Incompatible need strength and the repression-sensitization dimension

✍ Scribed by William Gayton; Stephen Bernstein

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1969
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 211 KB
• Volume: 25
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0021-9762
• DOI: 10.1002/1097-4679(196904)25:2<192::aid-jclp2270250225>3.0.co;2-c

✦ Synopsis

PROBLEM

Recent research on the repression-sensitization dimension indicates that the R-S scale") relates to adjwtment in linear fashion with sensitizers appearing more maladjusted than repressors. In brief, Sensitizers appear more anxious than repressors(*), have a greater discrepency between self and respond more deviantly to Gough's adjective check list(*), appear more maladjusted on several MMPI scales(4), and appear more maladjusted on the CPI(*). I n particular Byme(*) and Tempone and Lamb(') present evidence suggesting that sensitizers experience significantly more conflict than repressors. All of the above evidence is contrary to Byme's(*) hypothesis that the two extremes of the repression-eensitization dimension represent different but equally maladjwted ways of responding to anxiety-evoking stimuli. This study presents further data relevant to the reletionship between the repression-sensitization dimension and maladjustment in general, aa well aa specific areas of conflict in particular, using Trehub's(8) ego-disjunction meaaure of incompatible needs.