PERSONALITY ADJUSTMENT OF A G I N G WOMEN

By
ALVIS WA YM A N C A LIM AN

A THESIS
Submitted to the School of Graduate Studies of M i c h i g a n
State College of Agriculture and Applied Science
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

Department of Psychology

1951

PxiSSOHAulTY AI>JU3TlIEr? Oi ^.OlHQ

By
Alvi» V.aymua Calimsa

AJT AB3T5U CT
iitttaltttd to tho Johool of Graduate stadias of Michigan
State College of Agriculture and Applied science
in partial fulfillment of the requirement*
for tho degree of
DOCTOR Or PHILOSOPHY

Department of Psychology

Year

19(1

ilvla ilagpw

The pvrpca* of this U T t o t i g a t i o o « u
study of 46 S o g r o m a i n
Uailog, Alotigan*

(3 * 1 1mow

to m k o * poroonality

between Itao ogoo of 60 sol 88* roolding in

Tho M a p i o hah pmloutljr boon used in a

loss! study r e p o r t e d by -Or* Margaret

Ohloont Head* ^apartment of

r'ooda end nutrition* Miohigaa d t a t e College ( 6 ) .

It was hoped th a t

tho investigation would provide an answer to tho rellowlng questionst
1*

How dL© Rorsc i m a h xiudin&s for those women compare with find­

ings reported f o r other ssoplos of normal adults and aged poisons (1*4
£•

ire t h e r e differeaoes related to ago in tho personality

structure of those wo.r.en as indicated by the ^orsonsoh test?
5*

is aetivity related to ago difierenees* and to dirferenoes

in level Of emotional adjustment;
4*

Is the health status of the sample related to ago differ*

enoos* sod to level ol emotl L.nm\ adjustment?
6*

Is dietary status related to age differ eases* and to level

of emotionsi adjustment?
6*

Is there relationship between sooio-eoomomio faetors sad

level of emotional adjustment?
Ihe Eorsohaoh test (1) and the lotivity inventory (3) were
adraini stored to eaoh woman individually by the writer*

Results of

medioal examinations* nutritional data* individual health ratings*
sod sooio-economic data were sssde available oy •t>r • Ohlson*
To ascertain age dlfferenoes* the sample was divided into two
groupsi

uToap 1*

women 60 to 69 years of agei sad Group II, 23

women 60 to 63 years of age*

'ihe Eorsohaoh tests for eaoh age group

were rated Individually by three judges in order to determine the
beat sad poorest adjusted women*

Alvis M | a u 0>11— w

The u j e r findings « m
1*

raportea

m

follows*

The ^ o r M b a o b finding* Indian tad that the ability to pereelve

environmental situations adequately had not dan 11nod with age*

Tha aged

women aara no mora stereotyped in thair thinking than othar n o n u l
aamplas from different aga groups*

Tharo had bean no loss of amotionml

control for tha sample aa a whole*

In raapact to aga differences*

Group 1 gave eignifioi.ntly mora Anatomy raaponsaa thun Group II.

Thla

difference ana lntarpratad aa ra la tad to tho man opansa.
£•

Tho Activity inventory find Inga indicated that the women of

Group I aara more active than tha warnsn in Group II.

In addition*

women of both age groups rated as bast adjusted, mere more active than
tha woman rated poorest in emotional adjustment*
3*

vvo^en Judged as bast adjusted mere found to have a better

health status than the poorest adjusted women.
Am

On the whole the bast adjusted wcmen tended to have better

dietary intake.
6*

In the present sample tharo was no significant relationships

between socio-economic factors and level of emotional adjustment*

AAT1B

Wm&liaflB

Bibliography
JBeefc, Samuel j.
oritbMb'a Peat I. Basic probosses.
arose and Stratton, 1944.

dew York:*

Book:* Samuel J«, hebia, A lbort 1.. i’M e m , *arran C*», Mollah,
Kena&a, and Ifcetford, William n . l!ho normal personality as pro­
jected into the aereenash test* J • vayohol,, i960* 30, 241-298,
Cowan, **uth s., Burgees, Mrnest *,, fiavi^hurat, dobert J,, and
Goldhamer, Lerbert Personal adjustment In old age, Chioago,
DOienoe heeeareh Associates, lno,, 1749*
Chesrow. s.ugene J., ioaiAa, raul li,. and ^oinits, Arthur H.
A psychometric evaluation of aged wliito males, deria^rlos,
1949, 4, 169-177.
0hison, Margaret A. lletary praotioea of 100 women 40 to 75 years
Of age, J, Aaor. Aaaoc,, 1943, 24, 234-291.

ACKNOWLU.DGMENTS
The writer expresses deep gratitude to Dr.
Harold H. Anderson,

under whose direction the present

investigation was carried out.
Ghlson,

To Dr. i^rgaret A.

the writer is great ly indebted.

made available

the sample,

employed in the study,

Dr.

Ohlson

and several kinds of data

ana also was of invaluable

assistance in the treatment of the nutritional data.
Dr. B. Howara Bartley,

nr. Albert I. Rabin,

and Dr.

!*_. nay Denny were especially helpful in initiating the
investigation.

Dr. Babin also was of great assistance

in treating the Rorschach data.
thank Dr. Abr aham darp,

Dr.

The writer wishes to

Stewart G. Armitage,

and

k r . Harry A. Blair for assistance in rati n g the R o r ­
schach protocols.

Finally,

the author wishes to

acknowledge the aid and suggestions given by the p s y ­
chological

internes at the

Administration Hospital.

fort duster Veterans

TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER
I

II

PAGE
THE NATURE OF THIS S T U D Y ....................

1

Purposes of the Present Investigation...

7

Instruments and Data E m p l o y e d ............

7

Description o f the S a m p l e ................

9

PERSONALITY FACTORS AS REVEALED BY R O R ­
SCHACH F I N D I N G S .................................

19

Comparisons of Rorschach Findings in the
Present Sample with Those Reported by
Beck and Those by C h e s r o w .................

19

Comparison of Rorschach Findings in the
Two Age Groups of the Present Sample...
III

A3

FINDINGS CONCERNING SOCIO-ECONOMIC STATUS,
PHYSICAL AND SColAL ACTIVITY,
HEALTH,

AND SOCIAL,

AND NUTRITIONAL S T A T U S ..............

55

Rorschach Ratings of A d j u s t m e n t ...........

55

The Relation of Age ana Level of Adjustment
to The Activity I n v e n t o r y ...............

56

The Relation of .emotional Adjustment to
Socio-Economic F a c t o r s .....................

63

The Relation of Age and Level of
Adjustment to Nutritional S t a t u s .........

67

The Relation of A g e ana Level of
Adjustment to H e a l t h .......................

80

CHAPTER

PAGE
The Relation of Age and Levels of
Adjustment to Blood P r e s s u r e ..........

IV

#3

T H e QUESTION OF INFLUENCE OF RACE OR COLOR
ON THL F I N D I N G S .............................

S6

S U M M A R Y ......................................

94

B I B L I O G R A P H Y ........................................

99

AP P e N D I X .............................................

102

V

LIST OP TABLES
TABLE

PAGE

I Characteristics of the Sam pl e...........
II Age Data of Total Sample and S ub -Groups.......

13
17

III Highest School Grades Completed for Total
Sample and Su b- Gr o up s ..........................
IV Rorschach Responses and Approach........... • •••

18
20

V Rorschach

2 Score Distributions................

23

VI Rorschach

Movement Re sp on se s...................

25

Color Re s po ns es . ..............

28

Y Re sp on se s...........................

31

Space R e s p o n s e s

34

VII Rorschach
Vl'II Rorscnach
IX R or schach
X Rorschach

...............

F Plus Responses Per Cent...........

36

Human R es ponses.....................

38

Animal Response Per C e n t . ...........

40

XIII Anatomy R e s p o ns es .. . .............................

42

XIV Rorschach Popular R e sponses.....................

44

XV Summary of 16 Rorschach V a r i a b l e s ..............

46

XI Rorschach
XII R or schach

XVI Rorschach Movement-Color Response Relation­
s hi p ...........................

49

XVII Percentages of Agreement Among Raters A, B,
and C in Rating Best Adjusted and Poorest
Adjusted From Rorschach P r o t oc o ls ...........
XVIII Ratings of Best and Poorest Adjusted Records..
XIX Activity Inventory Scores of Groups I and II..

59
59

61

TABLE

PAGE

XX Activity Inventory Scores of Best and Poorest
A d j u s t e d ........................................

61

XXI Mean Daily Intake of Nutrients By the Two Age
G r o u p s ....................... 70
xXII Mean Daily Intake of Nutrients By the Best
and Poorest Adjusted of

Group I ..............

71

XXIII Mean Daily Intake of Nutrients By the Best
and Poorest Adjusted of

Group I I .............

72

X X I 7 Health Evaluation Scores of Group I and
Group I I * . ..................................

33

XXV Health Evaluation Scores o f Best and Poorest
Adjusted Subjects.,,...........................
,1X71 Systolic Blood Pressure

(mm); and Diastolic

Blood Pressure in the Two Gr ou p s .............
XXVII Systolic Blood Pressure

83

86

(mm); and Diastolic

Blood Pressure (mm) in the Best and Poorest
Adjusted S u b j e cts..... .......................

86

CHAPTER I
T H E NATURE OF THIS STUDY
Within the past two decades an increasing amount
of attention and investigation has been focused on the
adjustment of the so-called old people in our society.
This interest in the problems of the older persons has
been reflected in an increasing number o f books concern­
ing the problems of a g i n g , an increasing number of pro­
jects in psychological and sociological research,

and

the emergence of professional journals such as Geriatrics
and G e r o n t o l o g y . which are focused on the area of later
maturity.

In recent years the American Psychological

Association has set up a separate division,

the

Division on Jviaturity and Old Age, through which the
several interests of psychologists in this area are
expressed.

Beginning with the September, 1947 issue of

Psychological Abstracts . the abstracts of publications
in the area of old age were presented separately as a
part of the section of Developmental Psychology,
volume II of the Annual Review of Psychology

In

(26) a

complete chapter was devoted to reviews of studies in
the area of later maturity; whereas, in the first volume
of that publication the studies in the area o f old age
were reviewed in the chapter called,

"Growth, Development,

2
and Decline."
Most psychological research in old age has to date
been concerned with mental disorders and mental capacities.
Kaplan (14) has edited a book, which considered in some
detail the mental disorders prominent in later life.
While presenting with clarity information concerning
mental illnesses in old age, the emphasis of the book was
primarily in the direction of the abnormal person.

In

this respect it is illustrative of the emphasis of most
of the research about problems of aging, in that the
abnormal person rather than the normal has served as the
subject.
In another volume edited by Lawton (18), the
problems of aging persons were presented and discussed
by writers of different professional and vocational b ac k ­
grounds.

Here, also, the design of the book tended to

emphasize persons with problems.

This emphasis has not

contributed to our knowledge of the later years of normal
adult life.
Along with studies of mental disorders, one is
able to find many studies concerning the performance of
aged persons on various tests of mental ability and
mechanical aptitude.
Wechsler

Many investigators, including

(28), have pointed out a general decline in

mental functioning with age.

3
Of interest to persons working in the area of the
problems of the normal aged person, is a recent book by
Cavan, Burgess, Havighurst, and Goldhamer
Personality Adjustment in Old A g e .
obtained from 2,9S& individuals,
the book.

(7), entitled,

Facts and data

served as the basis of

The book attempts to identify and define the

problems occurring in later life, and to analyse the
adjustment of the aging.

The authors described two

instruments which were employed to evaluate adjustment in
old age.

The instruments were an Activity Inventory, and

an Index of Attitudes.

The former instrument was employed

in the present investigation.
In reference to instruments employed in the study
of personality adjustment, the Rorschach has been used
frequently.

This instrument has been in recent years

employed to measure personality adjustment in later years.
Therefore a review o f its use in such undertakings is
in order.
Since the introduction of the Rorschach test

(24)

in 1922, the test has been employed in many studies, with
the usual point of departure being the use of the test in
clinic settings.

It is not difficult to understand why

many of the reported investigations in the Rorschach
method are based on findings obtained from patients in
mental institutions,

if one only review the early history

of the test.

Rorschach based his early findings on

investigations carried out with pathological subjects.
Investigations in the Rorschach method employing normal
subjects

are

not numerous.

Individuals free of person­

ality disorders ordinarily do not present themselves to
agencies whose interests lie in the study and treatment
of personality disorders.

For this reason alone there

is some difficulty securing for Rorschach study n o n ­
disturbed individuals; hence most Rorschach research
continues wich clinic or agency cases.
Most Rorschach studies reported for normal samples,
use as subjects students or institution employees.

Probably

the most extensive normative Rorschach study reported to
date, is that by Beck, Rabin, Thiesen, Molish,
(5)*

and Thetford

The study was based on 157 employees of the Spiegel

Mail Order House in Chicago,

Illinois.

This sample in­

cluded various levels of socio-economic status and intel­
lectual achievement.

The subjects were not, however,

differentiated as to age.
Of the Rorschach studies reported on normal persons,
very few have been reported on individuals in the later
periods of life.

Information on the Rorschach performance

of older persons is, therefore, limited.

