Table Of ContentSponsoring Committees Professor Brian E. Tomlinson,
Professor John C. Rockwell, and Professor
Samuel J. McLaughlin
AN ANALYSIS OF THE TYPE AND DIRECTION OF AGGRESSION AND
SOURCES OF FRUSTRATION AS SHOWN BY THE RESULTS OF
THE ROSEMZWEIG PICTURE-FRUSTRATION STUDY, RORSCHACH
FINDINGS, AND. CASE HISTORY FOR A GROUP OF ANXIETY
NEUROTIC AND A GROUP OF PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIC
PATIENTS
Emanuel Starer
Submitted in partial fulfillm ent of the
reuirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in the School of Education of
New York University
1950
l'mai* accepted
4 19jjd
July 10, 1950
I hereby guarantee that, no p a r t of1 the d issertation or document
which I have submitted for p u b lic a tio n has been heretofore published
and (or) copyrighted In th e U n ite d S ta te s of America, except in the case
of m s sages quoted from o th er o u h lis h e d sources; that I am the sole author and
orooriet'br of said d issertation o r docum ent; that the dissertation or
document contains no matter w hich., i f pu blish ed , w ill be libelous or
otherwise injurious, or in fr in g e in any way the copyright of any other
party; and that I will d efen d , in d em n ify and hold harmless New, York
University against all s u its and p ro ceed in gs which may be brought and
against all claims which may be made a g a in st New York University by reason
of the oublication of said d is s e r t a t io n or document.
1
A CKNOWLEDGMENTS
The w rite r w ishes to express liis in d eb ted n ess to Dr.
B. Tom linson, Dr. 0. R ockw ell, and Dr. S. M cLaughlin fo r th eir
c r itic is m s and s u g g e stio n s concerning v a rio u s p arts of the
m a n u sc rip t. T heir f r ie n d lin e s s and h e lp f u l advice d id much
to f a c i l i t a t e the w r itin g of the th e s is .
The w rite r a ls o w ishes to express h is a p p re c ia tio n to
th e V eteran s A d m in istra tio n fo r p erm issio n to c o lle c t the
m a te r ia l fo r th is s tu d y , to Dr. Flow ers, C h ief P s y c h ia tr is t
a t K ings b rid g e V.A. H o s p ita l, Bronx, New Y ork, and to h is
s t a f f , to Dr. R. Morrow, C hief P sy c h o lo g ist a t K ingsbridge
H o s p ita l and to h is s t a f f , and to D r. B. Locke,. Chief Psy
c h o lo g is t a t the B rooklyn R egional O ffice fo r h is encourage
ment and a id .
To Miss J. F r i t z , S ta ff P sy c h o lo g ist a t Brooklyn Re
g io n a l O ffic e , much c r e d i t and thanks is owed for h er in te re s t
in the stu d y and h e r independent sc o rin g o f the Rosenzweig
P ic tu r e - F r u s tr a tio n S tudy re c o rd s.
An ex p ressio n of g r a titu d e is owed to D r. G. Murphy of
C ity C ollege of New Y ork, Dr. C. S kinner and the s t a f f a t the
New York U n iv e rsity School of E ducation, and to Dr. T, Jenkins
of th e G raduate S chool, f o r th e ir h e lp fu ln e s s in p rep a rin g the
w r ite r fo r the p re lim in a ry work of th e s is p lan n in g .
To my w ife, I r e n e , whose f a i t h in the w rite r h elp ed to
make th is th e s is a r e a l i t y , s u f f ic ie n t thanks can never be
f u l l y e x p re sse d .
