Appreciation of risqué cartoon humor in male and female repressors and sensitizers.

Male and female nondefensive sensitizers, defensive repressors and nondefensive repressors were instructed to rate the degree of humor in each of 40 cartoons. The cartoons, which previously had been equated for funniness, either contained sexual themes or were completely devoid of sexual content. As hypothesized, female repressors rated sexual cartoons as less humorous than nonsexual cartoons. In addition, female sensitizers rated sexual cartoons as funnier than did female repressors. No differences were found for male Ss. Results were interpreted according to an approach-avoidance model of repression-sensitization.     

Conjugate lateral eye movements of "repressors" and "sensitizers" under threat and non-threat conditions.

Investigated the relationship between repression-sensitization and conjugate lateral eye movement (CLEM) tendencies under ego-threat and control conditions. Fifty-one right-handed college males were separated into repressors, sensitizers, or a middle group and were interviewed under a condition intended to produce ego-threat or a neutral condition. Bland and mildly intimate questions were asked of all Ss. Contrary to expectation, repression-sensitization and threat condition were unrelated to eye movement direction. A significant increase in left eye movement was found in response to mildly intimate questions, compared to neutral questions. Results are discussed with reference to earlier research on CLEM and to the cerebral hemispheric dominance theory of the effect.     

Periodicity and self-actualization in women

Studied the relationship between menstrual cycle phase and self-actualization as measured by the Personal Orientaion Inventory (POI). In classroom testing sessions, 160 high school students completed the POI and personal data sheets, which gave information about their menstrual cycle phase. Premenstrual, menstrual, and midcycle groups of 20 Ss each were formed from those girls cligible for inclusion in each condition. Three one-by-three analyses of variance were run using the TC, I, and TC + I scores of the POI, which were selected as the best overall measures of self-actualization. A significant (p < 0.05) difforence on TC + I was found; subsequent t- tests revealed that the menstrual group's TC + I score was significantly (p < 0.02) higher than that of the midcycle group. The difference between menstrual and premenstrual Ss on TC + I, though not significant, lay in the same direction and was of the same order of magnitude. Possible explanations for the results and implications for future testing that involves females are presented briefly.     

Depression and self-actualization in gifted adolescents

Administered the Multiscore Depression Inventory and the Personal Orientation Inventory to 248 academically gifted adolescents drawn from across the state of South Carolina to participate in a select program. Low but significant correlations were noted among several of the scales. Factor analysis of the scales of both instruments resulted in five factors for females and six for males. In both samples the first two factors accounted for more than half the variance. Gifted students who were not self-actualizing types were more depressed, and their pattern of scores revealed that guilt, low self-esteem, learned helplessness, and cognitive difficulty were important symptoms. The gifted adolescents, on the whole, tended to be more socially introverted.     

The relationship between self-actualization and psychosocial maturity.

Similarities were noted between Maslow's notion of self-actualization (SA) and Erikson's notion of psychosocial maturity. Previous research by Simmons has shown a significant relationship between identity achievement status and the degree of SA as measured by the Personal Orientation Inventory (POI). Results of the present study extend these findings to include one's total level of psychosocial maturity as measured by Constantinople's Inventory of Psychosocial Development (IPD). Highly significant positive correlations were obtained between one's overall score on the IPD and the two major dimensions of the POI. Implications of this relationship were discussed.     

The relationship of self-disclosure to personality,adjustment and self-actualization

This study tested the hypothesis that a high level of self-disclosure is indicative of psychological adjustment and self-actualization. The self-disclosure scale. Social Avoidance and Distress, Fear of Negative Evaluation, Alienation and Repression-Sensitization scales were administered to 60 Ss. The results for all scales indicated that a high level of disclosure was associated with adjustment as measured by these scales. A second group of 94 Ss completed the self-disclosure scale and the Personal Orientation Inventory, a measure of self-actualization. The results indicated that high disclosers compared to low disclosers had achieved a higher level of self-actualization. That is, there were significant correlations between self-disclosure and measures of self-actualization such as Time Competence, Internal Support, Existentiality, Self-Acceptance and Capacity for Intimate Contact.     

Conditioned Orienting and Defensive Responses

Physiological responses were recorded while 9 females (Group P) who Feared spiders and 9 who did not (Group N) viewed “neutral” and spider slides in a delayed, differential conditioning procedure. Two different tones were the conditioned stimuli, and 12 neutral and 12 spider slides the unconditioned stimuli. Each CS was 11 sec long. Only Group P showed differential HR conditioning-anticipatory acceleration to the CS preceding the spider slides (CS+). For both groups, cephalic vasoconstriction was greater to the CS+ than to the CS-. However, with repeated trials Group P's response to the CS+ became more prolonged, so that by the last block of trials contraction persisted until the end of the CS period. Group N's response, on the other hand, continued to be constriction followed by rapid recovery to the prestimulus level. Although significant electrodermal conditioning did not occur, Group P tended to give larger anticipatory SC. responses to the CS+ than to the CS-. There was little evidence of somatic-autonomic coupling on a group basis. When considered along with post-experimental reports, the results indicate that at least some of the cardiovascular components of the defensive response (DR) are conditionable.