A STUDY OF CHANGES IN BODY IMAGE DURING PSYCHOTHERAPY

422 Pages·17.587 MB·English

by  KOSSEFF, JEROME WILLIAM

COPYRIGHTED
by
JEROME WILLIAM KOSSEFF
1952
Sponsoring Committee: Assistant Professor Bernard
Kalinkowitz, Professor H. Harry Giles and
Assistant Professor Milton Schwebel
A STUDY OF CHANGES IN BODY IMAGE DURING PSYCHOTHERAPY
Jerome William Kosseff
Submitted in partial fulfillm ent of the
requirements for the degree of Doctor of
Philosophy in the School of Education of
New York University
1952
Volume I
M.
1 \
**
11 e - - - - ■
The student hereby guarantees that no part of
the dissertation or document which he has submitted for
publication has been heretofore published and (or) copy­
righted in the United States of America, except in the
case of passages quoted from other published sources;
that he is the sole author and proprietor of said disserta­
tion or document; that the dissertation or document con­
tains no m atter which, if published, w ill be libelous or
otherwise injurious, or infringe in any way the copyright
of any other party; and that he w ill defend, indemnify
and hold harmless New York University against a ll suits
and proceedings which may be brought and against a ll claims
which may be made against New York University by reason of
the publication of said dissertation or document.
LOME W. KOSSEFF
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS.................................................................................................................. i
LIST OF TABLES...................................................................................................................... i i
Chapter
I. THE PROBLEM........................................................................................................... 1
General Statement of the Problem ........................... 1
Basic Assumptions.................................................................................... 7
Basic Hypotheses.................................................................................. 8
Significance of the Study.................................................................. 8
II. RELATED LITERATURE......................................................................................... 12
Previous Research on the Body Image Concept...................... 12
Previous Research on Aspects of Perception.......................... 33
Previous Research on Expressive Movement..................... Uo
Previous Research on Graphic Media as Projective
Devices....................................................................................................... 1+7
Previous Research on Human Figure Drawings.................................. 57
Previous Research on the Process of Nondirective
Psychotherapy........................................................................................ 76
Previous Research Employing Similar Experimental
Design.......................... 83
Concluding Statement............................................................................... 87
H I. PROCEDURE...................... 95
Personnel................................................................................................, . 95
Psychotherapeutic Method....................................................................... 98
M aterials...................................................................................................... 100
Steps and Organization........................................................................... 102
IV. TREATMENT OF THE DATA: NOMOTHETIC PHASE............................................... 110
The Selection of the Graphic Characteristics to
be Studied................................................................................................. I ll
The Definition of the Graphic Characteristics
Selected...................................................................................................... Ill*
The Treatment of the Measured Graphic Characteristics . . 121
TABLE OF CONTENTS—Continued
Chapter Page
The Treatment of the Rated Graphic C haracteristics. . . ll+l
Comparison of D istribution of t 's with Chance
Expectation.................................7 ............................................. 158
The Effects of Differences in the Composition of the
Experimental and Control Groups on the Significance
of the Changes in Graphic C h aracteristics.............. 162
Individual Differences in Change on the Significant . .
