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Expirations in typing psychotics
BOOK h4 ALRICE
L~RR (Ed.):
Explurorions
REVIEWS
it7 T~pinp P.s.rcho7rr.r. Pergamon
Press, Oxford
( 19667.
241 pp.
; 600,
THIS book is a sequel to .s,Wdrol77eS nf ~s.J~/~os~s. It contains a brief but very clear description of human taxonomy and of diRerent statistical methods used for discovering and delineating types. The rest of the book is devoted to several large-scale studies of acute and chronic psychotic types. Some of the analyses are based on data collected by interview, others on data collected in the ward and in the community. The description of the work done is always clear and to the point. The statistical treatment is always competent. easy to follow. and as objective as circumstances permit. The authors show proper concern for problems of reliability and validity and do not overreach themselves by trying to go beyond their data. Men and women are treated separately. although the types found in one sex arc not too dissimilar to those found in the other. The types are arrived at in an empirical manner. starrmg out wnh ten syndr-omes cstablishcd previously on the basis of factor analysis. A “type” is a frequentiy occurring set of high and low scores on these ten \yndromesand it turns out there are something like nine such types. all of which make good clinical sense. As it turns out however, a fair number of cases are intermcdiatc and cannot be assigned to any type. although by using a more lenient criterion this number can be reduced. but at the cost of making the types less homogeneous. The revieuer would have welcomed rather more discuszion of the alleged advantages th7s “typing” approach has over a dimensional approach, \rhich would seem to htm more natural, as well as more inclusive. However. this 7s a very workmanlike book which throw\ a lof of light on a very confused field, and is to be thoroughly recommended. H. J. t:YSFNCK
.I. \\(ILPC
1~1s IS a
and A. L~nRus:
Brho1~7~77~r ~~hhrropy Trchrriqws.
Pergammnn Press, Oxford
(1966). I Xi
pp.:
‘Is.
very clearly written booh and 7s essential rcadmg for any clinical psychologist uho wants to mbolvc himself in treatment of patients. Them is still no institution anywhere in the world %hcre a complete training is gcvcn in the theory and practice of bcha\ 7our therapy ; the most important function 01’ “Behaviour Therapy Techniques” is “to facilitate rhc process of self-education” in bchaviour therap. The techniques described are mostly aimed at the recrprocal inhibition of neurotic habits and include assertive trainmg, sy,tenratic descnsirization. 7hc use of sexual responses. thought-stopping, exaggcratedrole training. hypnosis, flooding, negatlrc practlcc. use of emotive rmagery. conditioning of anxiety-relief rcylonses and aversive conditioning. Woipe and Lararus give a very clear account of these techniques and also the learning theory principles on irhich they are based. Academ7c psycholog7sts might feel that II’olpc and Lazarus have loo much confidence in certain of these principles. For instance, they accept the hypothesis that the negative practice technique. poposed by Dunlop. Mor’ks through the butldup of reactive inhibition but as Jones (1960) points out. this hypclthrsis has not been adequately tested. The authors state that: “In thus treating disabling habits by mahscd practrce one has to ensure that the undesirable response is repeated to the point of exhaustion so that a high degree of rcacti\,e inhibition i\ produced. Otherwise the tie may actually be reinforced: especially if the response concerned is not a asymptotic to commence u~ith”. Do U’olpe and Lazarus habe experimental evidence IO justify this statcmcnt or are they putting too much faith in a fashionable theory 1 An equally tenable theory. which has been suggested. is that fear of t7cs causes tics. so that negative practice in a non-threatening situation has a dcscnsitizing elfcct. It has been suggcstcd that applied scientists ha\c a greater degree of confidence 771 [heir de&ion\ and hunches than do pure \cicntists (Eysenck. lYi7). An applied sctentist IS forced to bag
L~RR (Ed.):
Explurorions
REVIEWS
it7 T~pinp P.s.rcho7rr.r. Pergamon
Press, Oxford
( 19667.
241 pp.
; 600,
THIS book is a sequel to .s,Wdrol77eS nf ~s.J~/~os~s. It contains a brief but very clear description of human taxonomy and of diRerent statistical methods used for discovering and delineating types. The rest of the book is devoted to several large-scale studies of acute and chronic psychotic types. Some of the analyses are based on data collected by interview, others on data collected in the ward and in the community. The description of the work done is always clear and to the point. The statistical treatment is always competent. easy to follow. and as objective as circumstances permit. The authors show proper concern for problems of reliability and validity and do not overreach themselves by trying to go beyond their data. Men and women are treated separately. although the types found in one sex arc not too dissimilar to those found in the other. The types are arrived at in an empirical manner. starrmg out wnh ten syndr-omes cstablishcd previously on the basis of factor analysis. A “type” is a frequentiy occurring set of high and low scores on these ten \yndromesand it turns out there are something like nine such types. all of which make good clinical sense. As it turns out however, a fair number of cases are intermcdiatc and cannot be assigned to any type. although by using a more lenient criterion this number can be reduced. but at the cost of making the types less homogeneous. The revieuer would have welcomed rather more discuszion of the alleged advantages th7s “typing” approach has over a dimensional approach, \rhich would seem to htm more natural, as well as more inclusive. However. this 7s a very workmanlike book which throw\ a lof of light on a very confused field, and is to be thoroughly recommended. H. J. t:YSFNCK
.I. \\(ILPC
1~1s IS a
and A. L~nRus:
Brho1~7~77~r ~~hhrropy Trchrriqws.
Pergammnn Press, Oxford
(1966). I Xi
pp.:
‘Is.
very clearly written booh and 7s essential rcadmg for any clinical psychologist uho wants to mbolvc himself in treatment of patients. Them is still no institution anywhere in the world %hcre a complete training is gcvcn in the theory and practice of bcha\ 7our therapy ; the most important function 01’ “Behaviour Therapy Techniques” is “to facilitate rhc process of self-education” in bchaviour therap. The techniques described are mostly aimed at the recrprocal inhibition of neurotic habits and include assertive trainmg, sy,tenratic descnsirization. 7hc use of sexual responses. thought-stopping, exaggcratedrole training. hypnosis, flooding, negatlrc practlcc. use of emotive rmagery. conditioning of anxiety-relief rcylonses and aversive conditioning. Woipe and Lararus give a very clear account of these techniques and also the learning theory principles on irhich they are based. Academ7c psycholog7sts might feel that II’olpc and Lazarus have loo much confidence in certain of these principles. For instance, they accept the hypothesis that the negative practice technique. poposed by Dunlop. Mor’ks through the butldup of reactive inhibition but as Jones (1960) points out. this hypclthrsis has not been adequately tested. The authors state that: “In thus treating disabling habits by mahscd practrce one has to ensure that the undesirable response is repeated to the point of exhaustion so that a high degree of rcacti\,e inhibition i\ produced. Otherwise the tie may actually be reinforced: especially if the response concerned is not a asymptotic to commence u~ith”. Do U’olpe and Lazarus habe experimental evidence IO justify this statcmcnt or are they putting too much faith in a fashionable theory 1 An equally tenable theory. which has been suggested. is that fear of t7cs causes tics. so that negative practice in a non-threatening situation has a dcscnsitizing elfcct. It has been suggcstcd that applied scientists ha\c a greater degree of confidence 771 [heir de&ion\ and hunches than do pure \cicntists (Eysenck. lYi7). An applied sctentist IS forced to bag