H_:__3.:_:_E:__:_::_: .7 l- a ”If: '5 \‘u Vt. Putt-bit V.u, rm. I! v. ‘I .51 1‘ x g o Ira .1 ‘. Ir. 3 2 r'. U F I 9 f T “'2 lflllw m M6 "I.“ W0 '0 [[11 'fl% fl “2 1 um 19¢th 0! ”MY mcum "A?! UN IAITMMNG. MICHIGAN h-n'. fl.) ' ‘1 F ‘l :1 '- 1 "‘1 fl E ”I Q *3 O :1 L IE-EP»...-ER" :3 3 h C.) t. l H O 2 <2 4-4 L1 (2‘. 3) A‘ I121 AJSTRACT OF A THESIb Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of FASTER OF ARTS Department of Psychology 1967 ABSTRACT THE EFFECT OF REPRESSIOJ ON VISUAL IRAGE?Y by Bruce Burns One hundred male volunteer subjects of introductory psychology courses were given the Byrne S-R Scale. The twelve lowest scorers (Repressors) anfl the ten highest scorers (Sensitizers) were selected as the eXperimental groups. These subjects participated in one-half hour of visual imagery and a variable period of story telling to projective type cares. The can was used to monitor each subject's reaction. The experimental groups of twenty-two were evaluated again for degree of repression in terms 0f the projective stories. This was called the Projective method. It was hypothesized that the Repressors would show less primary process, less anxiety and greater defense during the period of visual imagery. None of the hypotheses were supported using the Byrne Scale but the hypothesis concerning primary process was supported by the Projective Method of determining degree of repression. The primary process variable, which is really another index of degree of repression, correlated significantly Bruce Burns with the Byrne Scale (.38), the Projective Method (.44), the GSR fiurinq projective stories (.48), and nearly reached significance with the 65R during visual imagery (.33), and was in the preper direction for the measure of defense («.13). This finfiing was unexyected and suggests that the psychoPhysiological processes associated with primary process regulated visual imagery are quite powerful. Approved: THE EFFECT OF REPRESSION ON VISUAL IMAGERY BY Bruce Burns A THESIS Submitted to Michigan State University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASEER OF ARES Department of PsycholOgy 1967 ACIQECIELEDCEE 1131*?! TS I am greatly indebted to the chairman of my committee, Dr. Joseph Reyher for conveying to me his stimulating interest in the thesis problem and related area. His attituae and direction made this project a true learning exyerience for me. As members of my committee, Dr. Norman Abeles and Dr. Paul Bakan provided helpful assistance in clarifying a number of issues. Fellow students who were most generous with their time in scoring responses and monitoring tapes were: Tasmas Castor, Robert Greene, Diane Johnson and Howard Morishige. To all of the above I wish hereby to exeress my appreciation and gratitufle. To Mother Whose strength and faith have been a source of inepiration. ACKNOWLEDGEMEKTS . LIST OF TelLES . . INTRODUCTION . . . Problem . . . Hypotheses . r'ibl‘EI-UD O O O O O 0 Subjects . . Equipment anfl Procedure . . Measures and s Scorer reliabi RES L'LTS O I O O O Other findings DISC‘SSICN . . . . BIBLIOGRAPHY . . . APPENDICES . . . . Appenéix A . Appenéix B . Appendix C . TABLE OF CONTENTS 0 O O I O O O O G O 9 experimental setting I O O O O O O O O O O coring . . . . . . . lity O O O O O I O I C O C O O O O O C 0 iv Page ii ah MN H 4 H es +4 m H oqmne 18 20 20 21 22 L ST OF TABLES Page Table 1: Spearman Rho Correlation matrix of Banks (corrected for ties) . . . . . . . . . 14 IZ‘E‘l‘ROD UCTI 015i Many investigators (Assagioli, 1965; Freufi, 1950; Goldberger, 1957; Jellinek, 1949; Rubia, 1943; Warren, 1961) have noted that visual imagery may serve as a vehicle for the symbolic representation of unconscious processes. Reyher (1963) recently has describea a method of utilizing visual imagery that has powerful uncovering properties. With this procedure, which is callefi free imagery, the patient is asked to close his eyes and to describe only visual images, feelings and bodily sensations that come to his attention. Eye closure prevents the patient from scan- ning the therapist's countenance for signs of approval or disapproval which support security Operations and defenses against reductions in self-esteem. The patient becomes less engaged in an interpersonal relationship and is forced to become more involved in intra-psychic processes such as