Recently,

two

Rorschach investigations dealing with older persons were
published.

Chesrow, Woisika, and Reinitz

(6) reported

5
Rorschach findings based on 20 male patients at the Oak
Forest Infirmary, Oak Forest,

Illinois.

The ages of

these patients ranged from 64 to 83 years.

The educa­

tional level was varied, ranging from college training
for one patient to no formal training for another.

The

hospitalization of the patients was due primarily to
physical ailments.

The authors summed up their findings

with the Rorschach as follows: "The evaluation of the
Rorschach test generally shows: Delayed responses, reduced
number of responses,

stereotyped thinking,

constriction

in intellectual and emotional spheres, and impotence.

In

this group these are related to the aging of the mental
p rocesses.” (8, p. 177).
A second study of aging persons by Prados and
Fried,

(21), reported Rorschach findings based on 35

subjects between the ages of 50 and 80.

The sample was

not described other than to state that the subjects were
able to carry on everyday tasks.

The authors pointed out

a trend of emotional and intellectual deterioration with
age, and appeared to relate these changes to the aging
processes.

The authors did point out that these changes

did not progress at a uniform rate, and were not uniformly
present in all subjects.
The two studies mentioned, while valuable in
presenting data on older persons,

are somewhat limited in

6
scope.

First, the Rorschach was the only instrument used.

Second, the studies were cross sectional and gave no
indications of change with age in Rorschach performance.
A problem that arises in all investigations with
older age groups is that of fixing a point for the begin­
ning of old age.

Many age points have been arbitrarily

set for various purposes as the beginning of old age.
The United States Congress,

for the purpose of paying

social security benefits, has set age 65 as the b e gi n­
ning age for old age benefits.

Recently there have been

proposals for a downward revision of this age level.
order to designate the various phases of aging,

In

Stieglitz

(26 ) has suggested an overlapping classification of the
stages of aging,
maturation,

including the periods of

senescence, and involution.

tion is, of course,

evolution,
This classifica­

based on physiological changes.

spite of obvious difficulties,

In

students of problems of

aging usually take some chronological point as their
reference.
The present study was undertaken with the full
cooperation of Dr. Margaret A. Ohlson,

Head of the

Department of Foods and Nutrition, Michigan State college.
Dr. Ohlson very generously made available to the writer
the results of dietary studies, physical examinations,
health ratings,

and socio-economic data.

1. Purpose of the present investigation
The general purpose of the present investigation
was to make a personality study of the sample of aging
women,

for w hom certain data had been made available to

the writer by Dr, Ohlson,
Concisely,
gation would,

it was hoped that the present investi­

in part, answer the following questions:

a. How do Rorschach findings for the present
sample compare with findings reported for other
samples of normal adult and aged subjects?
b. Are there differences related to age in the
personality structure of the present sample as
indicated by the Rorschach?
c. Is the health status of the sample related to
age differences,

and to level of emotional

adjustment?
d. Is physical and social activity related to age
differences,

and to level of emotional adjustment?

e. Is dietary status related to age differences,
and to level of emotional adjustijient?
f. Is there relationship between socio-economic
factors and level of emotional adjustment?
2• Instruments and data employed in the present investigation
The present study employs the following i ns t r u m e n t s :

8
The Rorschach test,
Rorschach test

and the Activity Inventory.

The

(2) is a relatively unstructured p r o­

jective personality test consisting of ten ink blots
which yields information on the personality structure,
emotional adjustment, methods of dealing with environ­
mental situations,

and the integrative capacity of the

subject.
The Activity Inventory,
gess,

developed by Cavan,

Havighurst, and Goldhamer

Bur­

(7), was used in this

investigation as an index of social and physical activity
in later life.

The inventory will be described later.

In addition,

three kinds of data were made avail­

able from the study conducted by Dr. Ohlson

(19)*

(a)

Results from medical examination were available for each
subject.

This examination provided information in the

following areas: height and weight, blood pressure, blood
sugar, reproductive functioning, bone structure,
surgery and illnesses,

and past

(b) A socio-economic questionnaire

provided the following information:
o f income, home ownership,

sources of and amount

family membership, length of

time in the community, education, and marital status.
(c) Dietary summaries provided data on the intake of
calories, minerals,
adequacy•

vitamins,

and proteins, and on diet

9
3• Description of the sample
Findings in the present investigation are reported
for 45 Negro women between the ages of 50 and 83, residing
in Lansing, Michigan, an industrial city of approximately
100,000 in central Michigan,

The subjects had been

obtained by the Department of Foods and Nutrition for the
dietary studies conducted by that department.

The sub­

jects came from all parts of the city in which colored
families lived, and were selected for the purpose of
making them representative of Negro women of the stated
age range in the city of Lansing,

Fifty women were seen

in the laboratory of the Department of Foods and Nutri­
tion; of these 50 , 45 of the women composed the present
sample•
All contacts for the administration of the Ror­
schach and the Activity Inventory were made by the writer.
The procedure was for the investigator to call in person
at the residence of each subject,

either to make an

appointment for testing or to administer the instruments
during the initial contact.

Upon initial contact with

the subject, the author asked her if she recalled her
visit to the Department of Foods and Nutrition on the
campus of Michigan State College.
recalled this visit immediately.

The subject usually
The author next informed

the woman that he was from the Department of Psychology

10
at the college, and was cooperating with the Department
of Foods and nutrition in a continuation of the study in
which she hac previously participated.

The woman was

asked if the writer might use an hour or so of her time,
or, if she was busy at the time, could he make an appoint­
ment for an interview in the next few days.

In approx­

imately 50 70 of the contacts the subject had the time for
an immediate interview.
All testing ana interviewing was cone by the
author in the homes of the subjects, usually in the late
morning or early afternoon hours for women who were not
working outside of their homes, ana in the evening for
those women holding outsiae jobs.
testing were at a minimum.

Disturbances during

On the whole fewer disturbances

were incurred than one often finas in some clinics
and hospitals.
The author usually began the interview by asking
the subject her impression of the visit to the laboratory
at the college.

In general most of the women were quite

impressed by the treatment they haa been a c e o r d e a , and
in particular by the medical examination.

This conver­

sation served to establish rapport between the subject
ana investigator.
versation,

after ten or fifteen minutes of con­

the author followeo with the administration of

the Rorschach and Activity Inventory.

At the conclusion

of

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T .

62

1

63

39

64

62

T •

£

i.

61
61

73

L>

A
7•
1VL

- ep
i'l

,1

oep

Ok

11

G

H

Yes

4

wO

1

Yes

9

WO

0

20

Yes

10

No

0

28

i'.O

2

wo

0

17

Yes

7

Yes

1

4

Yes

12

;.0

0

28

wo

4

WO

5

7

Yes

0

0

63

WO

n

wO

1

3

aj

I1

(

J
«**N

Yes

n

Yes

c

43

41

65

4

Yes

12

Yes

2

65

64

65

T■

Yes

12

WO

4

23

r*.

66

Yes

4

No

5

06

67

Yes

6

No

4

o7

£(

29

P

H

VJl

Li.Lj-.lJ 1 (wCilt^fl#)
nA

U

fc

u

1

0

H

1

J

ho

o

5

YeS

1

5

3

-.0

3

10

rO

1

33

n'
I

67

01

67

it

-.0

n.
-

TLi

71

tt

Yes

95

X

75

-V

•mO

4

no

5

23

77

A

rO

8

rO

8

53

ec

rlr

Yes

£

6

liO

1

51

u

no

u

8

uO

2

52

17
?3
82

b

to

5o

2 yr coll

rxplanetio:i of fable:
column £— B - Subjects rated as best adjusted
P - Subjects rated as poorest aajusted
c— 1 - harriec. anc living wit.h hucbaad
.. - b'idow
tep - V.oman living
apart from husband, including divorced
a— Yes - Owns home outright or paying for same
..o - rents or lives with member of family
f--/ - Unoer ,1000
* - ,r15oC to *1999 ^-v250o to 2999
r - flOOO to .*1499
u - v20uo to *2499 r-*30C0 to 3499
G - ,,3500 to 3999 H - „400o to 4999 I-v.5000 to 5999
0— refers to highest grade completed
H— Yes - .voman works outside of home
:>o - noman does not work outside of home
1— Kefers to number of children born to woman exclusive of
still births

o

17
TABLE II
AGE LATA OF TOTaL SAMPLa ALL SUBGROUPS

Group

i'J

Range

Lean

SD

I

22

50-59

53.77

2.94

II

23

60-63

66.43

6.33

45

50-63

60.13

6.02

Total

TABLL III
HlGHusT SCHOOL GRALL COi'iI'LriTLL FOR TOTAL BARFLL
AHD SUBGROUPS

Group

H

Dean

SL

I

22

S.l

2.56

II

23

7.4

3.19

45

7.7

3.03

Total

CHAPTER II
PERSONALITY FACTORS AS R e VEALEL) BY RORSCHACH FIN LINGS
In this chapter the Rorschach findings for the
present sample will be compared with the findings reported
by beck and colleagues, and the findings reported by
Chesrow ano associates.

In the second part of the chap­

ter the performance of the two age g r o u p s of the present
sample will be contrasted.

The sample employed by Beck

and colleagues will be referred to as the Beck-Spiegel
sample; and the sample used by Chesrow ana associates
will be referred to as the wuesx-ow-Uak Forest sample .
The Rorschachs of the present sample were scored accord­
ing to the Beck methoo

(2).

A. Comparison Of Rorschach Findings

The oaliman

Bample Aitli Finding s In The neck-Bpi eg e l , And ChesrowOak Torest Bamples
1. Responses ana Approach
Table 4 presents the total responses ano the
approach data for the Caliman ano Beck-opiegel samples.
The approach data indicate the number of the total responses
which are: 1 ) whole responses,

2 ) commonly seen details

of the card, or }) less frequently seen details.
The mean number of total responses in the present samrle

20
tablr

iv

RORGCHACH Rt,Gi CNC^S AND APPROACH*

Response Per Cent oaliman
Per Cent Beck-Cpiegel
Cample
Cample
CP
»'*ean CP
itean
ih dirr
R

20.20 5.90

32.65 17.68

24

4.91 2.18

17

jj

73

14.82 4.28

73

3

.69 1.11

10

Pa

*The approach data lor the
were not available

5.50

3.76

22.85 10.49
3.02

3.38

12.45 7.45
.59 1.31
r'A
O•
to

\j

"t"

7.57

2 .67 8.34

-hesrow-Oak Forest- sample

21
was 2 0 .2 0 , which was significantly lower than given by the
Eeck-opiegel sample.
of 32.65 responses.

The oeck-opiegel sample gave a mean
The mean number of responses for the

ohesrow-Gak forest sample was 1 8 .0 5 , which aid not differ
significantly from the mean number given by the present
sample.
As the Ualiman ana bhesrow-Gak forest samples are c om­
posed of aged persons,

the findings appear to indicate a

decline in itorschach productivity in the later years of
life.

Klopfer

age home,

(1 7 ), reporting on a sample from an old

found a mean cf 13 total responses.

The age

range of the Klopfer sample was 62 to 93 years.
Examining the approach aata in the present

sample,

it

was founa that the subjects tended to accentuate the W
response,

while the Dd response was virtually neglected.

The emphasis on the \\ responses occurrec to the extent
that

the mean

response of 4.91 in the present sample

approached the 5-50 mean W response of the Eeck-upiegel
subjects,

although the mean total response of the latter

sample was greater by 12.45*

The excess of W over bd

appearea to indicate less anxiety and neurotic strivings
in the declining years of life.

The aesire to pursue ana

search out various aspects of the environment

seemea to

give way to a more passive acceptance of the environment,
lor the most part the whole responses in the sample of

22
older women were the common,
response

easily perceived type of

, euch as the "bat” and "butterfly.”
It is possible that poor vision in the aged group

might have accounted in part for the fewer number of Dd
responses.

For the present

sample there was no inform­

ation available on vision.
2 . Z, The Organizational
The 1 score concept,

Score

as developed by neck

(2 ), refers

to the ability of the subject to perceive two or more
parts of the card in relationship;
card as a whole.

or to perceive the

In this framework,

Z is inaicative of

the intellectual energy of the subject and his present
intellectual functioning.

This concept does net refer

to intelligence per se, or to intellectual potential,
but to present intellectual activity.

Table V shows the

Z score distribution in the Caliman beck-Spiegel and
Zhesrow-Gak Forest samples.

It is expected that the Z

score will be related to the total number of responses.
It follows that with a smaller number of responses,
Z score will be smaller.

the

As there was a mean response

differential of 12.46 in i'avor of the Beck-Zpiegel sample
over the present s a m p l e , it would be expected that the
former sample would show a correspondingly higher Z score
activity.

23
TABLE V
RORSCHACH Z SCORE DISTRIBUTIONS

N

Mean

SD

45

13.91

7.74

Beck-Spiegel 147

22.48

14.91

5.23

Chesrow-Oak
Forest

11.92

5.26

1.18

Sample
Caliman

20

n-tn *

* The " t n scores given refer to the nt n difference
between the sample for which the score is given and
the Caliman sample.
This holds true for the other
tables in this report.

24
One ether rinding in regard to 4 score in the
Beck-Cpiegel sample may shea some light on Z score act­
ivity in the Caliman sample.

