum item information in terms of eta, the latent trait underlying each scale. Items shown are those with the minimum, median, and maximum eta location of the information peak, among items in each subscale.

^aThe reliability estimate (ρ) was computed via an assumed variance of 0.5 instead of 1.0, as explained in the text.