Body-Image Boundaries and Histamine Flare Reaction

Abstract

The hypothesis was tested that the more definite an individual's body-image boundary concept, the greater will be his skin response to histamine. Boundary definiteness was measured by means of the barrier score, which is based on the attributes assigned to the periphery of percepts elicited by ink-blot stimuli. Histamine response was evaluated in terms of the erythema and spatial extent of the skin flare produced by histamine phosphate (concentration, 1:5 X 10 6 ) injected intradermally. One hundred college students (55 male and 45 female) participated as subjects. The results significantly supported the hypothesis in the female group but largely failed to do so in the male group. It was speculated that the barrier score and the histamine flare reaction may both represent different aspects of the individual's readiness to communicate with others.

Sex differences in body perception.

“…Not only were Barrier and Penetration scores computed, but also an overall index of boundary definiteness which is equal to number of Barrier minus number of Penetration responses. This index Cassell & Fisher, 1963;Conquest, 1963).…”

Ενζυμικη Δραστικοτης Της Γλυκοζο - 6 -Φωσφορικης Δευδρογενασης Της Γ - Γλουταμυλ - Τρανσπεπτιδασης Καιτης Λυσοζυμης Εις Την Σχιζοφρενιαν

“…Διαταραχή τοο μεταβολισμού τής ίσταμίνης φαίνεται να συμβαίνη είς τήν σχιζοφρενίαν. Οί σχιζοφρενείς, ιδίως οί χρόνιοι, είναι όλιγώτερον ευαίσθητοι εις τήν ίσταμίνην εν συγκρίσει προς τους υγιείς 104 , 105 , 106 , ώς αποδεικνύεται έκ του μεγέθους τοϋ πομφού κατόπιν ενδοδερμικής ενέ σεως ίσταμίνης, έχει δέ παρατηρηθή οτι οί σχιζοφρενείς σπανίως παρου σιάζουν άλλεργικάς εκδηλώσεις 105 .…”