The mean Z score Tor the

beck-Bpiegel sample was 2 2 .4 b; while that in occupational
group "four” for the same sample was 16.20.
pational group was an unskilled group,

This occu­

composed of

persons employed as ushers, warehouse packers,
operators,

and washroom attendants.

relation of 2 to vocation,

elevator

Concerning the

neck ana colleagues statea,

"The higher the vocational group,
intellectual energy represented by

the higher the Z.

The

has its selective

potency in the competitive field which present-day
industry i s "(5 , p. 2 5 2 ).
The mean Z score for the Caliman sample tended to
approach the mean

Z score of occupational group "four"

of the Beck-Zpiege±

sample.

There appears to be some

basis for assuming that the occupational status and
intellectual level of the present sample may have been
contributing factors to the lowered 1 score productivity.
3, It, The Movement Response
The Movement responses or i. (,Ta clown dancing,"
or "two persons holding a basket'1) yield an indication
of the creativity ana the imaginative processes of the
person.

The ability for rational evaluation of environ­

mental problems is also reflected in the K response.

25
TABLE VI
RORSCHACH MOVEliEET RESPONSES

sample

Mean

•

oD

Caliman

I.33

1.47

beck-Spiegel

3.50

3*24

Chesrow-Oak
Forest,

1.65

1.20

26
Table VI shows the number of io responses given by
the subjects of the baliman,
Ca.c Torcst samples.

B e c k - c p i e g e l , and bhesrow-

The M response occurred one-half

as frequently in the present sample as it occurred in
the Beck cpiegel subjects.

There was no significant

difference between the mean K responses
and dhesrow-Oak Forest samples.

in the caliman

These results were not

surprising as the individuals in the two latter samples
haa passed their most productive ana creative years.

The

standard deviations cf the three samples indicate con­
siderable variability an the distribution of the M response.
In each of the three samples a relatively small number of
the subjects were very productive in --overnent responses,
materially elevating the mean for each sample.

The

majority of the subjects in each sample fell below the
f
Stan 6 heir sample in M productivity.
As A is indicative
of creative ability,

the consistency in the~e findings

may be reflective cf the distribution of creative ability
in our culture; or at least reflective of the manifesta­
tions of that ability.
4. dolor Responses
The color response in Rorschach framework is
indicative cf the amount and t pe of emotional expression.
There are primarily
(a) Pure

wolor,

three types of color reap nses:

in which the percept is determined solely

27
by the color.

(b) dolor-Form,

in which the percept is

determined primarily by the color and secondarily,
form or shape.

ror example a butterfly is perceived,

because of the color mainly,
or form.

by the

and also because cf the shape

(c) F o r m - d o l o r , in w-ich the percept is

determined primarily because of the form, anc secondarily
because of the color.

The example of the butterfly would

hole here, with the exception that the iorrn woulo be
more important than the color.
Table VII shows the mean:, of the three types of
color responses ana also the sum of the color values for
the three samples.

The findings concerning color seem to

indicate that the 45 aging colored women of the caliman
stucy ana the 20 male patients in the ohesrow-Oak Forest
sample shewed a lesser tendency for overt emotional
expression and labiiit;
Opiegel

the., the subjects cl' the Leck-

sample, which contained on the whole younger

persens.
Rorschach findings with children often reveal an
unbridled variety of affective expression,

illustrated

by a predominance of lure dolor and dolor-oorrn responses,
in children thio is founa to be normal, and is to be
expected

in the- normal unhibited child.

in her ttucy with
of rure dolor anc

Ford (10) found

children that there was a predominance
dolor-*’orm responses over the rorm-^olor

TABLo VII
RORCCHACL COLOR RECrOl.CbC *

Cum of Color
vaJues

oum of Pure
Color

Cum of oolor
i'orm
k

Cum of Form
Color

k

CL

k

Cb

oaliman

1.53

1.37

.33

.77

.64

.82

.56

.76

beck-Cpiepel

3.11

2.74

.49

.81

1.44

1.77

1.16

1.15

Chesrow-Oak
iorest

1.25

1.91

.90

1.41

.30

.64

.05

.16

Cample

Cb

M

oD

*The weightings used for the sum of the color values are those used by
beck ( 2):

Pure Color responses 1.5, Color-Form responses 1.0, ana Form-

Color responses 0.5

N)

oa

29
responses.

aI so

referring to changes in affective

responsivity with age, Rabin and Beck stated,

"A

generalized drop in affactivity, and most particularly
in primitive affect,

is concomitant with rise in age level.”

(23), p. 599).
By the time the normal child reaches the early
adult years the ability to control

childish affectivity

is present, however tendencies for labile reactivity may
yet r e m a i n .
sample,

Beck and collaborators refer to their

TT. . . a s having made some progress towards

maturity and towards capacity for social r a p p ort"(5 , p.
259).

The subjects in the present sample appear to be

emotionally

stable,

of excitability.
ing years

anc to have a relatively lov; degree

There is no evidence that the declin­

of the normal adult are marked

to childhood emotionality.

Ly a return

These findings inoicai.e that

on the whole normal persons in olo age have adequate
control of their overt emotional expression.
5. Y, The Light-determined. Responses
The Y response is taken to be indicative of passiv­
ity and especially that passivity stemming from the
anxiety'- of the subject.
in pathological

When this type of response occurs

frequency,

feelings of depression.

it is indicative of fear and

30
For a percept to be labeled as a light-determined
response,

the percept must be determineo in whole or

part by shading or dilTerences in light values.

The

perceiving of clouds, because of the darkness of the
particular card, would be an example of a Y type of
response.
values,

Y responses may be determined wholly by light

or in part by form or shape; however,

in this

report the Y responses are not differentiated.
Table VIII presents the mean Y responses for the
three samples.

In both the Caliman sample ano the Ches­

row-Oak Forest subjects the Y response occurred less
frequently than in the sample
by Beck and colleagues.

o_l

normal adults,

reported

The Y factor in the latter sample

was certainly not indicative of clinical abnormality;
but in the two samples of olcer persons, anxiety,
trayed by Y, appeared to be even further reduced.

as por­
This

seems tc reflect a tendency of the oloer-agea groups to
accept their status in life anc their total adjustment
without any great anxiety over effecting a change in con­
ditions.

There is no evidence whether the institutional­

ization of the Chesrow-Oak Forest sample affected the anxiety
of the twenty aged males.
o. V, The Vista Response
In Rorschach framework the V response is indicative
of the quality of self evaluation.

An excess of this

31
TABLr, VIII
RORSCHACH Y RSSPOkS^S

Sample
Caliman
Eeck-Spiegel
ohearow-Qak
rorest

Mean

SLi

"t"

.b 2

.54

1.96

2.22

5.15

-5*0

.74

.38

32
quality results in feelings of inferiority txia inadequacy
on the part of the indivioual

in his present environment.

In order for a response to be scorea as

vista,

the part

of the card perceived must be seen as being at a Distance.
"The coloring makes that look like a mountain peak in
the distance," is an example of a Vista response.
in the sample of aged women the V response was
practically non-existent.
given by the entire sample,
were obtained.

Out of a total of 909 responses
only two Vista responses

In the deck-npiegel sample, however,

was a mean of l.Sf V responses per subject.
data were reported

there

ho Vista

for the sample of aged men.

One may

only speculate as to the rarity of V responses in the
sample ci women over lifty years of a g e .
expectea that

It might be

v activity wculc occur when the inciviaual

in his own thinking contrasts hin.eeli with his environ­
ment, anc feels himself inadequate to meet the challenges
presented by the environment.

It may be expecteo that

the women of the present sample felt less challenged by
the environment,

anc perceived the environment less as

a threat than aic; the adults of the neck-bpiegel sample,
in essence this explanation seems to incicate a more com­
plete adjustment to the environment by the aging women.

33
7. B, The White Bpace Responses
The perception of S in the Rorschach is an indi­
cation of the determination and persistency of an individ­
ual in contacts with his environment.
index of the resistance to pressure,
on the part

of the individual.

S may also be an
coercion, or change

Responses are scored as

d, when the subject has used the white or

the uncolored

part of the card

for the p e r c e p t .

Table II. shows the

mean 5 responses

for the caliman and the Beck-apiegel

sample s .
The women of the present sample were i'ouna to be
low in the activity aenotea by the d resp nse, when com­
pared with the Beck-dpiegel sample.

The findings in this

area appeared to

point out a decline in the aggressiveness

of the person in

the late years of life.

8 . r Plus, The Correct form response
The per cent of the Rorschach Form responses which
are scored as plus is a very crucial index of the accu­
racy of the perceptions of the person.

This inaex p r o ­

vides an answer to the question concerning the accuracy
of thinking

of the individual in relation to others.

In the Caliman

sample the form responses have been scored

according to norms announced by Beck

(3).

£>y the Beck

system a response is scored as plus, if that response was
given by a sufficient number of his sample to merit the

34
TABLE IX
RORSCHACH SPACC RESI'OMSES

Sample

hean

Caliman

.64

.32

1.90

2.14

6.00

.80

1.18

.53

Beck-Spiegel
ohesrow-Oak
lorest

SD

nt M

35
plus score.

Table X reveals the mean F Plus per cent of

the Caliman,

Beck— S p i egel, and ohesrow— daic Forest

samples.
Mean F Plus per cent for the present sample was
75-62,

as contrasted with 79.25 for the Beck-spiegel

ssmcle, ana 73-55 for the chesrow-Oak Forest sample.
There is no evidence that the subjects of the present
sample differ greatly from the sample of younger adults
in accuracy of form perception.

The dhesrow-Oak Forest

subjects who in the main were persons with physical
aisorders, maintained their perceptual adequacy in spite
of allegea mental deterioration.

A Form Plus per cent

of 60 is believea to be the critical minimum for aoequacy.
line.

A

percentage that low woulo

be considered border

i^ven though the accuracy of form perception was

adequate for the two aged sampJ.es, accuracy oi form per­
ception for the Beck Bpiegel was higher, which may be
indicative of some decline in perceptual adequacy for the
two agfca samples.
9. H, The Human Response;

and

H d , The Part-Human Response
Human responses are divided into H, the WholeHuman response,

and H d , the Part-Huinan response.

Respons

are scored as .Vhole-Human, when the entire human f igure

36
TABLE X
RORSCHACH F PLUS RESPONSE PER CENT

Sample

Lean

SD

ttt"

Caliman

75.62

13.96

Beck-Spiegel

79.25

10.20

1.59

Chesrow-Oak
Forest

73.35

17*44

.46

37
is seen.

*«hen only part of the human is seen the response

is scored as Part-Human,
eetail.

or H d , which refers to Human-

Table xl presents the mean H ano Hd responses

given by the baliman ana beck-hpiegel samples.
The Human response is indicative of the identifi­
cation of the individual with other people in the environ­
ment.

The amount of this factor reveals either a con­

sideration and concern for other persons,

or a rejection

of other people and their interests ana problems.

The

H, or* 'Whole-Human response is clinically the more
healthy response, while an excess of Hd or Fart-Human
responses is an indication of anxiety and stress in r ela­
tions with other human beings.

One can see in Table XI

that H occurs in a varied manner in the two samples.

In

the present sample there are significantly lower frequen­
cies of H than occur in the beck— Spiegel

sample.

^ven

when the difference in total number of responses were
taken into c o n s i de ration, the H responses in the present
sam ie were lov„r.

The relatively high stanoard deviation

iii the present sample indi cates that the l ow H was not
constant throughout

the s a m p l e .

The reason for the re l a ­

tively low H will be aiscussea iurther in relation to
the Anatomy responses.
H d , or Part-numan responses are

better interpreted

when viewea in relation to the H responses.

.vhen Hd

36
TABLr, XI
RORSdHACH HUKAR R.b3POHS.fcjS #

Sample

H, Whole-Human
Responses
Kean

Hd, Part-Human
Responses

SL)

wean

SD

daliman

1.95

1.90

1.35

1.60

beck-Bpiegel

1+ .02

3 .62

1.76

1.95

*Human response data for the dhesrow-Oak forest sample
are not available.

39
occurs in excess of H, questions may be raised as to the
adequacy of the adjustment of the person to other individ­
uals.

In the Beck-cpiegel

H than Hd.

sample there was significantly more

In the present sample H was not significantly

higher than Hd, which seemed to indicate that for the
sample as a whole there were certain adjustment problems.
10. A Per Cent, The Animal Response Per Cent
The per cent of A,

or Animal responses in the

Rorschach provides an index of the adaptivity and
conventionality in thinking of the person.
percepts are the easiest to make,

As the Animal

an excess of A responses

is indicative of stereotyped thinking.

Table XII shows

the mean per cent of Animal responses for the Caliman,
Beck-Spiegel,

and Chesrow-Oak Forest samples.

The table

reveals no significant differences between the three
samples in respect to per cent of Animal responses,
although the Beck-Spiegel sample had a mean per cent of
A responses slightly lower than the two aged samples.
From these data one might conclude that conditions
represented by the per cent of A responses remained rela­
tively constant,
aging process.

ano did not appear to be affected by the

40
TABLB XII
RORSCHACH ANII1AL RBSPOkSS ISR CsRT

Sample

liean

SD

"t"

Caliman

48.47

18.58

Beck-Spiegel

46.45

13.12

.68

chesrow-Oak
rorest

48.85

18.49

.06

41
11. An, The Anatomy Responses
An excess or Anatomy responses in the Rorschach
shows an unhealthy concern, or anxiety over health and
body f u n c t i o n i n g .

