I N practically every phase of the study and interpretation of maladjustment, psychologists and psychiatrists differ. It appears that the basic reason for these controversies lies in the fact that the study, observations, and description of maladjustment have been largely literary in type and subjective in nature. One finds, therefore, a variety of opinions and generalizations that can be easily discarded on the ground that they have never been subjected to a rigorous experimental study.The failure of investigators to study maladjustment objectively has been indicated time and again by both psychiatrists and psychologists. Thus Glueck (6, 119) states: "In dealing with the defective, we at least have a number of rather dependable criteria which enable us to diagnose his condition. . . . No such dependable criteria are available as yet for a diagnosis of psychopathy." Slawson (12, indicates that the ineffectiveness of the studies, descriptions, and resultsi of personal experience of noted psychiatrists is due largely to the following two factors: (1) The studies have not as a rule utilized objective instruments of precision, but have been based largely upon the subjective opinions of observers, whose findings, although in all probability accurate determinations of the symptoms observed, do not lend themselves to comparisons because of their subjectivity; (2) the studies relating to emotional instability lack quantitative designations, thus making it impossible to put the results of studies to a statistical analysis.Alfred Binet had considerable interest in the qualitative analysis of the responses given on his original mental scale, with a view to differentiating the mentally disturbed from the mentally deficient. However, he was unable to prove conclusively the differentiating features of his scale in this respect. Later on, clinicians reported empirical evidences of characteristic performance on certain standardized tests and scales of maladjusted individuals functioning on various levels of intelligence. Mateer(lO) proposed ten criteria of psychopathy arrived at through her experiences in 288 * Mental disorders.
