Interpersonal Changes among Psychiatric Patients in Human Relations Training

Summary

This study was part of a continuing evaluation of the Patients Training Laboratory at the VA Hospital in Houston, Texas. The Interpersonal System developed by Leary was used to evaluate different levels of personality in 85 patients who had completed the four-week program. The results showed a significant change from submission to dominance had occurred in their public behavior, self-description, and cognitive style. These confirmed findings of earlier studies which indicated the program's success in creating an atmosphere where participation increased via more open critical behavior. Lack of change in an affiliative direction was discussed, with possible reasons for this result, along with suggestions for an emphasis on an “affiliation motive.”