Personality correlates of undergraduate marijuana use.

Abstract

DOCUMENT RESUME CG 004 845 HOGAN, ROBERT; AND OTHERS PERSONALITY CORRELATES OF UNDERGRADUATE MARIJUANA USE. JOHNS HOPKINS UNIV., BALTIMORE, MD4 10 APR 69 15P.; PA PEP PRESENTED AT THE EASTERN PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION CONVENTION, PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, APRIL 10--12, 1969 EDRS PRICE MF-$0.25 HC-$0485 *COLLEGE STUDENTS, *DRUG ABUSE, EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH, *INDIVIDUAL CHARACTERISTICS, *MARIHUANA, ISSUES, PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT, PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS, PSYCHOLOGICAL PATTERNS, RESEARCH, *STUDENT RESEARCH THE OBJECTIVE OF THIS STUDY WAS TO INVESTIGATE THE PERSONOIOGICAL FACTORS UNDERLYING MARIJUANA USE IN THE COLLEGE POPULATION. UNDER ANONYMOUS CONDITIONS, 1118 STUDENTS AT TWO UNIVERSITIES COMPLETED THE CALIFCRNIA PSYCHOLOGICAL INVENTORY AND A BIOGRAPHICAL QUESTIONNAIRE CONCERNING DRUG USAGE. FOUR CONCLUSIONS WERE REACHED: (1) MARIJUANA USE AT TWO UNIVERSITIES CAN BE PREDICTED WITH FAIR ACCURACY, (2) USERS AND NON-USERS ARE INDISTINGUISHABLE WITH REGARD TO THEIR SECONDARY EDUCATION, EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES, OR ATHLETIC PARTICIPATION. THEY DIFFER, HOWEVER, IN FRATERNITY MEMBERSHIP, ACADEMIC MAJOR, YEAR IN SCHOOL, AND SCHOLASTIC ACHIEVEMENT. (3) USERS SHOW A PERSONALITY PATTERN SOMEWHAT AT VARIANCE WITH MANY STEREOTYPES, WHILE THEY APE IN SOME WAYS ANTI-SOCIAL, THEY ARE CHARACTERIZED BY VALUABLE TRAITS AS WELL, AND (4) THE CHARACTER STRUCTURE OF NON-USERS IS NOT NECESSARILY SUPERIOR TO THAT OF USERS. MARIJUANA USE IS PERHAPS MORE PROPERLY CLASSIFIED AS AMORAL THAN IMMORAL, AND CURRENT DISAPPROVAL OF ITS USE MAY REFLECT A CULTURAL EMPHASIS RATHER THAN A TRULY MORAL JUDGMENT. (AUTHOR/EK) .,,