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter Page
I THE PROBLEM .................................................................................. 1
Statem ent o f th e P ro b le m ................ 1
S p e cific P ro b le m ..................................................................... 1
D e fin itio n o f T erm s................................................ 2
D e lim ita tio n s .................... 5
S ig n ific a n c e o f th e P ro b lem ......................................... 5
II RELATED STUDIES................... 8
Approaches to F r u s t r a t i o n . . . ...................... 8
Anxiety and A n x ie ty N e u ro s is ........................................ 35
S ch iz o p h re n ia ........................................................................... 45
R esults of P s y c h o lo g ic a l T e sts................................... 62
Rosenzweig P ic t u r e - F r u s tr a tio n S tu d y .. . . . . 62
The W e c h s le r-B e lle v u e In te llig e n c e S c a le .. 64
Rorschach T e s t . . . . . . . ...................................................... 66
I I I PROCEDURE...................................................................................................... 72
The P o p u la tio n . ................................................................... 72
Equating o f G ro u p s....................... 73
D escrip tio n o f I n s tr u m e n ts .............................................. 76
Rosenzweig P ic tu r e - F r u s t r a t io n S t u d y ...... 76
A llp o rt A scen d an ce-S u b m issio n Reaction
Study. ..................................................... 80
W ech sler-B ellev u e I n te llig e n c e S cale.............. 82
R orschach T e s t . . . . . ............................................................ 85
Case H is to r y .................................................................................. 89
IV PRESENTATION OF RESULTS............................................................ 90
Rosenzweig P ic t u r e - F r u s tr a tio n Study
F in d in g s.................. 90
A llp o rt A scen d an ce-S u b m issio n Reaction
Study F i n d i n g s . . . ............................... 98
W ech sler-B ellev u e F in d i n g s .............................................. 99
Rorschach F i n d i n g s . . . ............................................................ 101
Case H is to ry F i n d i n g s . . ...................................................... 106
I l l u s t r a t i v e Case H is to r ie s for the
A nxiety N e u ro tic G roup.................................... n o
I l l u s t r a t i v e C ase H is to r ie s for the
P aranoid S c h iz o p h re n ic Group.............................. 125
V DISCUSSION AND INTERPRETATION OF THE DATA..... 139
Rosenzweig P ic tu r e - F r u s tr a tio n Study
R e s u lts ..................................................... 140
A llp o rt A-S S tu d y R e s u l t s ..................... 145
W ech sler-B ellev u e T e s t R e s u lts ,................................. 14^
Rorschach F in d i n g s ............................................ 14Q
Case H is to ry F i n d i n g s .............................. 152.
CHAPTER Page
VI SUMMARY AND CONCLUSIONS....................................................... 154
V II BEYOND THE DATA........................................... 158
BIBLIOGRAPHY....................................................................................................................... 161
APPENDIX
I .......................................................................................................................................... 157
1. L a st Jobs H eld by th e S u b jects P rio r to
H o s p ita liz a tio n ......................................................................... 168
I I .......................................................................................................................................... 169
1. W eighted S u b te s t Scores A chieved by the
S u b jects on the W ech sler-B ellev u e T est.
V erbal I n te llig e n c e Q u o tie n ts, Perform
ance I n te llig e n c e Q u o tie n ts, and T otal
I n te llig e n c e Q u o tien ts o fa l l S u b je c ts .... 170
I I I .......................................................................................................................................... 172
1. Human Movement Responses Given by the
S u b jects on the R orschach T e s t................................. 173
2. Animal Movement Responses given by the
S u b jects on the R orschach T e s t................................. 176
IV .......................................................................................................................................... 181
1. Samples o f Responses to th e Rosenzweig
Pic tu re -F ru s tr a tio n S t u d y . . . ........................... 182
LIST OP TABLES
Table Page
I Incidence of D ia g n o s e s and D escriptive Age
