Thomas L. Morrison

Mood changes and affective disorder in the bulimic binge—Purge cycle

Mood changes over the bulimic binge–purge cycle were studied in retrospective questionnaire reports of patients, 16 with and 34 without concurrent affective disorder. Moods clearly differed over phases. Mood reports depicted the period between the binge and purge as most unpleasant, with low energy/excitement and security/relief and high panic/helplessness and guilt/disgust/anger. Feelings after the purge were relatively calm and pleasurable, with low panic/helplessness and excitement/energy and high security/relief. Patients with affective disorder did not differ from those without affective disorder in their mood changes during the cycle.

The stresses of psychotherapeutic work: A replication and extension

The present study represents a replication and extension of a recent investigation of the patterns of stresses in psychotherapeutic work. A sample of 227 licensed psychologists who were practicing in Northern California were administered two Likert-type rating scales, which were expanded versions of questionnaires originally developed by Farber and Heifitz (1981). Factor analysis of the data revealed that the stressful aspects of therapeutic work include maintaining the therapeutic relationship, scheduling difficulties, professional doubt, work overinvolvement, and feeling personally depleted. In addition, stressful patient behaviors were found to cluster into five distinct categories: Expressions of negative affect, resistances, psychopathological symptoms, suicidal threats, and passive-aggressive behaviors. Demonstration of the empirical generalizability of the factor structure and of the relative importance of stressful therapeutic events argues for the usefulness of the extended versions of The Therapeutic Stresses and Stressful Patient Behaviors rating scales.

Exploring intergenerational transmission of attachment style in young female adults and their mothers

We examined intergenerational transmission of attachment organization in the context of adult romantic relationships. Similarities and differences in adult attachment style between young female adults and their parents were investigated. Results generally supported the hypothesis that mothers’ adult attachment organization, but not fathers’, is related to daughters’ adult attachment organization. This relationship was detected at both categorical and dimensional levels. The Avoidance dimension of the Experiences in Close Relationships Questionnaire, which reflects the degree of discomfort with physical and emotional closeness in romantic relationships, was the strongest predictor of daughters’ attachment organization. Mothers’ Avoidance predicted daughters’ Avoidance. Mothers high in Avoidance were also more likely to be divorced, separated, or unmarried.

Self-Esteem and Classroom Participation1

AbstractLevel of self-esteem was hypothesized to be related to aspects of participation in a classroom group. Three measures of self-esteem were used to test the hypotheses that college students with low self-esteem would (1) say less in class (2) contribute a smaller proportion of their thoughts to class discussion and (3) sit farther back in the classroom than Ss with high self-esteem. These hypotheses were not confirmed for the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory (2) or for the Ziller Social Self-Esteem Scale (14) , but all were confirmed for the subscale of the Coopersmith inventory specifically related to school self-esteem (t= 2. 06, 3. 35, 3.86, p >.05, .01, .01.

Bulimia and borderline personality disorder

Female patients with bulimia or atypical eating disorder (n = 31) were compared on dimensions of psychiatric symptomatology (SCL-90) and measures of eating problems (Eating Disorder inventory, Diagnostic Survey for Eating Disorders) with 10 similar patients who were also diagnosed as having borderline personality disorder. In addition to greater symptom severity and higher levels of distress (p < .05), the borderline subgroup scored higher on SCL-90 scales for interpersonal sensitivity, phobic anxiety, paranoid ideation, and depression (p < .05), with no differences on the scales for bulimia and body-related concerns. The borderline subgroup of eating disorder patients did not differ on any SCL-90 scales from another comparison group of borderline patients without eating disorder (n = 32). The differential self-perceptions of the borderline subgroup may have implications for the formation of a therapeutic relationship.

Attachment and the representation of intimate relationships in adulthood.

Community college students in the United States (151 men, 217 women) described their current or most recent intimate relationship on questionnaires derived from the Structural Analysis of Social Behavior (Benjamin & Friedrich, 1991). Attachment organization was assessed by categories (secure, avoidant, or ambivalent) and by dimensions (Attachment Security x Level of Activation). Respondents with avoidant or ambivalent attachment described more hostility in their relationships than secure participants did. Avoidant participants described themselves as less submissive. Respondents with low attachment security and high attachment activation were especially likely to describe more hostile patterns of interaction. Those with greater attachment security also described more interdependence in the relationship. No interaction effects of attachment with amount of experience in close relationships were found.

Attachment, Perceptions of Interaction, and Relationship Adjustment

This study examined the hypothesis that perceptions of interaction in intimate relationships would mediate the association between attachment organization and relationship satisfaction. A multi-ethnic group of 159 male and 226 female community college students completed questionnaires regarding attachment organization and aspects of their intimate relationships. Greater attachment security and less activation of the attachment system were associated with perceptions of more affiliative interaction (R = .45, p<.001) and less distress (R = .43, p<.001) in the relationship. Perceptions of more affiliative interaction were strongly associated with less relationship distress (R = .69, p<.001). When attachment factors and interaction factors were entered jointly in the regression for relationship distress, the association between attachment and relationship distress was substantially reduced. This analysis supported the hypothesis of a mediation effect. The mediation effect was less complete for women than for men. The association of attachment factors with relationship distress was more direct in relationships that were at relatively early stages of development. Over all comparisons, the inclusion of subjects with a conventionalized response set inflated Rs 2 by an average of 3 percent.

Member reaction to male and female leaders in two types of group experience

Abstract Member perceptions of male and female group leaders who served as consultants in Tavistock study groups or trainers in T-groups were studied by questionnaire report. The general premise that reactions to male and female leaders would vary as a function of social context and consequent leader style was confirmed. Three of five leader dimensions showed effects of interaction between leader gender and type of group. Differences, however, were not in the expected direction. Female T-group trainers were perceived as least competent and least potent, and male trainers were most positively valued. Consistent with expectations, T-group trainers were seen as more emotional and supportive. These findings are related to prior clinical and research reports of generally negative reactions to female group leaders and to theoretical propositions concerning the basis for such reactions in culturally predominant socialization experiences in western European and North American societies.

Organizational size and perceptions in a residential treatment program.

Centralization of a residential mental health treatment program from three small houses to one large facility provided a naturally occurring opportunity to study the effect of organizational size on the perceptions held by clients and staff. Quantitative data were repeatedly collected on their perceptions of themselves, the organization as a whole, and subgroups within the organization during their involvement in both the small and large social contexts. Results of repeated measures analyses of variance provided considerable support for the theoretically derived hypotheses of heightened anxiety, self-impoverishment, more negative views of the psychosocial environment, and greater psychological distance in the large organizational context.

Participants' Perceptions in Small and Large Group Contexts

This study was designed to examine aspects of projective processes in small and large group contexts. Subjects were members of a Group Relations Conference; quantitative data were collected on their perceptions of themselves, the group as a whole, and the group consultants, following their participation in relatively unstructured small and large self-study groups. The findings provided some empirical support for predictions of more powerful and self-impoverishing projections in the large groups.