ABSTRACT
The Caine-Marteau-Dympna (CMD) Test, a new thematic apperception projective test, has acceptable inter-rater reliability. Validity was demonstrated by its ability to differentiate psychiatric in-patients from out-patients and non-patients, and by the relationships found between ratings derived from the test protocols and various questionnaires. These latter provide measures associated with either an inner or outer orientation towards the world. This has implications for many different areas of life, including occupational preference and adjustment, psychiatric symptom formation, psychological treatment expectancies and therapeutic outcome. Thus, the inner oriented individual, who is likely to be responsive to interpretative psychotherapy, tends to produce CMD responses displaying individualistic, abstract themes; a concern with intrapsychic conflict, deficiencies in social interaction and lack of structure; and internal control.
Subject(s)
Projective Techniques , Adult , Female , Humans , Male , Mental Disorders/diagnosis , Mental Disorders/psychology , Middle Aged , OrientationABSTRACT
The paper reports an extension of work into the relevance of personality and pre-treatment expectancies for allocation and response of patients to group psychotherapy. The results show that subjects who are internally directed in interest and who have a liberal attitude to a variety of social issues and a "psychological" set to treatment are more responsive to group psychotherapy as seen by their therapists as well as by themselves. Those who are externally directed in interest and who have a conservative attitude to life and a more "medical-physical" set to treatment are more likely to be referred for behaviour therapy; if referred for group psychotherapy they are likely either to drop out or to show very limited response to treatment.