Parental Representations and Orality

Abstract

One hundred ninety-three undergraduate male subjects were administered a Rorschach orality measure (Masling, Rabie, & Blondheim, 1967), and completed copies of Blatt, Wein, Chevron, and Quinlan's (1981) Parental Representations measure. A significant correlation between orality and quality of parental representations was found, with high oral subjects giving more negative descriptions of the mother than low orals. No relationship between orality and the conceptual level of parental descriptions was found. The implications of these findings are discussed in the context of psychodynamic formulations regarding the oral personality.