Although a preliminary "role-induction" interview with a psychotherapist provides some remedy for lower-class patients' poor performance in psychotherapy, a more economical and widely available procedure is needed. A role-induction film (Turning Point), addressed specifically to lower-class patients, was developed, and its effects were systematically studied under field conditions. Each of four experienced psychotherapists treated three groups in a 12-week program (# = 122). The first group viewed Turning Point prior to therapy; the second had a role-induction interview with a psychiatrist; and the third viewed a control film. There was consistent evidence from postinduction, intherapy, and outcome measures (p < .05) that the two role-induction procedures facilitated a more favorable therapy experience. On several measures, Turning Point was superior to the interview.

The utility of employing elevated scores on the Depression and Psychasthenia scales of the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory, MMPI, as an indicator of a genuine, enduring clinical problem in need of remediation was investigated for a male college student population. The personal, academic, and occupational histories of entering students scoring above T = 60 on these scales, N = 54, were compared with those of a comparable random group over an 8% year period. Based on university records and self-report questionnaire data, the high scores exhibited, p < .05, greater difficulty with personal adjustment, in graduating from college, and in rinding a job and deciding on a career; they were earning lower salaries and fewer had married. Nearly half had sought professional help for an emotional problem. Pilot data further suggest that MMPI scale scores for this population decrease following psychotherapy but not with the passage of time alone.

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