Concern over anatomy often serves

the purpose of establishing a somatic basis for diffuse
anxiety feelings.

Responses scored as Anatomy, include

internal parts of the boay,

such as bones and organs.

Table XIII presents the mean number of Anatomy responses
in the Caliman and Beck-Spiegel samples.
The mean of 2.66 An responses in the present
sample was certainly a high number, and revealed a gross
concern about bodily functioning on the part of the sample
as a whole.

The relatively large standard deviation of

3.59 indicated that there was wide variation in the
distribution of the Anatomy responses in the sample,
factors in this variation will be discussed later in the
chapter where intra-group comparisons of the sample are
made.

It might be expected that changes that were occur­

ring and that had occurred in the functioning of the
reproductive systems of the women in this sample might
have been responsible for the concern with anatomy.
In relation to the relatively low number of WholeHuman responses noted previously,

certain additional

comments are in order at this point.

'While the H response

is indicative of concern with other persons, the An

42
TABLE XIII
ANATOMY R jlSPONS^S *

Mean

SD

Caliman

2 .66

3 .59

Beck-Spiegel

1.55

1.97

oample

"t"

1 .44

* Anatomy responses oi‘ the ohesrow-Oak Forest sample
are not a v a i l a b l e .

43
response represents a more personal and private concern—
a concern with the body and health of the person himself.
When this personal concern is increased it might be
expected that the person would be less concerned about
other persons.
12. P, The Popular Response
The conformity of the individual to social mores,
and his adjustment and adherance to group standards are
reflected in the Popular responses on the Rorachach.
Recent norms by Beck

(3) contain 21 P responses.

Table

XIV shows the mean numbeus of P responses given by the
three samples.
The table indicates that the differences in P
responses for the three samples were small, and that the
Caliman sample yielded slightly fewer P responses than
did the Beck-Spiegel sample, and slightly more P than
did the Chesrow-Oak Forest sample.

As the present

sample is composed of normal women residing in a commun­
ity situation it would be expected that they would show
an average adherance to community standards.

This expect­

ation has been met.
B. Comparison Of Rorschach Findings In The Two Age Groups
Of The Present Sample
In the preceding section of this chapter comparisons

44
TABnL XIV
RORSCHACH POPULAR R l S . U . ^ S

Sample
—

kean
-

-

SD
“-

"t"
,

Caliman

5.69

2.16

Beck-Spiegel

6.79

2.41

2.69

Chesrow-Oak
Forest

4.60

2.19

1.82

45
of Rorschach findings between the present, Beck-Spiegel,
andChe3row-Oav Forest samples were presented.

Wide

differences were noted in regard to total number of
responses,

L scores, Movement responses,

Color responses,

Human responses, and Y and Vista responses.
to the above variables,

In regard

the Beck-Spiegel sample yielded

a gre ter number of 3uch responses.
composed of aged persons

The two samples

tended on the v;hole t o ‘be quite

si ilur in respect to the Rorschach variables,
relatively the same

and ..ere

the Beck-Spiegel sample in Porm

Plus and Animal pe r cent.
By dividing the present 3 anole

into two age groups

it is possible to tent t e differences
ance in the two age groups.
i nto two groups,

in Itorschac?

perform

This division of the sample

one composed of v/omer. 50 to 50 ye.. ;'s and

tl e sec ond com ms'*

•*.**

in C nap ter T.

- ' V :» r,-' rf m

the ^orschach v ri-hi es i -

'0 t.m 03 y s-.r. ,

+-

no c "f

.0

cient* cned

t> e « ..omen on

in ?• hi c Y7.

1 . Aesr.pr." <-> and ^ o a r o ^ c h

46
TABLb XV
SUMMARY OF 16 RORSCHACH VARIABLES

Group 1
SD

Group II

Variable

Piean

Responses

20.05

5.5

20.35

6.3

<1

W

5.36

2.3

4.47

2.1

<1

b

14.45

4.5

15.17

5.7

<1

Dd
r

.66
14.30

—

Mean

.69

7.9

13 .62

oD

7.1

"t"

<1

iv*

1.37

1.43

1.83

.91

Y

1.09

.79

.61

.68

<1

Sum C

1.64

1 .24

1.43

1.47

<1

V

Negligible
74.93 15.19

76.30

12.62

< 1

F plus >5

1.28

H

1.32

1 .28

2.57

1.67

Ha

1.82

1.41

1.52

2.33

<1

49.09 19.72

47. 57

17.09

<1

3 .66

3.90

1 .60

3.03

2.67

S

.91

.90

.39

1.03

1.79

P

5.23

1.97

6.13

2 .22

A%
An

2.39

<1

V7
was the small number of* Dd responses.

Both groups appeared

to concentrate most on the obvious aspects of their
environment,

and appeared neither anxious nor intellect­

ually curious.

This factor appeared constant for both

groups, possibly indicative of no significant change in
intellectual functioning.
2.

Z, The Organizational Bcore

Differences in Z scores for the two age groups of
the present sample were small and not significant.

Since

the function measured by the organizational score is
assumed to be an intellectual one, we should expect little
or no difference in the mean Z scores of the two groups
since their academic attainments were quite similar.

The

lack of differences seemed to point further to an absence
of intellectual shift in the sample due to the process of
aging.

The standard deviations reveal wide differences

in the distribution of Z scores in the two groups,

but

these differences do not appear to be related to age
differences.
3. M, The Movement Response
As noted previously, M in the present sample was
low in comparison with the Beck-Dpiegel sample.

The l e s s ­

ening of productivity and creativity in the later years
o f life was given as a tentative explanation.

Table XV

48
does not indicate a decrease in M activity related to
a £ e , but to the contrary,

indicates that there was a

tendency for M responses to occur with greater frequency
in Group II, the older age group, than in Group I,
A priori it was assumed that M activity would be present
to a greater extent in the younger age group,
appears a reversal of expectation,

but here

in that Group II gave

significantly more M responses than did the subjects in
Group I.

It is suggested that factors other than age

may have operated to produce the findings reported for M*
One of the factors might have been that of menopause,
which will be examined in relation to the Anatomy responses.
4. Color Responses
The differences between the two groups in relation
to dolor responses were small ana with no apparent trends.
Group I yielded 6 C, 13 GF, and 28 FC responses, while
Group II yielded 4 C, 16 GF, and 22 FS responses.

Table

XVI shows the Movement-^olor relationships for the two
age groups of the present sample, and appears to indicate
that there was some tendency for the subjects of Group II
to exhibit a better balance between affective energy, and
fantasy or wish fulfillment.

However,

since both M and

Color responses appear to become fewer with age, and the
means of such responses were relatively small in the

49
TABLE XVI
RORSCHACH MOVEMENT-COLOR RESPONSE RELATIONSHIP

Number of Subjects
M
Group 1

> C

6

Group II
Total Sample

M 4 . C

M

=

12

4

9

9

5

15

21

9

0

50
present sample,

little significance can be placed on

these findings other than to say that this may be another
trend indicating better control of the affect with a g e •
5. Y, The Light Determined Response
The Y factor, while not high in either of the two
groups occurred more frequently in the younger group,
Group I.

While the differences here are not great, it

can be noted that this finding concurs with the findings
reported in the previous section of this chapter, where
it was found that the younger aged sample, the BeckSpiegel, gave more Y responses than the two older age
samples, the ualiman and Ghesrow-Cak Forest.
6. V, The Vista Response
As stated previously in this chapter, the Vista
response occurred with rarity in the present sample.

For

the entire sample there were only two V responses, both
occurring in Group I.

From this lack of V activity, it

would not be feasible to attempt age comparisons within
the present sample.
7. S, The White Space Response
As indicated in Table XV, the S response is rela­
tively low in both age groups, with the tendency for S

to occur more frequently in Group I .

The difference in

S responses between the two groups was small, and the
responses were distributed rather unevenly throughout
both groups.

The trend w as consisttnt with a decline in

S activity with age.
3. F Plus, The Correct Form Response
The two age groups of the present sample varied only
insignificantly with regard to per cent of Correct Form
responses, with Group II having a slightly higher F
Plus per cent mean.

It appeared that in a homogeneous

group such as the present sample, there was no decline in
perceptual accuracy on the Rorschach related to age
differences.

From the standard deviations it becomes

apparent that some individuals of both age groups had F
Plus per cents below what is ordinarily thought of as
being adequate.

On the other hand some subjects had F

Plus percentages of 100.

In either case there was no

indication that age was a determining factor in the accura­
cy

of Rorschach form perception.
9. H, The Human Response
It was pointed out in the previous reference to

the H response that this activity was indicative of the
p e r s o n T's identification with and concern for other human beings
in the environment •

The mean of H or Whole-Human responses

52
for Group II was nearly twice that for Group I,

From

this finding it would appear that on the whole, members
of Group II were better able to identify with their
fellows than were the members of Group I .

Table XV

reveals that for Group I, the Part-Human responses,
exceeded the Whole-Human responses.

Hd,

Upon tabulating the

ratio of Whole-Human to Part-Human responses in the two
age groups of the present sample,
the 23 subjects in Group H

it was found that 16 of

gave more H than Hd responses;

while only 7 of the 22 subjects of Group I gave more H
than Hd responses.

This finding is not a healthy one as

far as Group I is concerned.

It may be posited that the

finding in regard to Group I, might be due to the m eno­
pause.

This will be discussed more fully in connection

with Anatomy responses.
Group II appeared to be more stable in its H-Hd ratio,
hence it may be hypothesized that this disruption in the
psychic balance as protrayed by the Rorschach,

corrects

itself on the whole as members of Group I move into the
age range of Group I I .
10. A, The Animal Response
The difference between the two groups in respect
to mean per cent of Animal responses was quite small,
with Group I having a slightly higher per cent of Animal

53
responses.

The conclusion follows that stereotypy as

indicated by the per cent of Animal responses did not
appear to be related to age differences.
11. An, The Anatomy Response
In the foregoing section of this chapter, the high
Anatomy responses of the present sample were pointeo out,
and labeled as revealing a gross, unhealthy concern over
bodily function.

Table a V serves to clarify this finding, as

the table shows that the younger age group,

Group I,

had

a mean of 3.68 Anatomy responses, twice the size of the
mean for Group II, which was 1.68.

It is obvious that

both groups revealed a concern for anatomical function­
ing, but that this concern was far greater in the group
that ranged from 50 to 59 years.

Immediately the question

arises as to why the greater number of An responses was
founo in Group I.

Since there is here an apparent age

factor in the difference, one must ask what effect might
the changes accompanying and immediately following
menopause have on the psychological functioning of these
women.

All the women of Group I were either undergoing

menopause,

or had recently completed it.

It may be

positea that many women in Group I arm certainly some
of the women in Group II showed concern over the changes
in body functioning as an experience concomitant with
menopause.

54
This concern over anatomy is certainly self
centered behavior, and may divert much of the attention
of a woman from family and friends to her own felt
personal needs.

If this be a correct interpretation,

then one can understand the reduction in Whole-Human
responses in Group I, and the greater number of Hd
responses.
12. P, The Popular Response
The difference in mean Popular responses between
the two age groups was small, with a tendency for Group
II to average about one P response more than Group I.
Here one is led to the obvious conclusion that the ability
to conform to the social standards of the environment
does not appear to decline with aging in the present
sample.

CHAPTER I I I
FINDINGS CONCERNING SOCIO-ECOi,Qi*ilO STATUS, PHYSICAL
AND SOCIAL ACTIVITY, AND SOCIAL, HEALTH,
AND NUTRITIONAL STATUS
From data presented in the previous chapter,
certain conclusions have been made concerning the present
sample, as contrasted with the younger age sample of
Beck (5) and the sample of aging men presented by
ChesrowCS).

So far, the present sample has been con­

sidered as a whole, without regard for level of per­
sonality adjustment of the individual members of the
sample.

In the present chapter the manner in which the

better adjusted individuals were distinguished from the
poorer adjusted individuals of the sample will be
presented.

Finally data will be presented concerning

the adequacy of the best adjusted ana poorest adjusted
subjects in terms of activity,

socio-economic factors,

and dietary and nutritional status.
Rorschach Ratings Of Adjustment
In order to obtain from their Rorschach perform­
ance some estimate of the aajustment of the subjects,
the Rorschach protocols were rated by three raters.
raters were designated as A, B, and C.

The

Raters A and B

56
were advanced graduate students in clinical psychology,
each having administered a minimum of one hundred
Rorschachs, and interpreted a minimum of 50 records.
Rater C held a Ph. L. in clinical psychology, and had
wide experience with the Rorschach*

After discussion

with advisers and colleagues concerning the ratings of
the Rorschachs it was decided to have the records of the
two groups of the sample rated separately.

This pro­

cedure was followed because it was believed that equally
good adjustment in the two age groups might be reflected
by differing degrees of Rorschach performance.

If this

proved to be the case, the well adjusted of one of the
age groups might have been penalized.

