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Legitimized Aggression Level Scale (LA-44)3

Legitimized Aggression Level Scale (LA-44) Test

Understand how you view socially accepted aggression and why it can feel justified in about 6 minutes. Get fast insight into conflict risk areas to guide prevention, coaching, or intervention.

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Questions: 446 minutes

08:30

October 2, 2025

October 2, 2025
Material has been updated

October 2, 2025
Material has been published

14,739 views

1,261 completion

1,038 likes

Verified by Daniel Hall

Psychologist with 25 years of experience

Scale Explorer

How the Scales are Structured

example score

50/91

Politics (P)

Measures the extent to which a person views aggression as justified or acceptable in political and broader social contexts.

Low justification

Moderate justification

High justification

13 – 27: Low justification | 28 – 55: Moderate justification | 56 – 91: High justification

A score of 50 falls in the Moderate justification range, suggesting a selective acceptance of aggressive actions in political or social situations depending on perceived context or legitimacy.

example score

67/70

Mass Media (MM)

Assesses how strongly a person tends to justify or accept aggression portrayed in mass media as legitimate or acceptable.

Low acceptance

Moderate acceptance

High acceptance

10 – 21: Low acceptance | 22 – 42: Moderate acceptance | 43 – 70: High acceptance

A score of 67 falls in the High acceptance range, suggesting a strong tendency to view media-depicted aggression as justified or socially acceptable.

example score

17/35

Sport (S)

Measures how acceptable and justified a person perceives aggression within sports competitions and training contexts.

Low tolerance

Moderate tolerance

High tolerance

5 – 10: Low tolerance | 11 – 21: Moderate tolerance | 22 – 35: High tolerance

A score of 17 falls in the Moderate tolerance range, suggesting a situational acceptance of aggression in sports rather than a strongly permissive stance.

example score

39/49

Upbringing (U)

Measures how strongly a person views aggression as acceptable when used for discipline or educational purposes in upbringing.

Low acceptance

Moderate acceptance

High acceptance

7 – 15: Low acceptance | 16 – 30: Moderate acceptance | 31 – 49: High acceptance

A score of 39 falls in the High acceptance range, suggesting a stronger tendency to justify aggressive actions when framed as part of discipline or upbringing.

example score

49/63

Personal Experience (PE)

Measures how strongly a person justifies aggressive actions by referring to their own life experience and situations.

Low

Moderate

High

9 – 19: Low | 20 – 38: Moderate | 39 – 63: High

A score of 49 falls in the High range, suggesting a stronger tendency to rationalize socially accepted aggression using personal experience as justification.

example score

83/161

Integral Scale (IS)

Measures the overall tendency to view aggression as legitimate and acceptable in socially sanctioned situations.

Low

Moderate

High

23 – 47: Low | 48 – 96: Moderate | 97 – 161: High

A score of 83 falls in the Moderate range, suggesting a middling acceptance of aggression as permissible in certain social contexts.

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DATA-BASED USER COHORTS

Who Usually Takes This Test?

Conflict-prone team leaders

41%OF USERS

Managers and supervisors use it to see whether they normalize “tough” or aggressive tactics and how that affects workplace conflict.

Researchers and students

34%OF USERS

People in psychology, sociology, or criminology take it to measure how cultural norms shape acceptance of socially approved aggression.

Youth counselors and educators

25%OF USERS

School staff and youth workers use it to identify attitudes that may escalate peer conflicts or justify retaliatory behavior in adolescents.

BASED ON AGGREGATED, ANONYMIZED DATA FROM TENS OF THOUSANDS OF FREUDLY USERS.

Benchmarking

See How You Compare

Once you complete the test, your results are compared with real-world data from people in your country.
Below is a preview of how scores are typically distributed across each scale.

Policy (P)

Average

50.5

Normal range

40 — 60.9

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Mass Media (MM)

Average

31.5

Normal range

23.3 — 39.8

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Sport (S)

Average

20.1

Normal range

14.7 — 25.6

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Upbringing (U)

Average

27.7

Normal range

20.9 — 34.5

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Personal experience (Pe)

Average

35.2

Normal range

25.2 — 45.2

min.

max.

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

Integral scale (Is)

Average

86.4

Normal range

66.8 — 105.9

min.

max.

161

This curve shows how scores are typically distributed.
Once you complete the test, your result will appear on the scale so you can see how you compare.

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SAMPLE QUESTIONS

Example Questions From the Test

Please indicate the extent to which you agree with the statements below using the provided 7-point scale. There are no right or wrong answers. Some statements may apply to you only indirectly. Please try to imagine how you would respond if they applied to you directly, and answer accordingly.

- Strongly disagree
- Disagree, but there are exceptions
- Mostly disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Mostly agree
- Agree, but there are exceptions
- Strongly agree
- Completely disagree with the statement
- Disagree, but there are exceptions
- Mostly disagree
- 50/50
- Mostly agree
- Agree, but there are exceptions
- Completely agree with the statement
- Strongly disagree
- Disagree, but there are exceptions
- Somewhat disagree
- Neither agree nor disagree
- Somewhat agree
- Agree, but there are exceptions
- Strongly agree

These are 3 of the 44 real questions — the rest appear in the test. No sign-up needed to start.

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WHAT THE TEST MEASURES

About This Assessment

Level of legitimized aggression, LA-44 Test

Legitimized Aggression Level Scale (LA-44) Test - Symptoms and Signs

aggressiveness

This measure assesses attitudes toward aggression that may be viewed as socially sanctioned or culturally acceptable. The Legitimized Aggression Level Scale (LA-44) is intended to evaluate the extent to which an individual endorses aggression as a justified or normative response across a range of situations.

The instrument consists of 44 items and typically requires about 6 minutes to complete. It is commonly used in research and applied settings to characterize normative beliefs about aggression and to inform case formulation or program planning where aggressive behavior may be reinforced by perceived social approval. Authors: Arnold H. Buss and Leonard Berkowitz.

Scores from the Legitimized Aggression Level Scale (LA-44) can support interpretation of how an individual or group appraises aggressive acts (e.g., as permissible, necessary, or acceptable), which may be relevant to understanding conflict dynamics and risk contexts. Results should be interpreted within the assessment context and alongside other clinical and behavioral information.

Author: Arnold H. Buss, Leonard Berkowitz

Literature: Buss, A. H., & Perry, M. The aggression questionnaire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. 1992.