Attitude changes in alcoholics - demonstrated in phasic course of treatment]

The constant change in attitude to personal "alcohol problems" of patients treated on an inpatient or out patient basis is described with reference to the phasic course of treatment and the deviations therefrom. It is essential that this be taken into account in both group and individual therapy, more especially as this will lead to favorable psychagogic and psychotherapeutic approaches.     

Personality changes with ageing

This paper is concerned with the integration of research on ageing with Eysenck's personality theory and in particular the personality dimension of introversion-extraversion. It is argued that older people behave like extraverts on a number of laboratory tests but like introverts in their behaviour patterns. A solution is offered for these paradoxical tendencies.     

Personality characteristics of drug addicts and alcoholics on the Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory

The Million Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI) was administered to 106 alcoholics and 100 addicts in separate VA inpatient rehabilitation treatment programs. The alcoholics scored higher on the personality style scales of Avoidant, Passive-Aggressive, Schizotypal, Borderline and Paranoid, while the opiate addicts scored higher on the Narcissistic personality disorder scale. Separate cluster analyses for both groups further revealed common personality styles among both groups. Several MCMI scales showed significant correlations with age, but in no case were the effects attributed to age larger than 5% of the total variance. The MCMI may alert clinicians to subtle similarities and differences between and among alcoholics and opiate addicts.     

An operant treatment procedure for alcoholics

For many years total abstinence was regarded as the appropriate criterion for the successful treatment of alcoholism. It is suggested that given societal norms for social consumption of alcohol, plus the social reinforcers which maintain beverage alcohol ingestion, social drinking may serve as a realistic treatment goal. The efficacy of a social drinking criterion was clearly demonstrated by Bigelow et al. (1972). Chronic alcoholic in-patients were placed in a choice situation in which they earned the opportunity to participate in an ‘enriched’ environment contingent upon either moderate drinking or abstinence. Subjects overwhelmingly chose the moderate drinking alternative. Results also suggested that moderate drinking is more reinforcing than abstinence for alcoholics. Further support for the moderate drinking concept was rendered by Mills, Sobel and Schaeffer (1971) in a study which made electric shock contingent on gulping drinks, ordering straight alcoholic drinks and ordering and consuming more than three drinks. Time-out (Cohen et al., 1971), positive reinforcement (Cohen et al., 1971) and social contracting procedures (Miller, 1972) have been effectively employed to reduce drinking behavior from maladaptive to adaptive frequencies.

The present study attempts to extend treatment with a controlled drinking outcome to out-patient alcoholics     

Some effects of reduction in reinforcement magnitude in a monetary economy with hospitalized alcoholics

A 25% reduction in reinforcement magnitude (RIRM) of money paid to residents of an alcoholic rehabilitation program emphasizing the learning of behavior theory and its applications, was instituted to determine the effects on response rates on six classes of behavior—class attendance, desensitizing sessions, completion of desensitization hierarchies, tests on written material, and ward therapeutic and non-therapeutic activities. The effects of the RIRM condition on the behavior of eight subjects were compared with the behavior of ten subjects who spent a comparable amount of time in the program but were not subjected to the experimental condition (RIRM). The RIRM resulted in a reduction in rate of response on two classes of behavior and an increase in the response rate of a third. The three remaining classes of behavior were not significantly affected, although two of these three showed trends toward a decrease in response rate. Results are discussed in terms of altered response costs, accessory 'or intrinsic rewards. response switching, and individual differences.     

Personality disorders and psychosocial changes after intensive psychotherapy: A prospective follow-up study of an outpatient psychotherapy project, 5 years after end of treatment*

This report presents the results of a 7-year prospective outcome study designed to examine the psychosocial changes during and after therapy among 25 outpatients suffering from personality disorders and psychoses. The therapeutic approach was based mainly on object relations theory and psychodynamic self-psychology, and focused in particular on affect consciousness, parental images, self-image and interpersonal relations. Twenty patients completed the form which measured psychosocial changes during therapy, and 21 persons participated at follow-up. The data show statistically significant changes in the capacity to tolerate intimate relationships and actually establish such relationships, improved quality of contact in relationships with friends, a general raising of socioeconomic status and reduced use of ordinary health and social services. Both the global psychosocial outcome at follow-up as measured by HSRS and the general level of symptoms measured by SCL-90 suggest that 76% of the sample had reached a level of psychosocial functioning and adaptation that can be defined as “no-caseness”.     

Personality and cognitive functioning among hospitalized sexual offending Roman Catholic priests

A tremendous amount of media attention has been directed towards sexual abuse perpetrated by Roman Catholic priests in recent years. While there are countless research studies on both sexual abuse victims and perpetrators in the professional literature, very few have specifically investigated Roman Catholic priests who sexually abuse minors. The purpose of this study is to investigate the role of personality and cognitive variables among hospitalized sex offending Roman Catholic priests using specific MMPI-2, WAIS-R, and Halstead-Reitan measurements. Specifically, the role of defensive coping styles as measured by the L, K, O-H, and R scales of the MMPI-2 along with IQ scores from the WAIS-R and the Halstead impairment index were investigated. A total of 160 Roman Catholic priests (80 who sexually abused minors and 80 nonabusing control patients) hospitalized in a private psychiatric facility specializing in the diagnosis and treatment of clergy were evaluated. Results suggest that overcontrolled-hostility (O-H) was the most reliable predictor of group membership while Verbal IQ approached statistical significance. Implications for further research are offered.