Graphic C haracteristics ................................................................. 176
Concluding Statement...................................................................... 185
V. TREATMENT OF THE DATA: IDIOGRAFHIC PHASE............................ 189
The Selection of the Two Subjects for Further Study . . 189
The Scaling of the Interm ediate Drawings....................... 191
The Rating of the Personality T raits Derived from
the Recorded In terv iew s........................................................ 191+
The Conversion of Graphic C haracteristics and
Personality T rait Ratings into Comparable Scales. . . 201
The Comparison of Changes of the Significant Graphic
Characteristics in the Periodic Human-Figure
Drawings of George and M artin .............................................. 207
The Comparison of the Changes of the Two Selected
Subjects on the Personality T raits from the
Recorded Interview s..................................................................... 216
The Comparison of the Changes in- the Significant
Graphic C haracteristics of the Drawings with
the Changes in the Personality T raits from the
Recorded Interview s............................ 221
Concluding Statement................................................................. 21+2
VI. SUMMARY, CONCLUSIONS, IMPLICATIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS. . . 21+8
Summary.................................................................................................. 21+8
Conclusions......................................................................................... 256
Implications and Recommendations.......................................... 257
BIBLIOGRAPHY.............................................................................................................................. 261+
APPENDICES................................................................................................................................. 271
A. SAMPLE OF OTIS GAMMA TEST, FORM BM................................................ 272
B. SAMPLES OF RATING SCALES..................................................................... 279
C. DIRECTIONS FOR RATERS OF DRAWINGS............................................... 281+
TABLE OF CONTENTS—Continued
Chapter Page
D. INITIAL AND FINAL DRAWINGS BY EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL
SUBJECTS....................................................................................................................285
In itial and Final Drawings by Experimental Subject. . . 286
In itial and Final Drawings by Experimental Subject. . . 289
In itial and Final Drawings by Control Subject................... 292
In itial and Final Drawings by Control Subject................... 295
E. DATA USED IN ANALYSIS OF VARIANCE..................................................... 298
Squares..................... 299
Sums of Squares................................................................................. 301
F-Ratios.................................................................................................. 302
F. DIRECTIONS TO JUDGES RATING INTERVIEWS............................................ 303
G. TRANSCRIPTIONS OF THE TWO RATED INTERVIEWS.................................... 313
Case of George..................................................................................... 311+
Case of Martin. ................................. 321+
H. CASE HISTORY, SUMMARIZED ATTITUDES EXPRESSED IN THE
PERIODIC INTERVIEWS, AND THE PERIODIC DRAWINGS OF GEORGE. . 3l+0
Case History of George.................................................................... 3l+l
Summarized Attitudes......................................................................... 3l+7
Periodic Drawings............................................................................... 352
I. CASE HISTORY, SUMMARIZED ATTITUDES EXPRESSED IN THE
PERIODIC INTERVIEWS AND THE PERIODIC DRAWINGS OF MARTIN. .. 357
Case History of Martin..................................................................... 358
Summarized Attitudes......................................................................... 363
Periodic Drawings. . .................................................................... 368
J. GRAPHS COMPARING EACH GRAPHIC CHARACTERISTIC WITH EACH
PERSONALITY TRAIT........................................................................................ 373
K. DESCRIPTION OF THE EXPERIMENTAL AND CONTROL POPULATIONS
AND SAMPLES......................................................................................................... i+06
i
ACKNOVJLEDG^MKNTS
The author feels somewhat abashed a t taking fu ll cred it for th is dis­
sertation. Although in itiated and undertaken by him, i t became, in process,
so enormous a project and involved the help of so many others that now—
in finished form— i t seems more of a group than-an individual achievement!
Among the array of those who contributed to th is study are the members
of the author's sponsoring committee, Professors Bernard Kalinkowitz (chair­
man), H. Harry Giles and M ilton Schwebel. W ithout th e ir understanding guid­
ance and encouragement, this would have been a fa r le ss rewarding task.
Professor Avrum Ben-Avi also assisted in the early phases of the research.
Professor Gerald W. Lawior, Mr. John N. Bauer and Mr. Boris Hirschhom
very kindly provided the control population from th e ir college psychology
classes.
Mr. William H. Helme provided a never-failing flow of ingenious and
resourceful suggestions for handling some of the stick y problems of experi­
mental design and sta tistic a l procedure encountered in th is experiment.
The author is also indebted to those several colleagues who spent
much time, effort, thought and devotion in o ffic ia l or u n o fficial appraisal
of parts of this dissertation. It was th e ir perspicacity, th e ir industry and
their stamina that helped f il l out the bare bones, and gave body to, the ex­
perimental design set up by the author. They are: Mr. Dominick Carminati,
Dr. Daniel Casner, Dr. Sidney Fishman, Mr. M orris K ransdorf, Mr. Adrian Levy,
Mrs. Karen Machover, Mrs. Rachel Malamud, Mr. Leo Meyer, Dr. Nathaniel Raskin,
Dr. Bernard Steinzor and Dr. Philip Zlatchin.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS—Continued
Miss Dorothy Jacobs was an able stenographic and typing assistant.