verbal associations or imagery, both of which produce derivatives of unconscious conflict. Verbal or free associations involves the organization and communication of ideas (secondary process) whereas visual imagery is a more passive experience outsifie of voluntary organization and control and reflects the Operation of unconscious process (primary process). Smeltzer (1966) compared verbal associations and visual imagery such as a response to stimulus words pertaining to sex, hostility and family relationships, and he reported that the imagery was characterized by significantly more primary process, more 2 blatant drive representation and less successful defenses against the drives. The significantly greater frequency of €333 which was reported for the imagery condition was ascribed to these characteristics, all of WAiCh imply a potential for the arousal of anxiety. Problefl One obvious variable influencing visual imagery which needs to be investigated is the degree of repression. The role of repression in regard to behavior is so well established in psychoanalytic literature and clinical lore that its significance does not need to be documented. This paper was designed to study the effect of repression upon visual imagery. The relationship between repression and visual imagery can be investigated in terms of the number of symbolic representations of unconscious drives, indica- tions of successful or unsuccessful defenses against these drives and the consequent signs of anxiety aroused when good repressors are compared with poor repressors while participating in the visual imagery procedure. HZPQEE‘EE'Qfi The hypotheses to be tested were: 1) Good repressors show fewer signs of primary process than poor repressors; 2) 3) Good repressors report images representing defense more frequently than poor repressors; Good repressors esperience less anxiety than poor repressors. I‘EETHOD - utPARTMENT O! “(2301.061 MICHIGAN "A?! UNIVERSt'W . EAST LANsmrt mrumfi M Subjects One hundred male students taking an introductory course in psychology were selected by means of the Bvrne (1963) version of the Altrocchi (1960) questionnaire, for measuring degree of repression. Ten subjects from each extreme of the continuum were selected with scores ranging from 72 to 88 for sensitizers (poor regressors) and from 9 to 22 for good repressors. The final selection resulted in one group of good repressors (N n 12) and one group of poor repressors (sensitizers R - 10). These 22 subjects were later independently checked for their repressing ten- dencies by using a projective method (Reyher, 1962) which resulted in a redistribution of the subjects into 11 good repressors and 11 poor repressors (sensitizers). 17313.81?“ and sever breasteLF-efatieg. A model #5 Grass polygraph was used with electrodes manufactured by the Yellow Springs Equipment Company. The subject and eXperimonter were seated in a small sound— proofed, windowless room. as subject was facing away from the exyerimenter and he polygraph equipment, and was seated in a reclining chair. The Reyher (Rayner end Varble, 1962) system for index- ing each subjects resPOnse to or denial of the pull of the various projective cards was the instrument used for scoring a person's degree of repression (R9). 4 The projective cards used were deveIOped by Reyher and Varble (1962) and Reyher, Burns, and Castor (1966) and consisted of the following: Sexual—Oedipal: a small boy holds his genital area as he stands in the entrance of a bedroom observing two adults in suggestive e brace (see Aprons ix A); hostility: two adults are shown at the bottom of a staircase with the woman apparently res “st 1mg the man's hostile attack (see Agpendix 3). Procedure mm The Byrne repres sorusensitiz scale (1963) was given by psychology graduate assistants to their students with the following instructions (Weinstein, 1966): You are participating in a survey that is being conducted by some members of the psychology department. We would like your cooyeration in helping us to develon this questionnaire so that it may be of some usefulness in the years to COI‘CIG o o o o The subjects that qualified (see above, Subjects) were later contacted by teleyhone and asked to come in and participate in another phase of the research, in which they were seen separately in a session that lasted for about one hour. While the electrodes were being attached to t.e subject (palmar surface of t1.e lef t index and middle fingers) he was told to lie back in the reclini.g chair and to Close his eyes. At this time he was asked to report what he saw in his mind's eye. The eXperimenter maintained his silence except in the case of a silence of 2 minutes or more in which case he would say, "What is happening now?