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Biomedical subjects

J Masling

Publications and source records attributed to J Masling.

15 recordsLinked to original sources

Relations of oral imagery to thought disorder in subjects with frequent nightmares.

Oral imagery was examined in the Rorschach protocols of 60 female subjects, 30 who experienced at least one nightmare per week and 30 who had no more than one nightmare in the past year. Mean number of oral responses did not differ between the groups. In subjects with nightmares, Rorschach orality was significantly related to many personality measures, including state and trait anxiety, Beck Depression Inventory scores, five subscales of a schizotypy inventory, the Rorschach penetration score, and two measures of pathological thinking on the Rorschach. In the 30 subjects without nightmares, the number of significant correlations did not exceed that expected by chance. The results are discussed within the context of empirical and theoretical reports about the links between the oral personality and pathological behavior.

Adolescent

Autonomic arousal, interpersonal climate, and orality.

Electrodermal responses in male subjects who gave at least four oral-dependent Rorschach responses (n = 15) or no more than two such responses (n = 19) were assessed both before and after the subjects had either a warm, friendly interaction or a cold, unfriendly interaction with a confederate. There were no group differences on initial baseline measurements. Following a 10-minute warm or cold interaction, there was significant three-way interaction (Period X Condition X Orality) in tonic conductance, p less than .003. Analysis of the three-way interaction produced one simple effect: Highly oral subjects responded differentially to warm or cold treatment by the confederate, p less than .018. Three groups--nonorals in either condition and orals in the condition--increased in physiological arousal over time. Only the highly oral subjects interacting with the warm confederate showed no such increase in arousal, presumably because the presence of a warm, interested other inhibits physiological activation.

Adult

Oral imagery and autonomic arousal in social isolation.

Psychoanalytic theory suggests that the presence of others reduces anxiety in those with oral-dependent needs. Electrodermal activity of male subjects high and low on Rorschach oral-dependent responses was monitored in one of three conditions while the subject was in a soundproof chamber for 40 minutes: alone with no task; alone working on a clerical task; and together with a male confederate, both working independently on the clerical task. Oral-dependent subjects placed in the chamber with the confederate showed fewer electrodermal increase over time than orals sitting alone or nonorals either alone or with the confederate (p less than .001). On the clerical task there was a strong main effect of orality, with nonorals showing more accuracy than orals (p less than .03).

Anxiety

Reaction to aggression and the Defense Mechanism Inventory.

The ability of the Defense Mechanism Inventory (DMI) to predict the expression of agression was evaluated by subjecting 34 male studients to an unfair, unpleasant attack for coming late to an experiment. A baseline for each subject had been established in a prior, neutral session where attitudes toward psychological experiments and experimenters had been assessed. The differences in attitudes from the first session to that in which the subject had been the victim of aggression were significantly related to four of the five DMI clusters, as was the observed level of the subject's hostility. A composite DMI score, computed by a linear resolution of the clusters into an acting-out continuum, is suggested as a more comprehensive predictor of the reaction to agression.

Aggression

Interpersonal touching and orality.

Sixty-five undergraduates were assigned to guide a blindfolded confederate through a floor maze. The frequency of touching the confederate's skin and the length of time required to complete the trip through the maze were recorded. Each subject was also given a self-administered Rorschach test; an independent count was made of the number of oral responses given. Orality was positively related to touching behavior (r=.39, p=.001) and with speed of guiding the confederate through the maze (r=.31, p=.01).

Female

A critique of research in psychoanalytic theory.

The relationship between psychoanalytic theory and the experimental method is examined, with particular reference to the empirical studies on the oral and anal phases of development. The deficiencies in the design and conceptualization of many studies are discussed, as well as confusions in the writing of psychoanalytic theory. A central issue in bringing the experimental method to psychoanalytic theory is the question: What is being tested? A list of all projective and objective tests used to assess orality and anality is provided.

Adolescent