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Measures of life crisis, manifest distress and maladaptive coping were used to predict future illness behavior in male college students. A group of 92 Ss was screened by an internist's examination as being free from disease, and was administered a series of self-ratings measuring the above dimensions. One year later, 79 of these students were available to be recontacted and were asked to describe their health records during the intervening time; 65 (82%) replied. Of the total number, 23 reported being ill and seeking medical treatment, whereas the remaining 42 either indicated no symptoms or else treated themselves with proprietary medication or rest in bed. Analysis of the 2 groups' premorbid reports indicated that the treatment-seeking Ss had scored significantly higher on each dimension, using t test comparisons. Secondly, independently established criterion scores were applied to this sample. Chi square analysis indicated that 71% of the cases could be correctly designated using this method-ie, before becoming ill, Ss who later sought care for their symptoms were more likely to have scored above the cut-off points than those who did not eventually seek care. We also scaled degree of incapacitation along a 0-10 continuum and correlated such illness behavior with the premorbid scores. Each measure correlated significantly with the criterion and with each other. A multiple R of 0.43 was obtained when four scale scores were used in a regression equation to estimate degree of incapacitation. These results suggest that premorbid indicators of unresolved life stress accurately predict who will seek care for illness.

It was hypothesized that the development of a serious upper respiratory infection (URI) for which treatment is sought is antedated by a maladaptive reaction to distressing life conflicts. Twenty-nine male college students who sought relief from sore throats at a college health service were compared with 29 symptom-free students randomly selected from the college directory. The subjects were given a series of questionnaires and a projective test to measure the incidence of distressing life changes, patterns of maladaptive coping, and unpleasant affect. The results indicated that significantly more disappointment, failure, and role crisis appeared in the lives of individuals who became ill and sought help than in "normals." Defiant coping patterns and heightened unpleasant affect also distinctly characterized the URI group.1 T HAS BEEN OBSERVED that, even in times of epidemics, not all people become ill. The development of disease is a selective process affecting particular people more than others and is, at times, relatively independent of natural envi-

Investigated whether therapeutic processes, measured by self‐reported attitudes of therapists, are differential or generalized; i. e., whether particular types or all types of patients benefit from a given level of a professed technique. Three therapeutic variables (empathic warmth, directiveness, and uncovering), identified by factor analysis, were studied in interaction with two levels of clinical pathology. A total of 161 patients were seen in psychodynamically oriented individual psychotherapy by 22 therapists. Independent ratings of global improvement were made. Results indicated that high scores on empathic warmth and uncovering appear to be more helpful for patients with neurotic and ersonality trait disorder diagnoses than for patients with borderline and psychotic diagnoses. Low scores on directiveness seemed to be associated with effectiveness in a more general way (across diagnostic groups). For the most part, reference to therapeutic attitudes as helpful or harmful must take into account the particular diagnostic groups that are being treated.