“. After 30 minutes of imagery the subject was presented with the projective cards for the.purpose of developing a more clinically derived index of the degree of repression. These were presented as follows: You will notice a pile of cards on the table in front of you, these cards are face down. Please turn over the top card and tell a story about the picture ~ What is going on, what led no to this scene, how it turns out (standard T.A.T. instruc- tions). As soon as you have finished please proceed to tne next card in a like manner and so on until you have gone through the cards. After the subject completed the set of cards the experimenter took the same cards, returned them to the table in front of the subject (in the same order of presen- tation) again face down and asked the subject to repeat the previous performance, making up different stories. This procedure was followed three times. If at the completion of these stories a theme appro- priate to each card (sexual—oodipal, hostility) had not H: 0 H O t.) 9. 5-) O a! l": f s Q H (D emerged in at least no of the stories subject was told the following: (prodded fantasy) Some peoyle tell stories about sex to this card, could you make up a story like that now? Some peeple tell stories about the boy resenting the presence of his father, and wanting to get into bed with his mother hi self. Could you make up a story like that now? Some peOple tell stories about anger or Lei , angry to this card, could vo; .ure u; a story like that now? u i ' [1" 7 If the stories were in line with the ”pull“ of the cards, the subject was given the following instructions at the end of his story telling. Reyher and Varble, 1962 (ego syntonic versus ego alien fantasies): When peoPle make up stories about these cards they often are talking about themselves, could this be true for you for any or all of the stories? The order in which the cards were presented were counterbalanced for each suuject. Feasures and scoring m Huh—A ~m The 65R was the measure of anxiety used. To arrive at a criterion measure for scorahle GSRs the following method was used. During the last 20 minutes of the 30 minute visual imagery period the three highest CSRs were recorded and their sum divided by three to get an average which in turn was divided by four. The resulting number was used to determine a scorable GSR: All CSRs of that magnitude or greater were counted during visual imagery and during the administration of the sexual-oedipal, and hostility projective cards. To determine the number of symbolic representations (derivatives) of unconscious drives (primary process) and the blatancy of those derivatives, the Pine manual (1960) for scoring verbally regcrted content of visual imagery was used. Cnly agreesive ans sexual themes were scored and these were not kept senarate. Two points were scored for A each level I primary process derivative (direct unsocialized firive eXpression) and one point score for each level II primary process derivative (direct socialized arive expression). These were totalled to arrive at each sub— ject's primary process score. Two graduate stuocnts in clinical psychology acted as the jueges. The Reyher (Reyher an& arblo, 1962) method of indexing (Hp) a person's degree of repression by their reSponse to the ”pull" of the projective cards with the hostility theme and the sexualwoefiipal theses (scored separately) was used by two graeuate students in clinical psychology. These we “judges“ independently scored each of the stories for the r-re seice of sexual ans/or Oedipal and/or hostile fantasies. Each subject' 3 stories were gix'o on a plus 1 if the relevant content (RF) was ranife stly pre s. nt, a zero if I not. This part of the P3: score contributed from 0 to 3 points toward the total rep essien inScx of the subject. If no relevant fantasies were produced in an area but a prodded fantasy (PF) (see Proceriure sectior ) was elicited hen a score