Data For the A n x ie ty N e u ro tic and Paranoid
Schizophrenic G ro u p s ......................................................................... 73
I I E duoational A ch iev em en t In Terms of Years of
Schooling C om pleted F or the A nxiety N eurotic
and Paranoid S c h iz o p h r e n ic Groups............................. 74
I I I W ech sler-B ellev u e I n te llig e n c e Test IQ fs fo r
The A nxiety N e u r o tic (N-3b) and the Paranoid
Schizophrenic (N -3 6 ) G roups..................................................... 74
IV Types of O c c u p a tio n and Incidence In the
A nxiety N e u ro tic and P aran o id Schizophrenic
Groups......................... 75
V Medians and Q ,u a rtile s o f Percentages in the
Various S c o rin g C a te g o rie s of the P-F Test fo r
the A nxiety N e u r o tic and Paranoid Schizo
phrenic G r o u p s ................................................................. 91
VI C ritic a l R a tio s f o r th e A nxiety N eurotic and
Paranoid S c h iz o p h re n ic Groups on the Various
Scoring C a te g o rie s o f th e Rosenzweig P ic tu re -
Frus tr a tio n S t u d y . ........................................................ 92
VII A Comparison o f Time In M inutes Taken by the
AN and DPP G roups to Com plete the P-F T e st 93
V III Medians and Q u a r t i l e s o f Percentages in the
Various S c o rin g C a te g o rie s of the P-F fo r the
S ta n d a rd iz a tio n G roup and the AN Group......................... 94
IX C r itic a l R a tio s f o r th e S tan d ard izatio n Group
and the AN G roup on th e Various Scoring Cate
gories of th e P —F . . . ........................................................ 95
X Medians and Q u a r t i l e s o f Percentages in the
Various S c o rin g C a te g o rie s of the P-F fo r the
S ta n d a rd iz a tio n G roup and the DPP Group 96
XI C r itic a l R a tio s f o r th e S tan d ard izatio n Group
and the DPP G roup on th e Various Scoring
C ategories o f th e P - F . . . ............................................................. 97
X II Medians and Q u a r t i l e s on the A llp o rt Ascendance-
Subm ission R e a c tio n S tu d y fo r the A nxiety Neu
r o tic and P a ra n o id S ch izo p h ren ic G r o u p s ......... 98
Table Page
X III C o rre la tio n s Between the S cores on the A llp o rt
A scendance-S ubm ission R e a c tio n Study and the
P ercen tag e o f B x tra p u n itiv e Responses on the
P-P fo r th e AN Group and For th e DPP G ro u p ..... 98
XIV R e la tio n sh ip s Between VIQ^s and PlQ»s fo r the
AN Group (NB3 b ) ..................................... 99
XV R e la tio n s h ip s Between VIQ»s and PIQ*s fo r the
DPP Group (N«3fe) . ................................ 99
XVI A Com parison o f th e T e st C h a r a c te r is tic s Re
p o rte d by W echsler f o r a Group of N eurotics
and the T est C h a r a c te r is tic s f o r the AN Group
(N=3b) 00 the W e ch sler-B ellev u e In te llig e n c e
S c a le .......................................................................................................................100
XVII A Com parison o f the T e st C h a r a c te r is tic s Re
p o rte d by W echsler f o r a Group of S chizophre
n ics and th e T e st C h a r a c te r is tic s fo r the DPP
Group (NB36) on th e W ech sler-B ellev u e I n t e l l i
gence S c a le .............................................. 100
XVIII Means and S tan d ard D e v ia tio n s of the Rorschach
B’a c to rs f o r th e A n x iety N e u ro tic Group (N "36)..101
XIX Means and S tan d ard D e v ia tio n s of the Rorschach
F acto rs fo r th e p a ra n o id S ch izo p h ren ic Group
(N«36)....................................................................................................................102
XX t V alues C h a r a c te r iz in g D iffe re n c e s Between the
A nxiety N eu ro tic and P aran o id S chizophrenic
Groups on the V arious R orschach F acto rs
(N: AN«36; DPP=36)..................................................................................103
XXI A Com parison Showing D ir e c tio n of A ggression as
In d ic a te d by th e R osenzw eig p ic tu re -F r u s tr a tio n
Study and the R orschach T est fo r the A nxiety
N eurotic Group (N"36) . . . . . . . . ...............................................104
XXII A Com parison Showing D ire c tio n of A ggression as
In d ic a te d by th e R osenzw eig P ic tu re - F r u s tr a tio n
Study and the R orschach T est fo r the Paranoid
S ch izo p h ren ic Group (N *36).................................................1 0 5
XXIII M a rita l S t a t u s .............................................................................................106
XXIV Sexual E x p erien ces o f th e S u b j e c t s . . . . . . ...................106
XXV C ond itio n s Condxicive fo r the C ausation of
F r u s tr a tio n in the A n x iety N eu ro tic Group
(N*3b)................................................................................................................
