PERCEPTUAL AND PERSONALITY DYNAMICS IN REACTIONS TO AMBIGUITY

Abstract

A battery of tests designed to elicit differential responses to a variety of ambiguous situations was administered to groups of Control and Neurotic subjects. data show marked individual differences and considerable evidence for intra‐individual consistency in avoidance/non‐avoidance of ambiguous situations. A high percentage of significant correlations suggests that tests measure few, closely related variables. Age and intelligence are only minimally involved. evidence is taken to be consistent with a theory of cognitive control of environment mediated via perceptual attitudes operative at varying levels of individual. To test influence of controlling and restrictive personality factors on reactions towards ambiguous situations, groups of anxious, hysterical and obsessional psychiatric patients were compared for tendencies to avoid ambiguity. Neurotic subjects were generally shown to avoid ambiguity more than Controls, and Conversion Hysterics and Obsessionals avoided ambiguous situations more than Anxiety States. It is suggested that avoidance of ambiguity serves to avoid anxiety and conflict. similarity in behaviour between Obsessionals and Conversion Hysterics is interpreted as being due to functional similarity and aims of neurotic symptoms of these two clinical groups.