Effects of therapist behavior on people's mental illness judgments.

To measure attributed mental illness1

“…Tbe utility of tbe Mentally 111 Bebavior Prediction Scale (MIBPS), as a measurement instrument, has been further demonstrated by its successful use in a series of studies (YafFe & Mancuso, 1977;Mancuso et al. Note 1) that have explored tbe variables associated witb ascription of mental illness.…”

“…Tbe measuring instrument to be described was built on tbe assumption tbat if a perceiver categorized a target person as "mentally ill," be would predict tbat tbe target person would engage in "mentally ill" bebaviors. The instrument was developed to be used in a series of studies (Yaffe & Mancuso, 1977;Mancuso et al. Note 1) tbat explored tbe contextual variables tbat relate to ascriptions of mental illness.…”

Inferences of mental illness from noninvolvement

“…As a part of the data collection process in this series of studies each participant had completed a 31-item semantic differential (see Yaffe & Mancuso, 1977), describing the target, after having observed the filmed scenario.…”

“…Investigators have produced a stream of literature (Cox, Costanzo, Coie, 1976;Farina, 1982;Goffman, 1963;Greenley, 1975;Rosenhan, 1973;Sarbin & Mancuso, 1980;Scheff, 1966Scheff, , 1975Temerlin, 1968;Yaffe & Mancuso, 1977) to support the view that mental illness may be studied as a persondescribing category, rather than as a state of the person to whom the category is applied. With this orientation, the focus of investigative effort is shifted away from the target who has engaged in unwanted conduct toward the context of the judgment process.…”

“…"A person who is judged to belong to the category 'good,' for example, would be expected to behave considerately and to be intelligent. Similarly, a person who is judged to be mentally ill would be expected to be unpredictable and weak" (Yaffe & Mancuso, 1977).…”