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Aggressive Fantasies Scale

Do you ever find yourself daydreaming about dangerous scenarios? Take this test to find out if you're struggling with 'aggressive fantasies.'

Mark Travers, Ph.D.

By Mark Travers, Ph.D.

August 27, 2024

Mark Travers, Ph.D., is the lead psychologist at Awake Therapy, responsible for new client intake and placement. Mark received his B.A. in psychology, magna cum laude, from Cornell University and his M.A. and Ph.D. from the University of Colorado Boulder. His academic research has been published in leading psychology journals and has been featured in The New York Times and The New Yorker, among other popular publications. He is a regular contributor for Forbes and Psychology Today, where he writes about psycho-educational topics such as happiness, relationships, personality, and life meaning. Click here to schedule an initial consultation with Mark or another member of the Awake Therapy team. Or, you can drop him a note here.

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Aggressive fantasies are like "storm clouds" in the mind—ones that brew conscious scenarios of conflict, domination or aggression. For instance, thoughts of winning an argument or overpowering an opponent. These thoughts, although common, can influence behavior if not understood or managed—or if acted upon.

It's crucial to recognize that merely having these thoughts doesn't make someone violent; rather, how they handle them is what's most important. However, if not accepted healthily or managed appropriately, they may lead to feelings of guilt, low self-esteem or worse.

The Aggressive Fantasies Scale was created to help individuals and researchers assess the frequency and intensity of these thoughts by means of 7 simple items. By understanding their fantasies through this scale, people can take proactive steps to manage their emotions and prevent them from influencing behavior.

You can take this test here. Follow all of the steps to receive your results.

References: Dahlberg, L. L., Toal, S. B., Swahn, M. H., & Behrens, C. B. (2005). Measuring violence-related attitudes, behaviors, and influences among youths: A compendium of assessment tools. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Step 1: Rate the following statements based on how much you agree with them on a scale of strongly disagree to strongly agree.

1. When you get mad, do you sometimes imagine hitting or hurting the other person?

2. Do you sometimes imagine or daydream about what would happen if you did something really bad, or got arrested for something, even when this did not really happen?

3. Do you sometimes imagine or have daydreams about hitting or hurting somebody that you don't like?

4. Do you sometimes have daydreams or nightmares about running away from someone who is trying to catch you and hurt you, or do something bad to you?

5. Do you sometimes imagine or daydream about using powerful weapons to destroy your enemies?

6. Do you sometimes daydream or imagine rape scenes, or forcing someone to have sex?

7. Do you ever daydream about people getting killed?

0 of 0 questions answered

Step 2: Enter your age, gender, region, and first name so we can provide you with a detailed report that compares your test scores with people similar to you.

What is your age?

What is your gender?

What region of the world do you live in?

What is your first name?

Step 3: Check to make sure you've provided answers to all of the statements/questions above. Once you've done that, click the button below to send your responses to Awake Therapy's Lead Psychologist, Mark Travers, Ph.D. He will provide you with an overview of how you scored relative to others (all answers are anonymized and confidential to protect users' privacy). He can also answer any follow-up questions you may have.