Thanks are also due to Dr. Herman Weiss, who introduced the author to
the Human-Figure Drawing Technique, and to Mrs. Karen Machover, whose clini­
cal acumen with th is projective method opened the author's eyes to its rich
c lin ica l p oten tialities.
Most of a ll, the author owes the completion of this research to his wife.
Her w illin g dedication to this task, her constant support and reassurance in
moments of crises, her many labors and her well-timed suggestions furnished
the essen tial motive power to carry this project through to completion.
i i
LIST OF TABLES
No. Page
I Comparison of In itia l and Final Means and Standard
Deviations, and t-Tests of Significance of Change,
in Measured Graphic C haracteristics of Human-Figure
Drawings Done by Experimental and Control Subjects 121*
II Correlations between In itia l and Final Status of
Experimental and Control Subjects on Those Measured
Graphic Characteristics Changing Significantly or
Nearly Significantly 127
m Comparison of Number of In itia l and Final Drawings of
Experimental and Control Subjects According to Perspec­
tive and Sex of Figures Drawn 129
IV Comparison of Changes in Perspective and Sex of Figure
from Initial to Final Drawings of Experimental and
Control Subjects 130
v
t-Tests of Significance of Measured Graphic Character­
istics when Computed as Ratios and When Separately 133-131*
VI Comparison of In itia l and Final Means and Standard
Deviations, and Correlations between In itia l and
Final Status, of Experimental and Control Subjects
on Measurement Ratios Changing Significantly or
Nearly Significantly 136
VII Correlations between Judges, R eliabilities of
Judgments and t-Tests of Rated Graphic C haracteristics ll*5 11*6
-
VIII Comparison of In itia l and Final Means and Standard
Deviations, and Correlations between In itia l and
Final Status, of Experimental and Control Subjects
on Hated Graphic C haracteristics Changing S ignifi­
cantly or Nearly Significantly 11*8
IX Pairing of Drawings by Three Judges 152
X Cumulative Summary of Pairing of Drawings by Three
Judges 153
XI Selection by Three Judges of Graphic C haracteristics
Used in Rating the Significant '•Global” Scales l5i*-l56
LIST OF TABLES—Continued
No.
XII Comparison of Actual Distribution of t's with Chance
Expectation ”
X III Chi-Square Tests of Distribution of t's
XIV Comparison of Experimental and Control Groups in Age,
Years of Education and IQ
XV Comparison of Experimental and Control Groups in
Remaining V ariables of Group Composition
XVI F-Ratios of Graphic Characteristics Significant After
Analysis of Variance
XVII Changes in "V ertical Placement" from Initial to Final
Drawings of Experimental and Control Subjects, Accord­
ing to Age
XVIII E ffects of Age, Education and IQ Differences between
Experim ental and Control Groups on Change in "Body
Perspective"
XIX Extreme Changes from In itia l to Final Drawings of
Experimental Subjects
XX Extreme Changes in Significant Graphic Characteristics
from In itia l to Final Drawings of Control Subjects
XXI Comparison of Number of Extreme Changes in Experimental
and Control Drawings
XXII Comparison of Experimental and Control Subjects Mani­
festin g Extreme Changes on Each of the Significant
Graphic C haracteristics
XXIII Comparison of Number of Extreme Changes Shown in Draw­
ings of Experimental Subjects Having Differing Lengths
of Therapeutic Contact
XXIV Comparison of Kinds of Extreme Changes Shown in Drawings
of Long- and Short-Term Therapy Subjects
XXV R elative Position of Significant Graphic Characteristics
in Incidence of Extreme Change by Lcr0- and Short-Term
Subjects