In Group I,

Rorschachs were obtained from 22 women aged 50-59 years*
In Group II there were Rorschach protocols for 23 women
aged 6O-S 4 years.

The Rorschach protocols for each group

were placed in a separate envelope,

bach individual

record was identified only by the code number of the sub­
ject.
The raters received the envelopes separately, with
the following instructions:
You w i l l be given two envelopes, each containing a
number of Rorschachs, complete with typewritten
protocol and scoring summary.
The records come from
a group of aged women.
For each group of records
you are requested to select the five records you
believe from your knowledge of the test to represent
the best adjustment in the group, and the five records
you believe to represent the poorest adjustment in

57
the group.
Please make u s e of the protocol and the
scoring summary.
In the event you feel some of the
records are approximately the same in terms of adjust­
ment, feel free to include more than five records.
List the records for each group in order of the good­
ness or poorness of adjustment.
In b rief it was the task o f the judges to select
from each of the two groups o f the sample the five best
adjusted records and the five

poorest adjusted records.

The immediate question concerns the agreement of the judges.
Table XVII shows the percentage of agreement among the
three raters in selecting the best and poorest adjusted
from each age group.

For complete or 100 per cent

agreement among the three judges as to the five records
that best indicated good adjustment and the five records
that best indicated poorest adjustment in a single age
group of the sample, the three judges would have had to
agree on 30 p o in t s.

It is easily seen from the nature

of the rating instructions, that complete agreement was
quite unlikely.

Table XVII reveals that for rating the

best and poorest adjusted Rorschach protocols in Group
I, the percentage of agreement was 83; while the p e r­
centage of agreement for rating Group II was 67.

The

percentage of agreement between the individual raters
ranged from 60 to 90, as shown in Table XVIII.
Table XVIII presents the results of the ratings.

For

each age group the five records indicating best, adjustment
and the five records indicating poorest adjustment are

56
listed in order of average rank.
The Relation of Age and Level of Adjustment to the
Activity I n v e n t o r y :
The Activity Inventory was developed and employed by
Cavan, Burgess,

Havighurst, and Goldhamer (7).

The

inventory was designed to yield a relatively objective
index of activity of adults in the late years of life.
These authors believed that the participation in various
activities is one of the criteria of adjustment during
this period of life.

Following this reasoning, the more

active the adult during this age period, the better the
adjustment of the person to the environment.
The Activity Inventory consists of 20 items covering
the areas of religious activity,

security status, inter­

personal contacts, leisure activity, and health status.
The individual items have been given an arbitrary scoring
system by the authors of scale, in such manner as to give
the highest score for the greatest degree of participation
in the activity measured by the item.

The scoring was

standardized on a group of 50 subjects with high prelim­
inary scores on the inventory and 30 subjects with low
preliminary scores.
As was mentioned previously,

the Activity Inventory

was administered by the writer to each subject of the
sample.

In analysing the results of the inventory, it

TABLE XVII
PERCENTAGES OF AGREEMENT AMONG RATERS A, B, AND C
IN RATING BEST ADJUSTED AND POOREST ADJUSTED
FROM RORSCHACH PROTOCOLS

Group

Percentage of Agreement
A t B, and C

Percentage of Agreement
A&.B
A&C
B&C

I

63

80

90

80

II

67

80

60

60

TABLE XVIII
RATINGS OF BEST AND POOREST ADJUSTED RECORDS

Subject

Best Adjusted
Rank
A v e . Rank

Subject

Poorest Adjusted
Rank
A v e • Rank

GROUP I
9

1

1.0

52

18

14.3

66

2

2.0

22

19

16.8

71

3

3.3

49

20

19.0

50

4

4*0

67

21

19.7

46

5

7-5

96

22

21.3

GROUP II

62

1

2.0

29

19

17.3

1

2

3.0

6

20

18.5

53

3

3.3

93

21

20.3

23

4

6.0

95

22

21.7

60
would be worth while first to ascertain if the inventory
discriminates between the two age groups of the sample.
As the Activity Inventory was designed to yield an index
of participation in various activities, it might be
expected that the younger age group as a whole would
score higher on the inventory than the older age group.
A priori one would assume such difference on the basis
of an expected better physical condition in the younger
age group.
Table XIX reveals the mean Activity Inventory
scores on the two age groups.
of 36.45 on the inventory,
of 32.39 for Group II.
the Inventory was 55-

Group I had a mean score

as compared to a mean score

The maximum score possible on
The results indicate that the

younger group, Group I, scored significantly higher on
the Activity Inventory than aid Group II.

From these

results it may be concluded that the difference was one
to be attributed to age.
Logically, the next question appears to concern
the agreement of performance on the Rorschach with p e r ­
formance on the Activity Inventory.

To answer this

question for both groups of the sample, the Activity
Inventory scores of those persons rated as being of the
best adjustment on the Rorschach by the three raters,
were compared with the Activity Inventory scores of those

61
TABLE XIX
ACTIVITY INVENTORY SCORES OF GROUPS I AND II

Group

Mean

SD

I

36.45

6.68

II

32.39

7.06

M diff.

TTt ,T score

4.06

1.93

TABLE XX
ACTIVITY INVENTORY SCORES OF BEST AND POOREST ADJUSTED

Group

Mean

SD

Best
Adjusted

39.60

GROUP I
5.72

Poorest
Adjusted

31.40

7.37

M diir

Mt ” score

8.20

2.08

4.00

.98

GROUP II
Best
Adjusted

33.40

6.39

Poorest
Adjusted

29.40

7.13

62
rated as being of poorest a d j u s t m e n t on the Rorschach.
Table XX shows the mean A c t i v i t y Inv en to ry scores of
the best and poorest aajusted

s u b j e c t s of both age groups.

In Group I the best adjusted h a d a mean inventory score
of 39.60, while the poorest a d j u s t e d had a mean score
of 31.40.

This was a s t a t i s t i c a l l y reliable difference.

In Group II the best a d j u s t e d subjects scored
higher on the Activity Inv en to ry
adjusted subjects.

t h a n did the poorest

The d i f f e r e n c e was in the same direction

as for Group I, but was not s t a t i s t i c a l l y reliable for
these older subjects.

The c a u s e

f o r the relatively small

mean difference, 4.00,

between t h e best and poorest a d ­

justed of Group II, as compared w i t h a mean difference of
6.20 in Group I, is not a l t o g e t h e r

clear.

posited that the difference is d u e

in part to the general

reduction in activity as age i n c r e a s e s .

It may be

It has been

mentioned that Group II scored l o w e r on the inventory
than Group I.

It appears that as

activity declined, the

difference between the best and p o o r e s t adjusted in
terms of activity became less.
From the results o b t a i n e d f r o m the Activity Inven­
tory it seems that p ar ti ci pa t io n
during the later years of life

in various activities

is an index of adjustment.

The results here would appear to substantiate the hypo­
thesis of the authors of the A c t i v i t y Inventory in this

63
regard.

It is also evident that activity alone,

measured by the Activity Inventory,

as

cannot be taken as a

sole index of personality adjustment, when the Rorschach
ratings of the three judges are used as the index of
adjustment.

The findings indicate that it is possible for

a person to have a high Activity Inventory score and yet
be rated by the three judges as being of poor adjustment.
Concisely,

the findings in this section were as

follows: The younger aged group,

Group I, was a more

active group, when the Activity Inventory was used as the
criterion of activity.

Second, those subjects rated as

being of best adjustment from their Rorschachs were more
active than those rated as being of poorest aajustment.
The Rorschach findings presented in chapter II
and the findings presented concerning the Activity
Inventory appear to indicate that there is a reduction
in the amount of energy expended by the person in later
life.

This would seem to result in a general retrenchment

in environmental interests and explorations.

This

retrenchment appears to affect the intellectual sphere
as well as the social areas.

This retrenchment was

demonstrated in the Rorschach performance by a low number
of total responses, M responses,
Z score.

and a relatively low mean

The accuracy of perception as indicated by the

Form Plus per cent remained more than adequate.

Hence,

64
there would appear to be reduction in energy and activity,
but not deterioration of the intellectual processes.

It

appears that the personality structure has accommodated
itself to the changes in physical activity and functioning
brought about by aging.
It will be recalled that the women in Group I had
a significantly higher mean score on the Activity Inventory
than the women of Group II.

Nevertheless,

the best

adjusted women in Group II were certainly as well adjusted
in terms of the Rorschach as the best adjusted women in
Group I, although their mean score on the inventory was
lower.

These findings appear to indicate the manner in

which aging may modify physical adjustment without
adversely affecting emotional adjustment.
The Relation of Emotional Adjustment to Socio-Econcmic
factors
One of the purposes of this investigation was to
attempt to ascertain whether certain social and economic
factors played prominent roles in the personality adjust­
ment of these aging women.

The factors considered were,

marital status, home ownership, number of children born
to the woman,
Michigan,

length of time subject had lived in Lansing,

yearly income, ana educational attainment.
»

Specific information concerning these factors may be found

65
in Table X*

This table was referred to in Chapter I.

For each of the above factors quantitative dif­
ferences between the best and poorest adjusted individuals
of the two groups were small.

The small differences

were probably due in part to the homogeneous nature of
the sample in relation to the factors investigated.

It

will suffice to mention briefly the factors and compare
either qualitatively or quantitatively their distribu­
tion among the best and poorest adjusted persons.
1.

Marital Status— Of the 45 women in the sample, 27

were married and living with their husbands, 14 were widowed,
and 4 were living apart from their husbands.
subjects had been married.

All of the

Of the best adjusted in Group

I, four women were living with their husbands, while one
was separated from her husband.

There was one wiaow

among the poorest adjusted in Group I, whereas, the
remaining women were living with their husbands.

In the

best adjusted of Group II, three women were widowed, one
separated, and the remaining
band.

woman living with her h u s ­

For the poorest adjusted of the group, two women

were living with their husbands and remaining three were
widows.

There are no trends that would indicate any

consistent influence of marital status on emotional adjust­
ment.

The status of being a widow did not appear in and

of itself to be a differentiating factor in personality
adjustment during the later years of life.

66

2. Nlimber of Children— There is no evidence from
this study that would permit one to assume that the bear­
ing of children was an index of personality adjustment*
Of the 45 women in the sample,
least one child.

32 had given birth to at

In Group I, two of the best adjusted

women had given birth to at least one child,
with three women for the poorest adjusted.

as compared
In the best

and poorest adjusted of Group II, three women each had
given birth to at least one child.
3. Length of Time in Lansing— In the present sample
the individuals rated as best adjusted in Group I had
lived in Lansing a mean of 27 years, and those rated as
being of poorest adjustment had lived in the city a mean
of 20 years.

For Group II, the best adjusted had lived

in the city a mean of 36 years and the poorest adjusted
had lived in the city a mean of 30 years.

The findings

reveal that there was a tendency for the best adjusted
persons to have lived in the city longer than the poorest
adjusted.

The variability between the persons in each

group was wide, and it is doubtful that much significance
can be placed in this finding.

In general both the best

and poorest adjusted women had lived in Lansing for a
sufficient length of time to become adjusted to the
community.
4. Home Ownership— Mention was made in chapter I that

67
over 75$ of the sample were either in the process of pay­
ing for a home, or owned a home outright.

In Group I,

four of the five best adjusted women were home owners,
and for the poorest adjusted, four of the five women were
home owners.

In Group II, all of the individuals rated

as being best adjusted were home owners; this was also
true for three of the five women rated as being of poor­
est adjustment.

The two individuals rated as being of

poorest adjustment and who did not own homes, were two
ladies near the upper end of the age distribution of the
group, who lived alone in small apartments.

It would

appear that home ownership was not a discriminating
factor in adjustment,

but that the loneliness and soli­

tude resulting from living alone during this period of
life may well have been a factor in personality adjust­
ment .
5.
and 1949•

Income--The data on income were obtained in 194b
The present sample is composed of women whose

family incomes did not exceed six thousand dollars per
year in any case.

Of the total sample ten of the women

lived in families whose yearly income was above 42,500
per year.

eighteen women lived in families whose yearly

income ranged from ^1,000 to 42,499 per year.

Families

of thirteen women had incomes below ^1,000 per year. There
were no income data available for four of the women.

There was no reason to suspect that monetary income
was a differentiating factor in level of personality adjust
ment.

It may be true that lack of financial security

could affect the personality functioning of some persons;
it is equally true that other persons of like financial
status are able to maintain a very adequate level of
adjustment•

6.

Educational Attainment— Table III revealed that

the total sample had a mean school grade attainment of
7.7 grades.

There were no significant differences in

the school attainments of the best and poorest adjusted
persons of the two age groups.
From the foregoing discussion of the several social
and economic factors it becomes apparent that it would
be unfruitful to expect any of these factors to differ­
entiate between the subjects of good anu poor personality
adjustment•
The Relation of Age and Level of Adjustment to Nutritional
Status
From the dietary data available on the subjects it
is possible to obtain some indication of the relation of
diet to emotional adjustment,

and to determine if there

were differences between the two age groups in relation
to dietary status.

These data were secured by the

69
Department of Foods and Nutrition from reports furnished
by the subjedts of their diets on three days selected by
the department.

