The concept of the sustaining fantasy and the Sustaining Fantasy Questionnaire (SFQ), an instrument for its measurement, is introduced. Sustaining fantasies represent characteristic ways to ameliorate intense negative affect or to restore self-esteem. The responses of 134 psychiatric inpatients were used to construct ten scales. The SFQ and MMPI were then administered to 125 nonpatients. Psychiatric inpatients had higher scores than normals on fantasies of death, withdrawal, restitution, suffering, God, and closeness. Fantasies of power and revenge, admiration of self, competition and aesthetics did not differentiate between groups. SFQ scales correlated significantly with MMPI scales and demographic characteristics as well with staff ratings of the inpatients.

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Examined the relationship among 10 different types of sustaining fantasies, which make individuals feel better during stressful and/or disappointing times, and two measures of poor self‐concept, self‐derogation and instability of self‐concept. One hundred twenty‐four college student Ss, 48 males and 76 females, responded to the Sustaining Fantasy Questionnaire of Zelin et al., Kaplan's Self‐Derogation Scale, and Rosenberg's Instability of Self Scale. Canonical correlation, bivariate correlations, and correlations with social desirability partialled out were examined to assess the hypothesis that poor self‐concept relates to a pattern of sustaining fantasies similar to that of acute psychiatric inpatients and non‐hospitalized individuals who show evidence of psychological problems. Results were consistent with the hypothesis.

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