An analysis of alcoholics' perception of hostility before and after treatment.
Volunteer alcoholics being treated in a chemical dependency unit (CDU) were administered the Paired Hands Test-Adult to assess their perceptions of others before and after three weeks of treatment. This test assessed the perception of others along a friendliness-hostility dimension. Test data were compared to a non-alcoholic control group who were not receiving any form of therapeutic services. The main hypothesis tested was that alcoholics experience more hostility than non-alcoholics and project this hostility through perceptual defenses. A secondary hypothesis tested was that traditional short-term therapy reduces the alcoholic's perception of hostility. Neither hypothesis was supported.
D000328:Adult; D000437:Alcoholism / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006791:Hostility; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D012938:Social Perception