The three days were spaced over a period

of approximately two years; and for each subject the three
days were selected so that each day came in a different
season in the year and on a different day of the week.
For example, if the diet of a certain woman had been
checked the first time in the winter and on a Monday,
this subject would be seen the next time in a different
season of the year and on a different day of the week.
By this method seasonal variations in the diet of the
subjects were taken into account.
From this diet survey data were made available on
the intake of calories, proteins,

calcium, phosphorus,

iron, vitamin A, vitamin C, thiamine, riboflavin, and
niacin.

Data reported in Tables XXI, XXII, ana XXIII

show the average daily consumption of the several
nutrients during the survey period.

The recommended

daily allowances of these nutrients mentioned below are
those recommended for women by the Food and Nutrition
Board of the National Research Council

(29).

Caloric intake— The recommended daily intake of
calories was 2000.

Table XXI indicates that both age

groups of the present sample were low in respect to
the recommended daily allowance of calories.

The younger

70
TABLE XXI
MEAN DAILY INTAKE OF NUTRIENTS BY THE TWO AG4 GROUPS

Group I
Mean
Calories
Proteins

1160
(Gms.)

SD

Mean

294

49.7

Group II

389

993

16,3

Sd

39-4

n+- n
1.59

21.4

1.76

Calcium (Gms.)

.36

.13

.39

.23

Phosphorus

.73

-23

.61

.32 1.41

(Gms.)

Iron (Gms.)

9.0

Vitamin A

3443

a.u.)

Vitamin C (Mgs.)
Thiamine

(Mgs.)

Riboflavin
Niacin

(Mgs.)

(Mgs.)

3.2
3703

45.0

3.2
7425

36.2

3.6
3753

52.1

.17

.73
3.51

33.5

.65

.73

.33

.65

.32 1.31

.93

.45

.99

.32

3.4

2.3

7.3

4.6

.05
.96

*71
TABLE XXII
MEAN DAILY INTAKE OF NUTRIENTS BY THE BEST AND POOREST
ADJUSTED OF GROUP I

Best Adjusted
Mean
Calories
Proteins

SD

378

1353
(Gms.)

48.2

Poorest Adjusted
Mean

1145

15.8

51.3

SD

nt n

3.29

.63

19.1

.25

Calcium (Gms.)

.42

.05

.13

.12

4.21

Phosphorus

.80

.14

.64

.21

1.27

Iron

(Gms.)

(Gms.)

9.3

Vitamin A

6103

3.0
5913

10.2
2320

4*2
1666

.15
1.23

(I.U.)
Vitamin C (Mgs.)
Thiamine

(Mgs.)

Riboflavin

(Mgs.)

Niacin (Mgs.)

61.7

46.7

36.3

25.6

.95

.91

.32

.33

.51

.10

1-30

.45

.68

.33

2.24

9.7

4.2

9.3

2.5

.17

72
TABLE XXIII
MEAN DAILY INTAKE OF NUTRIENTS BY THE BEST AND POOREST
ADJUSTED OF GROUP II

Best Adjusted
SD

Mean
Calories
Proteins

1167
(Gms.)

51.1

463
21.2

Poorest Adjusted ”t w
Mean

SD

1020

295

.54

12.5

31.3

1.58

Calcium (Gms.)

.51

.37

.26

.11 1.33

Phosphorus

.78

.39

.46

.18 1.40

Iron

(Gms.)

(Gms.)

8.1

Vitamin A (I .U .)
Vitamin C (Mgs.)
Thiamine

(Mgs.)

Riboflavin
Niacin

(Mgs.)

( M g s.)

2635

3.2
2269

41.5

37.6

7.3

10128

2.3
13452

66.0

.42
1.10

43.4

.85

.<31

.46

.55

.12 1.08

1.15

.67

.70

.29

8.1

3.6

5.2

1.1

.96

1.46

73
women,

Group I, consumed on the average more calories per

day than the subjects in the older age group.

The mean

daily intake Tor Group I was 1160, as contrasted with 993
for Group II.

This difference tended to approach statisti­

cal significance.

The difference may be attributed to

the difference in the physical activity of the two age
groups,

a difference that may be assumed to be related to

age.
Differences between the best and poorest adjusted
individuals of the two groups in respect to caloric intake
were small, not approaching statistical significance.
However,

for each sample, the best adjusted subjects had

a mean caloric intake higher than that for the poorest
adjusted subjects of that group.
Proteins--The daily intake of proteins recommended
for women was 60 gms.

Ordinarily proteins occur in

relation to the caloric intake.
present in the two age groups.

This relationship was
The younger age group,

which had a higher caloric intake, also had a higher
average protein consumption,

consuming an average of U 9.7

gms., while Group II had an average of 39-4 gms.
In Group I there appeared only a very slight differ­
ence between the best and poorest adjusted in terms of
protein intake, the difference being 3.1 gms. in favor
of the poorest adjusted.

For Group II the difference in

74
consumption was more, with the best adjusted individuals
having a mean protein consumption 1 9 .B gms. higher than
that Tor the poorest adjusted of that group.
Calcium— The recommended daily allowance of calcium
was 1.0 gm.

Calcium intake is not necessarily related to

the caloric intake,
of milk in the diet.

being related primarily to the amount
The difference between the two age

groups in terms of calcium intake was negligible,

as

Group I consumed a mean of .36 gm. of calcium, as compared
to

.39 gm. for Group II.
The best adjusted persons of the two age groups con­

sumed on the average more calcium than the poorest adjusted
members of their particular group.

The best adjusted

subjects of Group I had a mean intake of .42 gm. and the
poorest adjusted had a mean of .IS gm.

The best adjusted

of Group II also exceeded the poorest adjusted in calcium
intake,

consuming an average of .51 gm., as contrasted to

.26 gm. for the poorest adjusted.
Phosphorus--Thi s mineral tends to be found in the
diet in relationship to caloric intake,

and is related

to bone and tooth development and to activity in general.
The mean daily intake for Group I was higher than that for
Group II, as the younger subjects had an average o f .73
gm. while the older subjects had an average of .61 gm.
This difference tended to approach statistical significance.

V5
The best adjusted subjects of Groups I and II
exceeded the poorest adjusted subjects of their respect­
ive groups in the comsumption of phosphorus.

The mean

phosphorus intake in the best adjusted of Group I was
.78 gm., as compared to

.48 gm. for the poorest adjusted;

while in Group II the best adjusted ahowed a mean daily
intake of this mineral of .60 gm., while the poorest
adjusted had a mean daily intake of .64 gm.

In both

groups the differences approached statistical significance.
Vitamin A — The recommended daily allowance of
vitamin A was 500 International Units.

Vitamin A in the

diet is not necessarily related to caloric intake,

but

tends to vary widely from person to person depending upon
whether or not the individual in question eats foods that
are high in vitamin A.
carrots,

Certain foods such as liver,

spinach, and broccoli are high in vitamin A con­

tent, and if any one of them is eaten in quantity,
can increase greatly the vitamin A intake.

it

The vitamin

A range in the present sample was 210 to 50,576 I.U.daily.
When the extreme cases

(over 10,000) were removed from the

samp>le, it was found that neither age nor level of
emotional adjustment appeared to be related to the intake
of vitamin A.
Vitamin d— The recommended daily allowance of this

76
vitamin was 70 mgs.

A deficiency of this vitamin is

said by Proudfit and Robinson

(22) to result in degen­

eration of muscle structure, irritability,
in general.

and poor health

Vitamin G is not related to caloric intake,

but rather to the amount of fresh fruit in the diet.

Group

II consumed on the average more vitamin G than did Group
1:52.1 mgs. as compared to 45.0 mgs. for Group I.

This

difference does not, however, approach statistical
reliability.
The mean daily intake of vitamin G for the best
adjusted of Group I was 61.7 mgs. as compared to 36.3
mgs. for the poorest adjusted.
was reverseo,

In Group II this occurrence

with the poorest adjusteo having a mean daily

intake of 66.0 mgs., as compared with 41.5 for the best
adjusted.

In both groups the variability in the intake

of vitamin

G

was wide.

Thiamine--The recommended daily intake of thia­
mine was 1 mg.

A deficit in the intake of this vitamin

(22 ) is said to result in loss of interest,
irritability,

and insomnia.

This vitamin is related in

the diet to the caloric intake.
holds for the present sample.

depression,

This relationship
The intake of thiamine,

while approaching adequacy for both groups, was higher in
Group I, which had a mean daily intake of
compared to

.65 mg. for Group II.

.?£ nig., as

These differences are

*7?
consistent with the trends in caloric intake#
In Group I the best adjusted individuals had a
mean intake of

.91 mg., as compared to

poorest adjusted.

.83 mgs. for the

In Group II the difference between

the best and poorest adjusted in terms of thiamine intake
was greater than in Group I.
II had a mean intake of

The best adjusted in Group

.81 mg., end the

had a daily mean intake of .55 mg.

oorest adjusted

Although the differ­

ences were not statistically reliable,

the better adjusted

fared better in both g r o u p s .
Riboflavin— The daily allowance of this vitamin
recommended was 1.5 mgs.

In experiments with animals

(22)

riboflavin deficiency in the diet has been related to early
senility.

The amount of riboflavin in the diet is usually

related to the amount of milk ingested,
the caloric intake.

rather than to

In the present sample there was no

difference between the two age groups in terms of the
daily consumption of riboflavin.
for Group I was

The mean daily intake

.96 mg., and for Group II

.99 mg.

.both

groups were low as compared with the standard.
In terms of emotional adjustment,

the best adjusted

persons in the two age groups of the sample exceeded the
poorest adjusted in the intake of riboflavin.

The best

adjusted of Group I had a daily intake of 1.30 mgs., as
against
being

.68 mg. for the poorest adjusted, the difference

statistically reliable.

In Group II the best

adjusted haa a mean intake of' 1.15 mgs. of riboflavin,

78
as compared with a mean of .70 mg. for the poorest adjusted,
this difference being in the same direction as for Group
I, but not statistically significant.

In the sample

there appears to be a trend for a greater intake of ribo­
flavin to accompany emotional adjustment.
Niacin— A daily intake of 10 mgs. of niacin was
recommended.

Both age groups were below this standard.

The subjects of Group I consumed on the average slightly
more niacin than w^s consumed by subjects of Group II.
The difference was small, 6.4 mgs. against 7*3 mgs.
In terms of emotional adjustment, niacin intake
did not differentiate to any appreciable extent between
the best and poorest adjusted subjects of Group I.
small difference was in favor of the best adjusted.

The
In

Group II the difference was larger, but in the same
direction.

The best adjusted had a mean daily intake of

6.1 mgs. of niacin,

as compared to 5.2 mgs. for the

poorest adjusted, the difference approaching statistical
reliability.
Iron--For women the recommended daily allowance of
iron was 12 gms.

Iron, which is the active constituent

of hemoglobin content in the blood, occurred i*. both age
groups in nearly the same amount.

The mean daily intake

of iron for Group I was 9.0 gms. and for Group II was 6.2
gms.

79
The difference in iron intake between the best
and poorest adjusted of each age group was quite small
and not significant.

It must be concluded that in the

present sample iron intake was not related to age dif­
ferences, nor to differences in emotional adjustment
as measured by the Rorschach test.
In conclusion it appears that the differences in
diet between the two age groups, occur for the most
part in calories and in the nutrients that are found in
the diet in relation to the caloric intake,
teins, phosphorus,

and thiamine.

such as pro­

The differences in the

caloric intake between the two groups may be expected
in view of the differences in physical activity.

The

smallest differences occurred in the intake of calcium
and riboflavin,

both of which are principally supplied

by milk.
concerning emotional adjustment and diet, the
findings indicate that for the most part there were con­
sistent trends for the best adjusted individuals of
both age groups to exceed the poorest adjusted in the
intake of the several nutrients.

In Group I the best

adjusted exceeded the poorest aojusted in the intake of
all nutrients,

except proteins and iron.

In Group II

the best adjusted exceeded in all nutrients except v i t a ­
min A and v i t a m i n b.

It is suggested that the difference

BO
in the intake of milk between the best and poorest
adjusted in both groups, which is reflected in calcium and
riboflavin in the diet, may be related to emotional
adjustment as indicated by the Rorschach.

The best

adjusted in Group I, and to a lesser extent the best
adjusted in Group II, had a greater intake of calcium
and riboflavin.

Caution must be exercised in the inter­

pretation of these f i n d i n g s , as the differences between
the best and poorest adjusted in both groups were for
the most part small,

and the number of individuals classi­

fied as best and poorest adjusted was small.

In general,

the differences were consistently in the same direction,
and would seem to suggest that there may be a relation­
ship between diet as discussed above ana emotional adjust­
ment as previously d e f i n e d .
The Rorschach test was employed in the i-innesota
experiment to ascertain if there were changes in per­
formance related to rehabilitation following
diet.

a starvation

The test was administered at the end of the starva­

tion per:i od and again after 12 weeks of rehabilitation.
The authors concluded,

"In our experiment the Rorschach

results were essentially negative.

This may be inter­

preted as an indication of the absence of psychotic changes
ana basic alterations in the personality structure” (1 5 ,p .679X
The diet study reported by Ghlson was vastly

81
different from that of the Minnesota experiment,

as in

the latter study the subjects were placed on starvation
diets.

