PROBLEMThis study investigated the performance of hospitalized alcoholics and normals on a measure of time perspective, the Time Reference Inventory2 (TRI). Specifically, the study attempted to answer the question: Do alcoholics differ from normals in their orientation toward the past, present and future?Alcoholics have been described as dominated by the need for immediate gratification(3* ll. 12. 1 4 ) , pessimism toward the future('O* 17), and inability to maintain long-range goals(7. 8. l6. 17. l 9 ) . It was hypothesized, therefore, that alcoholics would differ from normals in being less concerned with long-range aspects of the future. Alcoholics have also been found to exhibit low ego strength('. 4. 16. '81, resistance to introspection(14. 21), and inability to accept frustration or tensionc2' 3. '9, 20, 23). These characteristics led to the hypothesis that alcoholics mould differ from normals in their orientation toward past and present. Although clinical impressions leading to these hypotheses appear to be generally consistent, experimental verification has been lacking. Clarification of the nature of the temporal orientation of the alcoholic would add significantly to the understanding of the condition and would have implications regarding the relative effectiveness of therapeutic approaches. METHODSubjects. Thirty-five patients (31 males and 4 females) hospitalized in a neuropsychiatric state hospital with a psychiatric diagnosis of alcoholism (E group) were compared with 24 psychiatric aide applicants and 3 hospital volunteers who did not manifest symptoms of psychiatric derangement (C group; 5 males and 22 females). The two groups did not differ in intelligence (mean I& for alcoholics was 95.51, for normals 99.37), age (mean age for alcoholics was 48.20, for normals 47.33), and educational level. A previous exploratory study of 77 normals revealed no significant sex differences on pertinent variables of the TRI.Proczdure. The TRI is a 30-item paper-and-pencil questionnaire designed by the senior author to evaluate temporal orientation ( 1 3 ) . The subject indicates for each item whether it most appropriately refers to his past, present, or future. He then estimates his age at the time he feels the item most appropriately applies. For items selected as applying to the present, he lists his chronological age. The first ten statements refer to pleasant or positive events; the second ten refer to unpleasant or negative events, and the last ten refer to affectively neutral events. The following items from the TRI are representative : Item 1.

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PROBLEMThis study investigated the performance of hospitalized psychiatric patients on the Bender-Gestalt (BG) scored by the Pascal and Suttell technique@) and on Barron's Ego Strength Scale (Es) (l). Specifically, the study tried to answer three questions: (a) Is the Pascal and Suttell BG Z score significantly related to the Es scale? (b) Do the Z score and the Es scale significantly differentiate between hospitalized groups of schizophrenic, psychoneurotic, and character disorder patients? (c) Are the Z score and the Es scale significantly related to age and intelligence? Available evidence suggests the need for clarification of answers to these questions. The BG Z score and the Es scale have both been interpreted as measures of ego strength (1, 8 ) . Tamkin(12), however, has reported a nonsignificant correlation between the two measures. Some 3, 6 i ', ,lo, l l ) have reported that both the Z score and the Es scale successfully differentiate among psychiatric groups, whereas 13) have presented conflicting results. Reports,", 6 , 8 , 9 , 12, I b ) on the whole, have not agreed on the relationship of the two measures to age and int elligence. METHODSubjects. Ss were selected from admissions to a private psychiatric hospital who had been routinely tested by the psychology department as part of an initial evaluation. Only patients diagnosed by a staff psychiatrist as schizophrenic, psychoneurotic, or character disorder were included. Since no standard test battery was administered, the number of cases used for the various aspects of the study is not constant. Z scores and Es scores were both available for 75 Ss distributed in the three diagnostic categories (36 males and 39 females). Z scores were available for 54 character disorders (15 males and 39 females), 92 schizophrenics (23 males and 69 females), and 24 psychoneurotics (6 males and 18 females). Es scores were computed for 28 character disorders (12 males and 16 females), 73 schizophrenics (20 males and 53 females), and 21 psychoneurotics (3 males and 18 females). Since sex does not appear to be significantly related to Z score or MMPI Es, data from males and females were combined. No significant age or intellectual differences (measured by the Shipley Hartford total score) were found between the diagnostic groups.Procedure. The Shipley Hartford Vocabulary and Abstraction scales were administered to all Ss as a measure of intelligence. The BG was administered according to the instructions of Pascal and Suttell(*). Each record was scored using Pascal and Suttell's criteria and raw scores were converted to Z scores. All Benders were analyzed by the same technician who had no knowledge of the patients' diagnoses or other psychological test results. Barron's Es scale was obtained from the individual form of the MMPI, administered as part of an intake test battery.The degree of relationship of Z to Es, and of each of these measures to age and intelligence, was determined by computation of Pearson product moment correlations. Simple analysis of variance followed ...

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