Table Page
XXVI C o n d itio n s C onducive fo r the Causation of
F r u s t r a t i o n i n th e Paranoid Schizophrenic
Group (N * 3 6 )........................................................................... 109
CHAPTER I
THE PROBLEM
S tatem e n t o f the Problem
The p u rp o se of th is I n v e s tig a tio n is to determ ine whether
r e l i a b l e d if f e r e n c e s e x i s t in the ty p e and d ir e c tio n of aggres
s io n and the so u rc e s of f r u s t r a t i o n as shown by the results of
the R osenzw eig P ic tu re -F ru s t r a ti o n S tu d y , R orschach findings,
and Case H is to r y m a te r ia l fo r a group o f a n x ie ty neurotic pa
t i e n t s and a group of p aran o id s c h iz o p h re n ic p a tie n ts .
S p e c ific Problem s
A spects of th e m ain problem w hich are Investigated in
clude th e fo llo w in g :
1. A com parison of the re sp o n se s on the Rosenzweig
P ic tu re -F ru s t r a t i o n Study of the a n x ie ty n e u ro tic group and the
p aran o id s c h iz o p h re n ic group w ith th o se o f normal persons.
2 . A com parison of the tim e n e c e ssa ry to complete the
P ic tu re -F ru s t r a t i o n S tudy fo r th e a n x ie ty n e u ro tic group and
the p a ra n o id s c h iz o p h re n ic group.
3 . A d e te rm in a tio n of the r e la tio n s h ip between outward
a g g re ss iv e re sp o n s e s ( e x tra p u n itlv e re sp o n se s) on the Picture-
F r u s tr a tio n S tu d y , and ascen d an ce, as m easured by the Allport
A scen d an ce-S u b m issio n S tudy, fo r the a n x ie ty n e u ro tic and para
noid s c h iz o p h re n ic g ro u p s.
2
if.. A co m p ariso n between the findings of W echsler on th e
.W echsler-B ellevue I n te llig e n c e Scale for the neurotic and
schizophrenic c l i n i c a l groups and the re su lts obtained in th is
in v e s tig a tio n .
A d e te r m in a tio n of whether re lia b le d iffe re n c e s ex ist
in the R orschach s c o r in g categories for the anxiety n e u ro tic
and paranoid s c h iz o p h re n ic groups.
6. A q u a l i t a t i v e comparison of the fru s tra tio n s e x p e r i
enced by the a n x ie ty n e u ro tic and. the paranoid schizo p h ren ic
groups as d e te rm in e d by p sy c h ia tric case h is to rie s .
D e f in itio n of Terms
F r u s t r a t i o n ,3- f o r the purposes of th is study, s ig n i f i e s
th at which o ccu rs w henever the organism meets a more or le s s
insurm ountable o b s ta c le or o bstruction in its route to th e
s a tis fa c tio n o f any v i t a l need. The stim u lu s-situ atio n r e p r e
senting such an im pedim ent may be termed a s tress and the
corresponding d i s t r e s s of the organism may be conceived as an
augm entation o f te n s io n .
Prim ary f ru s t r a t i o n denotes the sheer existence o f an
activ e need.
Secondary f r u s t r a t i o n ^ emphasizes the supervenient o b s ta
cles or o b s tr u c tio n s in the path to the goal of the a c tiv e n eed .
The p resen t s tu d y is o rie n te d toward secondary f r u s tr a tio n .
F ru stration to lera n ce is the individual's capacity to
withstand fr u s tr a tio n without failure of psychobiological ad-
justment.3
1. Saul R osenzw eig, "An O utline of F ru stratio n Theory,1’ P e rs o n -
a l i t y and. th e B eh av io r D isorders, p. jQo,
2. ibid"., p T T 8 D T “
5. TSTcT., p. 385.
