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A further test of Foulds' personality and personal illness differentiae in a psychiatric group

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

A. Bedford ,
D. McIver  and
P. R. Pearson
A. Bedford*
Affiliation:
Warlingham Park Hospital, Warlingham, Surrey; Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh; and Pastures Hospital, Mickleover, Derby
D. McIver
Affiliation:
Warlingham Park Hospital, Warlingham, Surrey; Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh; and Pastures Hospital, Mickleover, Derby
P. R. Pearson
Affiliation:
Warlingham Park Hospital, Warlingham, Surrey; Royal Edinburgh Hospital, Edinburgh; and Pastures Hospital, Mickleover, Derby
*
1Address for correspondence: Mr A. Bedford, Department of Psychology, Warlingham Park Hospital, Warlingham, Surrey CR3 9YR.
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Synopsis

Test and retest scores on the Symptom Rating Test (SRT), Manifest Anxiety Scale (MAS) and Maudsley Personality Inventory (MPI) were obtained from 45 non-psychotic psychiatric in-patients. The change in scores and the score distributions were examined to assess the extent to which these tests meet Foulds' criteria for measures belonging respectively to the universes of personality and personal illness. MPI Extraversion emerged as a stable, normally distributed, personality trait in contrast to the SRT which showed the characteristics of a symptom-state measure. MPI Neuroticism and MAS scores could not be allocated definitively to either universe and seemed to be hybrids. It is suggested that more attention must be paid to the ‘ purity’ of scales if meaningful interpretation is to be made in treatment assessment.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 8 , Issue 3 , August 1978 , pp. 467 - 470
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1978

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