of .5 was awarfled for the area(s) (sexual-oeaipal, hostile) in teed of a 0 score. vhe final contribution toward he repression index score was se ured tniox~x the ego syntouic~ego alien questioning (refer to Proeeeure section). If the subject accepted any of the stories wholeheartedly (AF) as his ozn (apt-lying to Himself) he received a score of 4 for each such ego syntenic story. For each story he accepted as ego syzitonic in a dubious or aLbivalent manner (AF') he was awarded 3 points, thus a maximum contribution to the score from this part woulé be 36 points (for each story he denied as applying to himself he was given a 0 score). In symbolic form the Repression Index is: up a :1}? + .Smxi’) + ISL-XI") + 3(413') The range of scores for the inoex could theoretically have poem 0 to 45, in actuality they ranged from 2 through 13. high scores represented little rerression, i.e., poor repressors (sensitizors) of the impulses investigated. Low scores indicated more refression (good repressors). The subject's Hp for the sexual theme, the oedipal theme, and the hostility theme were all combined to obtain a total repression index score (fly). For example a typical record could be rated as follows: Subject gave 2 Spontaneous stories of hostility to the hostility card a 2 x l a ZLF he gave 3 syontaneous stories of sex to sexual-oeflipal card - 3 x l u 3RF No syontaneous stories anrOpriate to the pull of the oedioal theme but one was elicited by prodding a l x .5 u .SPF During the determination of ego alien or ego syntonic he gave unequivocal agreement to 1 hostility story only I l x 4 a 43F He gruéqinqu accepted one sexual story as ego syntonic a l x 3 a SAF' He denied any acceotance of the preoded oedipal taewe as pertaining in any way to himself a l x 0 = 0 Thus his Pp score would be: Pp = 2 + 3 + .5 + 4 + 3 = 12.5 See aypendices for all Ry scores of the exyerimental group. hypendix C — Breakfiown of Hp scores and comparison with S»R scores. 10 Scorer reliability Using the Pine system for scoring primary process, the two judges agreed 86% of the time which is more than adequate for research purposes. The mean score was used in cases of cisagreement between the-judges. Two judges rated the index of repression for each subject by the projective method (see Procedure section). The Kendall tau (with ties) method was used to calculate interjudge reliability which was .896, .371, 1.0 and .836 for sexuality repression scores, hostility repression scores, oedipal repression scores, conbined (sex, hostility and oedipal repression score) reapectively. Ifientifying information was deleted from the protocols which were randomly presented to the juéges for scoring. F133 U‘LTS Hypothesis I: The subjects were rank ordered on the basis of the number of primary process derivatives weighted for drive level (see fieasures and Scoring section) each subject reported during visual imagery. The Mann—Whitney U test (corrected for ties) did not show a significant difference between repressors and sensitizers for the Byrne S—R scale. The subjects were reevaluated and designated as good repressors (repressors) or poor repressors (sensitizors) in accordance with the projective method of repression. This resulted in a significant difference (.01 level) in primary process derivatives in the predicted direction between the two groups. That is, good repressors (repressors) showed fewer signs of primary process than did poor repressors (sensitizers). Hypothesis I was supported. Hypothesis II: The number of geometric patterns reported by each subject was used to rank order the subjects. The Kann— Whitney U test (corrected for ties) comparing the two groups (as designated by the Byrne SmR scale) during visual imagery, was not significant. A comparable analysis was done with the projective scale and again, no statistically significant differences were found in the number of geometric patterns reported by the two groups. Hypothesis II was not susported. ll 12 Hypothesis III: Anxiety was quantified by totaling the number of scorable 5323 obtained by each subject (as described under Measures and Scoring section). The subjects were then rank ordered and each was then identified as a Repressor (good repressor) or as a Sensitizer (poor repressor) depending how he had been designated by the Byrne S—R scale. Using the