In the present study the diets of the women

were sampled at intervals,

and thereby the data are on

the ordinary food intake of the women.
The Relation of Age and Level of Adjustment to Health
It has been previously mentioned that each woman
in the present sample was given a medical examination.
The results from the physical examinations were evaluated
by the Department of Foods and nutrition,

in such a man­

ner as to yield a numerical index of the physical condition
of each subject.

factors

considered ana the methoa

employed in the health evaluations will be found in
Appendix A.

In brief,

the common disturbances were

divided into major and miner ailments.

x-ajor disturb­

ances consisted of poor reproductive record, broken bones,
digestive disorders,

circulatory disorders, hepatic dis­

orders, major operations,

ana major nervous disorders.

Minor disturbances included such disturbances as h e a d ­
aches, minor digestive disoraers, minor operations,
of appetite, ana other minor disturbances.

loss

For each item

in a major category three points were subtracted from the
health score of the subject; ano for each item in a minor
category,

one point was subtracted.

Therefore,

the health

62
scores ranged from zero, the best rating,
minus scores.

downward to

For the present sample a score of 0 to -7

was good; -8 to -15 was fair; and below -15 was poor.
It can be seen from Table XXIV that the difference
between Group I and Group II on the health evaluation
was quite small, with a difference of less than one point.
The average evaluation of Group I was -11.23, while that
of Group II was -12.17.

From the foregoing it can be seen that

there was little difference between the two groups in terms
of health

status, with the small difference in health

adequacy favoring the younger age group,

Group I.

It would appear that there was a tendency for the
better emotionally adjusted individuals of the two groups
to be evaluated as being of better physical health.
According to Table XXV,

the best adjusted subjects in Group

I had a mean health evaluation of -10.A, while the poorest
adjusted had a mean evaluation score of -13.6.

In Group

II the best adjusted subjects had a mean evaluation score
of -1 1 .6 , while the poorest adjusted had a mean of -1 3 .6 .
While these results were not statistically significant,
the differences approached significance,

ana trends were

in favor of the best adjusted persons of both groups.
Briefly,

it would seem that in the later years there is

some evidence to believe that physical health is a factor
in adequacy of emotional adjustment.

B3
TABLE XXIV
HEALTH EVALUATION SCORES OF GROUP I AND GROUP II

Group

Range

Mean

SD

I

-4 to -1 ?

-11.23

3.69

II

-7 to -20

-12.17

2.96

"t"

.92

TABLE XXV
HEALTH EVALUATION SCORES OF BEST AI.D POOREST
ADJUSTED SUBJECTS

Range

Mean

SD

Best Adjusted

GROUP I
-4 to -16
-10.4

4.03

Poorest Adjusted

-9 to 16

3.07

-13.6

"t"

1.26

GROUP II
Best Adjusted

-10 to -15 -11.6

. 2.05

Poorest Adjusted

-12 to -15 -13.6

1.04

1.74

34
The Relation of Age and Level of Emotional Adjustment
to Blood Pressure
The systolic blood pressure represents the maximal
pressure to which the blood rises.

The diastolic

pressure represents the constant load which the vascular
walls are carrying.

Best and Taylor (6 ) stated that the

systolic blood pressure was subject to wider variations
under ordinary health than diastolic pressure.
reason the diastolic pressure,

For that

according to these authors,

reflects better the state of the peripheral vessels.
These authors state the average systolic blood pressure
at the age of 60 to be 1 3 5 , with a pressure in excess of
150 being abnormal.

At age 60 the average diastolic

blood pressure was reported to be 69.

Table XXVI

shows the systolic and diastolic blood pressure for the
two age groups of the present sample.
Group I had lower mean blood pressures than Group
II.

The mean systolic pressure of Group I was 154, as

compared with 170 for Group II.

The diastolic pressure

for Group I was 95, as compared with 102 for Group II.
Both groups tended to be high in respect to the stated
standards.

The differences in blood pressure tended to

support the view of the above authors, who reported a
steady, though not great rise in blooa pressure with age.

£5
Table XVII gives the diastolic and systolic blood
pressures Tor the best and poorest adjusted individuals
of the two age groups.

In Group I the best adjusted

subjects had lower systolic and diastolic pressures than
did the poorest adjusted.

In Group II the poorest adjusted

had a slightly lower mean systolic blood pressure.

The

systolic pressure for the poorest adjusted was 1 6 # as
compared with 174 for the best adjusted.
however,

In Group II,

the best adjusted were lower than the poorest

adjusted in mean diastolic blood pressure 103 to 1 1 5 •
In Group I there appeared a tendency for emotional
adjustment to accompany blood pressure.

In Group II this

trend did not appear with systolic pressure,
occur with diastolic blood pressure.

but did

On the whole the

findings showed a tendency for the best adjusted subjects
to have lower blooa pressures.

86
TABLE XXVI
SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE

(mm); AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE

IN THE TWO GROUPS

Group I
N

M ean 3D

Group II
N

Mean

3D

Mt"

Systolic Blood Pressure

20

154 30.5

22 170

32.4

1.61

Diastolic Blood Pressure

20

95 16.6

22 102

20.1

1.20

TABLE XXVII
SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE

( m m ) ; AND DIASTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE

(mm) IN THE BEST AND POOREST ADJUSTED SUBJECTS

Best Adjusted
Kean

SD

Poorest A d ­
justed
Kean

SD

"t”

GROUP I
Systolic Blood Pressure
Diastolic Blood Pressure

139

36.6

179

31«7 1.65

91

2 5 «7

104

12.7

.91

.31

GROUP II
Systolic Blood Pressure

174

29.6

166

25.4

Diastolic Blood Pressure

103

14.0

115

19.2 1.01

CHAPTER

IV

THE QUESTION OF INFLUENCE OP RACE OR COLOR ON TH l FINDINGS
The subjects employed in this investigation were
Negro women.

The question,

therefore, arises as to

whether or not the race or color of the subjects has
been a factor in the findings reported.

In order to

determine the effect of race or color, it would be
necessary to have a sample of white women, matched for
age, intelligence,
attainment,

socio-economic status, educational

anc living in the same type of community.

Such a matched sample was not available.

The several

kinds of data afforded by this study will, therefore,
be reviewed for such meager evidence on racial influ­
ence as may be found.
In reference to the data obtained from the Activ­
ity Inventory, it was not fruitful to compare the per­
formance of the present homogeneous sample with the
heterogeneous sample employed by Oavan and associates
(7 ) to determine if there were differences related to
color or race.

Generally speaking, t h - y-iscns of the

present sample came from low socio-economic and educa­
tional levels, neither of which was comparable with the
conditions of the persons used as subjects in the other
study.

60
The present study is also based on dietary data.
The Food and Nutrition Board of the National Research
Council

(29) makes certain recommendations concerning the

minimum daily intake of calories, proteins, vitamins,
and minerals for adequate nutrition.

Compared with these

recommendations, the majority of women in the present
study were considerably below standard in all respects.
It might be that through its effect on income and economic
status, race has indirectly affected the nutritional
status of these women.
It is known that low income groups tend to be low
in respect to health status.

It cannot be said from the

data available for the women in this study how their
health status compares with that of any other groups, or
of women in g e n eral.
There are Rorschach studies that have employed
Negro and white subjects, who have been matched for
certain variables.

Three such studies have been found.

Abel Piotrowski, and Stone

(1) compared Rorschach

responses of Negro and white morons.

These investigators

found that the negro girls gave more movement responses
than did the white girls.

They interpreted their find­

ings to indicate that the Negro girls were more flexible
than white girls, and that white girls were more restricted
in responsivity and showed more negativism than the

39
colored girls.
Hunter (13), in an investigation designed to
evaluate racial differences in response to the Rorschach
test, employed 100 subjects each from white and Negro
populations in hew York bity in the summer of 1934.
A person having any Negro blood in his veins qualified
for this sample as being a Negro.

The author judged

most Negro subjects to be from $0 to 75 per cent negroid,
while some subjects claimed to be 100 per cent Negroid.
Of the 100 members of the Negro population,

30 per cent

were serving as bivil Works Administration employees,
working as clerks, teachers, or recreation workers.
Thirty per cent of the Negro population were temporarily
unemployed professional persons, while the remaining 20
per cent were unemployed persons, answering posted
requests for subjects in a YNibA ana the Urban League.
Of the 100 white subjects, 94 were students at
Teachers bollege,

Columbia University,

while the 6 were

unemployed professional persons.
The Otis intelligence test
to all subjects.

(20) was administered

The range on this test for the White

group was 6-72, with a mean of 4 2 .6 4 .
was 16-75, with a mean of 39.53.

The Negro range

The Rorschachs were

administered by the same examiner to all of the white
group ana to all but 16 of the colored group.

The

90
remaining 16 Rorschachs were administered to the colored
group by a Negro.

It was reported that these 16 Negro

subjects gave the same expectancy of responses as did
the subjects who were tested by the white examiner.

The

Negro subjects were tested in familiar surroundings,
such as the YMCA and the Urban League.

No subject was

coerced•
The major finding of Hunter centers around fewer
color responses yielded by the white group,
which she states,

concerning

T,Not only were more of the white group

i ntroversive, but they showed a degree of introversity
16 per cent higher on the average than the average of the
^egro group.” ^p. 1 6 7 ) by the same finding the author
interpreted the negro group to be more* extratensive,
stating,

"Moreover in extratensivity negroes exceeded

the white group by 14 per cent.”

The data presented by

Hunter were only summarized anc not presented in detailed
form.
A stuay reported by otainbrook and Spiegel(25)

presented Rorschach findings on Southern Negro and white
high school and college students.

The high school sample

consisted of 40 white and 40 Negro subjects each from
the tenth grade class of two high schools in the same
city.

In the college samples there were 45 Negro and 45

white subjects.

The white subjects were from the sophomore

91
and junior classes at a large university in the South.
The Regro subjects were sophomores from a junior college
The mean score for the white high

in the same city.

school subjects on the Otis was 41, as contrasted to 27
for the colored.

The white college students had an

average IQ of 1 2 0 , while the hegroes had a mean IQ of
99.

The Rorschachs were administered according to direct­

ions given by Harrower-Rrickson
Klopfer

(16) system.

(12) and scored by the

All negro tests were administered

by a Negro.
For the secondary students there were no signif­
icant differences in regard to F, W, Original responses,
b ana A.

There were significant aiff'ereuces in regard

to R, D, S, Ft, and OF.

"The occurrence of all these in­

dices except for Ft was differentially less for the
colored group."

The authors sum up their findings for

the high school groups in this manner,

" . . .

colored high school pupils could be considered

the
as

less

fluid or less differentiated in association than the
white.

The authors feel the colored high school subjects

may be more cautious and deliberate in reaction to color—
areas."

(p. 1 1 1 ).

btill in reference to the secondary

groups the authors state, "The Rorschach responses would
indicate also that the colored secondary students were
more emotionally stable and less impulsive than the white

92
high school students.

There was also less Rorschach

evidence of anxiety in the colored high school, as com­
pared with the white secondary group "(p .1 1 2 ).
Stainbrook and Spiegel reported that at the college
level the differentiating signs were less R, L , 0, M,
sum C, and CF for the colored subjects.

The findings

concerning the college groups were interpreted as follows:
nThe college colored group also showed more associative
paucity or rigidity than the white college students.
The university whites could be considered as displaying
a more highly differentiated and, perhaps, more daring
intellect than the college Negroes,

and the general

personality resources of the college colored group were
indicated as being less adequate than the white college
students.

The Rorschach also pointed to a greater imma­

turity in the colored college students than in the college
whites.

Like the colored students in the high school

comparison, the college hegroes could be described in
Rorschach terms as evidencing less emotional stability
than the white university st udents."(25, p. 114).
In regard to -the interpretations made by Stainbrook
and Spiegel certain observations occur.

If it were to be

assumed that the two Negro groups were cross sections
from the same relative population,

it seems from the

interpretation by the authors, that there was a tendency

93
for Negroes to display less maturity and stability with
age-

A simpler explanation would seem to indicate that

the differences in findings in regard to maturity and
stability might have been due to sampling.

The fact

that a great number of the white college students in the
sample came from the North might have been another
important variable 9 and might in part have accounted for
some of the differences in maturity and stability between
the two groups.

The vast cultural chasm separating Negro

and white students in the region in which the study was
conducted is a factor that cannot be overlooked.
From the foregoing studies the effect of race or
color alone on Rorschach test performance does not appear
to be clearly demonstrated.

It would seem that race or

color would make a major difference in test findings
only when the cultural background and present environment
of the group tested differed markedly from the accepted
norm.
The effect of the acculturation process upon
Rorschach test performance has been demonstrated to an ex­
tent by Hallowell

(11) .

Hallowell employed as subjects

two groups of American Indians, representing populations
of differing degrees of acculturation.

The group who

were more isolated from present day American culture
tended to be more dominated by fantasy,

suspiciousness,

9U
and introversiveness.

The author believed that these

findings were the result of living in a culture that
emphasized fantasy rather than reality.

The group from

the more acculturated population responded better and
appeared to be more extrotensive.

