Self-Conception, Social Class, and Mental Health

The usefulness of the self-conception as a construct for investigating the relationship between SC position & psychiatric illness is explored. R's were asked to make 20 diff replies to the question: 'Who am I?' Responses permitted the development of 4 reliable categories along a rough spectrum: Category (A) with concrete, constricted attributes, is associated with withdrawn behavior; (B) responses are in socially positional terms; (C) statements are 'situation- free'; & (D) statements are vague, fail to differentiate the spokesman, correlate with psychotic diagnoses. The study first investigated the relationship between self-conception & SC position, distinguishing between Lc (N=36) & Mc (N=137) membership by combined educ, occup & income. Statistical tests confirm the hypothesis that Mc self-identifications would involve institutional positions, while Lc, personal characteristics. Modes of self-conception & deviant behavior was studied next. 20 statement responses from 100 Lc psychiatric hospital patients, plus systematic accounts of their ward behavior was used. The r of self-conceptions with ward behavior (categorized in 3 modes) shows a signif relationship. The bulk of deviant behavior is produced by persons in the `extreme' self-conception categories. Against the background of findings by Faris & Dunham, & Hollingshead & Redlich (See SA 6992), the hypothesis indicated is that in a psychiatrically ill pop Mc persons should report fewer selfconceptions in `extreme' categories than Lc persons. A comparison of `normal' with patient groups without regard to SC diff's supports the hypothesis that `extreme' categories of self-conception are more characteristic of psychiatric than of normal patients. J. Field.