ORIGINAL ARTICLE The Schizotypal Ambivalence Scale as a Marker of Schizotypy Monica C. Mann, MA,* Amanda G. Vaughn, BA,† Neus Barrantes-Vidal, PhD,‡ Michael L. Raulin, PhD,§ and Thomas R. Kwapil, PhD† Abstract: The present study examined the psychometric properties of the Schizotypal Ambivalence Scale (SAS) in a sample of 1798 young adults. The study also investigated the concurrent validity of the measure for identifying schizophrenic-like symptoms in a sam- ple of 43 high scorers on the scale and 43 control participants. Previous findings indicated that high scores on the SAS were associated with schizophrenia-spectrum pathology in a sample of schizotypic young adults selected with other measures. However, this is the first study to assess schizophrenic-like psychopathology in a sample selected using the SAS. The SAS has good internal consistency (coefficient  = 0.84) and test-retest reliability (intra- class correlation = 0.74 across 9 weeks). As hypothesized, the ambivalence group exceeded the control group on interview ratings of schizotypal, schizoid, paranoid, psychotic-like, and negative symptoms, as well as exhibiting poorer overall functioning. The SAS seems to be a promising measure of schizotypy in young adults. Key Words: Schizotypal, schizotypal ambivalence, schizophrenia. (J Nerv Ment Dis 2008;196: 399 – 404) T he present study examined the psychometric properties and concurrent validity of the Schizotypal Ambivalence Scale (SAS; Raulin, 1986) for identifying schizophrenic-like symptoms and other forms of psychopathology in a sample of college students. The study built upon (Kwapil et al., 2002) preliminary findings for the scale by providing norms and reliability estimates for a large college student sample, ex- amining the relationship of the scale with other psychometric indicators of schizotypy, and examining the concurrent va- lidity of the scale for identifying schizotypy. Ambivalence, Schizotypy, and Schizophrenia The term ambivalence was coined by Bleuler (1911/ 1950) to describe the “tendency of the schizophrenic psyche to endow the most diverse psychisms with both a positive and negative indicator at 1 and the same time” (p. 53) (e.g., simultaneously experiencing intense love and hatred for a person). Bleuler hypothesized that ambivalence was 1 of 4 fundamental symptoms of schizophrenia—symptoms that he argued were always present in the disorder. Likewise, Meehl (1962) described ambivalence as 1 of the 4 core symptoms of schizotypy (the latent personality organization found in those individuals at genetic risk for schizophrenia). However, in later writings, Meehl (1989, 1990) assigned ambivalence a secondary role as a potentiating factor in schizotypy—that is, a factor that increases risk for deterioration in those people who have specific risk factors for schizophrenia. Despite the prominent role of ambivalence in both Bleuler’s formulation of schizophrenia and Meehl’s initial model of schizotypy, the construct received little attention from developmental and experimental psychopathologists studying schizotypy and schizophrenia. The lack of research resulted in large part from a failure to adequately operation- alize the construct, as well as a gradual modification of the construct by psychoanalytic theorists studying borderline personality (e.g., Kernberg, 1977; see Raulin and Brenner, 1993, for a review). However, recent studies have attempted to operationalize ambivalence and assess its relationship with schizotypy and schizophrenia, defining ambivalence based largely on Bleuler and Meehl’s formulations. Psychometric Assessment of Ambivalence Several studies have examined the relationship of am- bivalence with schizophrenic-like psychopathology in clini- cal and nonclinical samples. Raulin (1984) developed the 45-item Intense Ambivalence Scale as part of a larger effort to develop psychometric inventories for screening adoles- cents and young adults at risk for schizophrenia. This initial scale was based on the description of intense ambivalence provided by Meehl (1964) in his Checklist of Schizotypic Signs. Raulin (1984) found that patients with schizophrenia scored significantly higher on the scale than nonpatient con- trol participants, but not significantly higher than a group of heterogeneous outpatient clinic clients. Furthermore, de- pressed inpatients scored significantly higher on the scale than patients with schizophrenia. Kwapil et al. (2000) exam- *Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, College Park, Mary- land; †Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, North Carolina; ‡Departament de Psicologia Clı ´nica i de la Salut, Universitat Auto `noma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; and §Department of Psychology, State University of New York at Buffalo, Buffalo, New York. Send reprint requests to Thomas R. Kwapil, PhD, Department of Psychology, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Greensboro, NC 27402- 6170. E-mail: t_kwapil@uncg.edu. Copyright © 2008 by Lippincott Williams & Wilkins ISSN: 0022-3018/08/19605-0399 DOI: 10.1097/NMD.0b013e3181710900 The Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease • Volume 196, Number 5, May 2008 399