In still another

study the findings for the Alorese

(9) were much differ­

ent than have been reported from citizens of America.
For the natives of Alor the relatively free expression
of emotion, as revealed by color responses on the
Rorschach, was normal in that culture, whereas in America
such expression would be at variance with existing norms.
It may well be that differences reported between
Negro and white samples may in the
differences.

main be due to cultural

There appear no consistent findings in the

studies reviewed that may be interpreted to be due to
race or color of the subjects.

It woulo seem that the

Negro women employed in the present stucy expressed their
needs,

fears, and level of adjustment in the same manner

as woula a sample of any other group of women taken from
the same locality, ana of the same age range and cultural
and educational opportunities.

CHAPTER V
SUMMARY
1. Findings are reported Tor 45 Negro women
between the ages of 50 and 83 residing in Lansing,
Michigan.
2. The subjects had previously been used in a
nutritional study under the direction of L r • Margaret
A. Ohlson,

Head of the Department of Foods and Nutrition,

Michigan State bollege, who made available to the writer
data obtained in her study.
3. The purpose of the present investigation was
to make a personality study of the sample.

The study

was designed to provide answers in part to the following
questions:

(a) How do Rorschach findings in the present

sample compare with findings reported for other samples
of normal adult and aged subjects?

(b) Are there differ­

ences related to age in the personality structure of the
present sample as indicated by the Rorschach?

(c) Is

the health status of the sample related to age differ­
ences, and to level of emotional adjustment?

(d) Is

physical and social activity related to age differences,
and to level of emotional adjustment?

(e) Is dietary

status related to age differences, and to level of
emotional adjustment?

(f) Is there relationship between

96
socio-economic factors and level of emotional adjust­
ment?
4. The Rorschach test and an activity inventory
were administered to each subject.

In addition,

socio­

economic data, results from dietary studies, records of
medical examinations,

ana health evaluations for the

subjects were made available by the Department of Foods
and Nutrition, Michigan otate College.
5. The Rorschach findings in the present sample
were comparea with those reportea by Beck ana colleagues
on 157 employees of the Spiegel mail Order House in
Chicago, and with those reported on 20 aged white males
of the Oak Forest,

Illinois,

Infirmary, by bhesrow and

associates.
6 . findings are reported on the various Rorschach
scoring variables.

The samples of older individuals

were found to be significantly less responsive than the
normal adult sample reported by Beck.

The members

of

the present sample showed a tendency not to respond to
small detail.

The present sample showed significantly

less Z-sccre activity than the normal adult group.
There is evidence of a decline in M responses with age,
however M responses were quite unevenly aistributea in
the present sample.
color responses,

emotional maturity, as inaicacea by

appeared further advanced in the aged

97
sample than in the sample of normal adults.

There was

no evidence that there was a return to childhood labil­
ity in the aged persons of the present study.

Anxiety

and insecurity, as portrayed by Y ana V responses, ap­
peared greatly reduced in old age.

The Vista response

was for practical purposes non-existent in the present
sample.

In the framework of Rorschach interpretation

there was no drop in the accuracy of form perception
with age.

With the A response as its inaicator,

typy did not increase with age.

stereo­

With age there appeared

a definite increase of concern in body functioning, and
lessening

concern for other persons in the environment.

In the present sample the number of Anatomy responses
was relatively high.

The Popular response appeared to

be little influenced by aging.
7.

The sample was aividea into two groups, Group

I, ages 50-59, and Group II, ages 60-83.

This was done

to determine if there were any differences in Rorschach
performance related to the aging processes.

It was

found that those persons comprising Group I, had signif­
icantly more Anatomy responses than the older subjects in
Group II.

This was believed to be related to physiolog­

ical and psychological changes of menopause which were
occurring or had just occurred in the women of Group 1.
Along with the increase in An responses, was a decrease

96
in Whole-Human responses.

Findings for Group II indicated

that this tendency corrected itself with aging.
6.

Three raters rated the Rorschach protocols of

Group I and Group II separately.

The raters were asked

to select from each group the five records which the
rater judged to be indicative of the best adjustment in
the group and the five records indicating the poorest
adjustment in the group.

The percentage of agreement

for rating the records in Group I was 63; while that for
the Rorschachs in Group II was 60.
9. Findings obtained by an Activity Inventory
developed by Cavan, Burgess,

Havighurst, and Goldhamer,

revealed that the subjects of Group I had a significantly
higher mean score on the inventory.

The subjects of the

two groups who were rated as being better adjusted in
terms of their Rorschachs, were also better adjusted in
terms of the Activity Inventory.
10. The relationship of the following socio-economic
factors on personality adjustment were investigated:
Marital status, home ownership, number of children born
to the woman, length of time the woman had lived in
Lansing, yearly income, and educational attainment.
Taken singularly none of these factors appeared to dif­
ferentiate between women of good and poor adjustment as
indicated by the raters of the Rorschach.

99
11. From the medical examination, each subject
was given a general health r a t i n g .

It was found that

the younger age group, Group I, had on the average a
better health rating.

The best adjusted subjects of

each of the two groups received better health ratings
than did the poorest adjusted persons in their respect­
ive groups.
12. There were founa age differences in respect
to blood pressure, as the younger age group haa a mean
systolic and diastolic blood pressure lower than that
of the older age group.

On the whole there was a

tendency for the members of the sample rated as being
of best adjustment, to have lower blood pressures than
those subjects rated as being of poorest adjustment.
13. Dietary differences between the two age groups
occurred for the most part in caloric intake,

ana in

the vitamins and minerals that are found in the diet in
relation to calories.

In respect to these nutrients

the younger age subjects haa a higher intake.
nutrients incluaed proteins, phosphorus,

These

and thiamine.

For the most part the best adjusted individuals of each
group exceeded the poorest adjusted in the intake of
calories, vitamins, and minerals.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
1

Abel, T. M. and Piotrowski, Z.
Responses of Negro and
White Morons to the Rorschach Test.
Amer. J. M e n t .
Def., 1944, 48, 253-257.

2

Beck, Samuel J.
Rorschach’s Test I. basic Processes.
New York, Grune and Stratton, 1944.

3

_____ . R o r s c h a c h ’s Test I.
Basic Processes.
fTew York, Grune and Stratton, 1949.

4

_______ , R o r s c h a c h ’s Test II.
A variety of Personality
Pictures.
New York, Grune and Stratton, 1947*

5

Beck, Samuel J., Rabin, Albert I., Thiesen, Warren G.,
Herman, and Thetford, William N . The Normal Per­
sonality as Projected into the Rorschach Test.
J. Psychol., 1950, 30, 241-298.

6

Best, Charles H. and Taylor, Norman B.
The Physiological
basis of Medical Practice.
(3d Ed) Baltimore, williams
and Wilkins, 1942.

7

Cavan, Ruth S., Burgess, tirnest W., Havighurst, Robert
J., and Goldhamer, Herbert.
Personal Adjustment in
Old Age.
Chicago, Science Research Associates, Inc.,
1949.

8

Chesrow, ^ugene J., Wosika, Paul H., ana Reinitz, Arthur
H.
A Psychometric Evaluation of Agea White Males,
Geriatrics, 1949, 4, 169-177.

9

Dubois, bora A.
The People of A l o r .
sity of Minnesota Press, 1944.

10

Ford, Mary.
The Rorschach Test With Children.
M i nne­
apolis, University of Minnesota Press, 1946.

11

Hallowell, A. I. Acculturation Processes and Personality
Changes as Indicated by the Rorschach Technique.
Rorschach Res. E x c h ., 1942, 6 , 42-50.

12
•
33

(2d Ed)

Minneapolis, Univer­

Harrower-nrickson, M. R.
Direction for Administration
of the Rorschach Group-Test.
J. Genet. Psychol.,
1943, 6 2 , 105-117.
Hunter, M.

(Sicha) Responses of Comparable White and Negro

101
Adults to the Rorschach Test.
3, 175-1^2.

J. Psychol., 1937,

14

Kaplan, 0. Mental Disorders in Later Life.
University Press, 1945.

Stanford

15

Keys, Ancel, Brozek, Josef, Henschel, Austin, Mickelsen,
Olaf, and Taylor, Henry L.
The biology of Human Starva­
tion.
M i n n e apolis, University of Minnesota Press. 1950.

16

Klopfer, Bruno.
The Rorschach Technique.
World Book Co., 1942.

17

Klopfer, Walter G.
Personality Patterns of Old Age.
Rorschach Res. Bxch., 1946, 10, 145-166.

I8

Lawton, G.
New Goals for Ola Age.
Morningside Heights
Columbia University Press, 1943•

19

Ohlson, Margaret A.
Dietary Practices of 100 women
40 to 75 Years of Age.
J. Amer. Diet. Assoc., 1946,
24, 2 & 4 - 2 9 1 •

2C

Otis, Arthur S.
Otis Self-Administering Test, Manual
of Directions and Key (Revised).
New York, World
Book Co . , 1928.

21

Prados,M. and Fried, b. G.
Personality Structure of the
Older Age Groups.
J. C l i n . Psychol., 1947, 3,

New York,

113 -120 .
22

Proudfit, Fairfax T. and Robinson, Corinne H. Nutrition
and Diet Therapy.
(9th bd).
New York, Macmillan
Co., 194C.

23

Rabin, Albert I. and Beck, Samuel J.
Genetic Aspects of
Some Rorschach Factors.
Amer J. Orthopsychiatry,
1 9 5 0 , 2 0 , 595-599.

24

Rorschach, H.
Psychodiagnostik. Bern, Huber, 1932.
bnglish transl. by Lemkau, P., and Kronenberg, B.
New York, Grune and Stratton, 1942.

25

Stainbrook, B. J. and Spiegel, P. S. A Comparative
Rorschach Stuay of Southern Negro and White High School
and College Students.
J. Psychol., 1944, 17, 106-116.

;6

Stieglitz, b* °. Geriatric Medicine.

Philadelphia, W. B.

102
Saunders C o ., 1943•
27

Stone, Calvin P. and Taylor, Donald W.
Annual Review
of Psychology.
II, Stanford, C a l ., Annual Reviews,
Inc., 1951

2c

Wechsler, David.
The Measurement of Adult Intelligence.
(3rd Ed).
Baltimore, Williams and Wilkins, 1944-

29

. . . ., Recommended Dietary Allowances.
Washington, B.C.
Food and Nutrition Board, National Research Council,
1948.

APPENDIX A
Iowa State college
EVALUATION OF HEALTH
N

umb e r________________________

Age____________________________
Major disturbances
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.

Poor reproductive record
broken bones
Digestive disorders
circulatory disorders
Hepatic disorders
Major operations
Major nervous disorders

Minor disturbances
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10•
11.
12.
13•
14.
15.
16.
17.
18.

excessively overweight or unaer weight
Fair reproductive record
Difficulty with menopause
Broken bones
Loss of appetite
Tires easily
Frequent headaches
Difficulty with mastication
Minor digestive disorders
bore mouth
Skin rash, running sores
Minor circulatory disorders
Pain in joints
Diseases of short duration
Nervous disorders
Minor respiratory disorders
Minor operations
Thyroid (under control)

Total
Evaluation
Any minor disturbance which becomes intensified to the
point where, in the opinion of the interviewer, it may

104
bear the same relation to general health as does the
so-called major disturbances should be rated as a major
di sturbance.
Ratin& Scale
Under 50 years

Over

50 years

0 to -5 - good
-6 to -15 = fair
over -11
= poor

0 to -7 s good
-3 to -15 = fair
over -15
= poor

INSTRUCTION SHEET FOR EVALUATION OF HEALTH
Subtract 3 for each item in the major category
Subtract 1 for each item in the minor category
1. Reproductive Performance
a. Good - Normal pregnancies - include premature
babies of less than one month
b. Fair - No pregnancies or 1 miscarriage plus normal
pregnancies
c. Poor - Abnormal pregnancies such as stillbirths,
repeated miscarriages and
infant death from causes
possibly related to poor
fetal nutrition
2 . Broken bones - Major disturbances if bones broken
repeatedly or if healing is accompanied
by c o m p l ications; minor if broken bones
occur in childhood or early adulthood
and healing without complication
3. Hepatic disturbance - Gall bladder,

jaundice,

etc.

4. circulatory Disturbance - Major, if high or low blood
pressure, heart disease, shortness of
breath, excessive nose bleeding, etc.,
minor, anemia controlled by medication,
ana varicose veins.
If blood pressure available from medical

105
examination
-1 if over 150/60
-3 if over 170/90
5- Major operations include hysterectomy before m eno­
pause and resection of any portion of the gastro­
intestinal tract; minor operations include appendectomy
tonsilectomy, thyroid, tetc.
6 . Digestive disturbances - Major if ulcers; minor if
constipation or gas
7. hervous disorders - Major if multiple sclerosis or
if food is refused over long periods
of time, otherwise minor
6 . Pain in joints to include rheumatism, swelling of
joints, backaches, etc.
9. Disease

(item under minor disturbance) equal only -1
unless one or more of them are of
unusual severity or of long duration,
in that case, list ciseases as - 3 .
Diseases include chicken pox, diphtheria
polioyelitis, etc.

1 0 . minor respiratory disturbances include asthma,
colds, pleurisy, and bronchitis.
1 1 . ..eight - if underweight 15/^ z -1
overweight up to 29/° =
beyond 30 + /o = -3

-1

sinus