The relationship of interpersonal involvement and affectiveness of content to the verbal communication of schizophrenic patients.

Abstract

Despite the importance accorded schizophrenic communicative disturbances, few experimental efforts have been made to examine conditions which seem functionally related to them. Two such conditions suggested by the literature are interpersonal involvement, and affectiveness of communication content. That interpersonal involvement affects schizophrenic communication is suggested by general interpersonal theory. It is perhaps most explicitly stated in a remark of Will (1954, p. xiv) which noted Sullivan's observation of the defensive aspect of schizophrenic language. Will proposed that, having experienced considerable anxiety in interpersonal relationships, the schizophrenic attempts to withdraw from them, either physically or by talking in a way that puzzles and irritates the listener. Few studies have manipulated the interpersonal variable experimentally and most of them have used some kind of written or drawn material as the interpersonal situation (Rabin & King, 19S8, pp. 237-238).