Hann~¥hitney U test (corrected for ties) no significant diffierences were found between the two groups during the visual imagery period or during the period of story telling to the projective cards. The subjects were reevaluated in accordance with the projective index of repression and no significant differences between the two groups was found for either experimental conditions when analyzed by means of the Hann~whitney U test (corrected for ties). typothesis III was not supported. Other findings A more exhaustive analysis of the data was undertaken because the relationships among all of the variables were of intrinsic interest. Therefore, all possible combinations of variables were analyzed by means of a correlation matrix obtained by the Spearman Rho method (Table 1). It is of interest to note that EEEE the Byrne and the Reyher grOUps of good repressors (repressors) and poor repressors (sensitizers) showed significant differences in terms of 13 primary process in the correlation matrix. Thus 2333 supported Hypothesis I. As would be expected, primary process phenomena was significantly correlated with CSR, during projective stories (.01 level). The GSR curing projective stories was of interest not only as it made sense with the primary process variable as already noted but because there was a significant negative relationship to geometric patterns. This was to be expected since we have often these forms in psychotherapy with free imagery as a defense against intrusion of primary process. The significant correlation between 633 during projec- tive stories and during visual imagery periods is in a sense a reliability measure between two stressful situations. 14 TABLE 1 Spearman Rho Correlation matrix of Ranks (corrected for ties) Byrne Projective Primary Geometric 31633 S—R Inflex Process Patterns Imagery Story Byrne V* . S~R .17 .3d .Cl .24 .08 Projective 45, 12 _ 06 29 Index ° ° ' ' Primary ’ * Geometric _ _ Qt Patterns ‘24 ‘3" GER .61‘" Imagery GSR Story *Significant beyond .05 level. *‘Significant beyond .01 level. DISCr SSION A redistribution of the Byrne sensitizers and repres- sors into poor repressors the Reyher index of repression resulted in the one of the hypotheses, fies; i pepulation was not éichotonizoa instrument. possible actual incicate either an oW erloamii involvenont of only the repress The reaningful relations, CSR our the to Although the infiex spread of tJlO to t11irtcen. ing the projective and good repressors by means of support of the fact that the original acooréing to the Reyher CL of reero. ion is a spread of zero to fifty four there was only an This V'OUld to cos c of the ril~range or the ion end of the continuum. that were found between 0 ”1‘ ns stories and all the other variables in the correlation re tri x should provide an p. when used in conjunction with the projective It may prove to be a needed refinement that would possible the so nteresting and possibly fruitful basis for further study instrument. 1' maixe paration of suppressors from repres sors, that is, a "lie" detector test for regression. The most important find primary process entered into and significant correlations seems that repression is not regulates pri1nary process producing process. ing in the matrix was that meaningful relationships 3 O man3 with the other variables. response—producing itself, but whicii is a powe wrfll reSponse- when the GS \ for the projective card was bro}:en down into its component parts of sex and egression, it was found 15 16 that the projective repression index d.idh ave a statistically significant (.05 level) correlation with sex but not with aggression. This would seem to indicate that the repression is area Specific. That is, one wLo is a good repres sor in the sexual area mn.y not ale 0 be a good repres- sor in the aggressive area. This possibility should be investigated in a more detailed Htu y \mere the areas of repression are investigated separateIV. Appendix C reveals that a crossover or change in classification on the repressing-sensitizing dimension occurred for nine of the twenty-two sub -jects when the method of estimating this attribute was changed from the 8— R self rep ort Byrne scale to the Rp projective wethod. That is, five subjects from the extreme repressing (reo1*"sors) end of the S— R scale were re evaluated as being at the sensitizing (poor repressors) end when measured b. the Rp method. From the extreme sensitizing (sensitizers) end of the S»R scale four subjects were reclassified as repressors (good repressors) by the Rp method. It would appear that sorething different is being measured by the two methods and further research sears warranted. The most important find -ing of this study has been the re mfiization that primary process is directly representative of the blatancy of drive expression and as such is a quantifiable correlate of repression. This was not our original View of primary prococ 3 (via a sym JLolic l7 representation of unconscious drives) and this was initially viewed as a dependent variable but has as a result of this exPeriment given evidence of being an independent variable. When viewed in this light more of our hypotheses are supported, i.e., the degree of repression as represented by primary process is significantly correlated with hgth_measures (Hypothesis I) of the repression dimension (S-R scale and Rp method). Furthermore it is significantly correlated with 633 activity (Hypothesis III) during the projective stories and barely misses significance with GSR during visual imagery. It is in the correct direction for Hypothesis II concerning defenses. BIBLIOGRAPHY Altrocchi, J., Parsons, O. A., and Dickoff, H., "Changes in Self—Ideal Discrepancy in Repressors and Sensitizers," Journal 9: fignormal and Social Psychology, 1960, pp. 67:72. "'“°""‘" "M ' Assagioli, R. Psychosynthesis: A Manual of Princi 9‘— “-‘D.. - I Technicues. new York: Hobbs, orman & Co., 9 I”. 1'“..- coat-“ les and ES. Byrne, Donn, ”The Repression-Sensitization Scale: Rationale, Reliability, and Validity,“ Journal 9; Personality, 1961, 29, pp. 333-349. Byrne, Donn; Barry, James: and Nelson, Don., ”Relation of The Revised Repression-Sensitization Scale to Measures of Self-Description," Psychological Eeyorts, 1963, 13 (2)! PP- 323*334. Freud, S. The Interpretation of Dreams. (Trans. by A. A. Brilley,” New York: u‘eern “LiLrary, 1950. Goldberger, :., "Simple Method of Producing Dreamlike Irages in the Waking State," Psychosomatic gedicine, 1957, 19, pp. 127-133. ” Peerican Jetzrnal of 0-- - * -‘rw- -~m Jellinek, A., “Spontaneous Imagsr ry, gsychotherapy: 1949, 3, pp. 372- 391. Kuhie, L., "The Use of Induced Hypnotic Reveries in the Recovery of Repressed Amnesic Data,” Bulletin_?enniqge£ Eliflig' 1943, 7, pp. 172-182. Pine, Fred, ”A Manual for Rating Drive Content in the Thematic Apperception Test," EQFE§3£.S: grglggtrvo Techniques, 1960, p. 24. Reyher, J., "Free Imagery: Ln Uncovering Procedure," Journal of Cligigil Psyc‘cloov, 1963,19 (4), Eli). M154“ 459. Reyher, J., 8 varble, Duane. A Pilot Study of Repression and Somatization. Unpuh lished paner. .1cliJan State University, 1962. Smeltzer, William E. A Comparative Study of Visual Imagery and Verbal Association. Unpublished thesis for Haster's degree, Michigan State University, 1966. Warren, M., ”The Significance of Visual Ixuages During the Analytic Ses sion," Journal of Kloricig 37791931"1"..% Association, 1961,19, 504 518. g..-“- 18 l9 Weinstein, Ira P. The Recall of Memories as a Function of Repressing and Sensitizing Defenses and Body Position. Unpublished doctoral dissertation, Michigan State University, 1966. 20 my». ,.,.. .. “W .vrv an} .‘I «,1. Cu. 4\. 1’ v.11... _ , a... .. C anemone . .P. .‘I i T .II . 21 22 Appendix C Breakdown of hp Scores and Comparison With S-R Score Byrne Proj . Changes S-R Rp 1(RF) + .S(PF) + 4(AF) + 3(AF') in Subj. # Score Score Class 5 5 u 5 + 0 + 0 + O 9 9 6 = 6 + 0 + 0 + 0 R- PR 16 13 11 a 5 + 0 + 0 + 6 R- PR 8 14 3 e 3 + 0 + 0 + 0 12 14 4.5 a 4 + .S + 0 + 0 7 16 4 a 4 + 0 + 0 + 0 2 l6 4 a 4 + 0 + 0 + 0 17 16 8 =3 5 + 0 + 0 + 3 R-- PR 19 17 4 = 4 + 0 + 0 + 0 10 17 10 u 6 + O + 4 + 0 R- PR 15 24 5 - 5 + 0 + 0 + 0 2O 24 6 = 6 + 0 + 0 + 0 R- PR 21 Of the 12 above Repressors (R) per Byrne scale, 5 became poor repressors (PR) per projective method. 88 5.5 - 5 + .S + 0 + 0 5 82 7 a 3 + O + 4 + 0 4 79 5 - 5 + 0 + o + 0 so CR 1 78 5 a 5 + o + 0 + 0. s~ GR 18 75 6 n 6 + 0 + 0 + 0 3 73 13 u 5 + 0 + 8 + 0 11 72 7 - 3 + 0 + 4 + 0 14 72 11 . 5 + o + 0 + 6 22 70 2 - 2 + 0 + 0 + o s— GR 6 70 3 - 3 + o + o + 0 3- GR 13 Of the 10 above Sensitizers (3) per Byrne scale, 4 became good repressors (CR) per projective method. "IIIIIIIIIIIIII