Abstract
M.A. (Psychology)
The present study investigated the diagnostic usefulness of
a content analysis of the verbal behaviour of schizophrenic
patients.
The schizophrenic condition was approached via a cognitive social
developmental model of personality. The high-risk
schizophrenic constitutionally does not seem to be equipped
to cope with potential threats from his environment, such
as unstable conditions or ambigious interpersonal relationships
and communication. He could subsequently adjust
poorly to his environment and he learns to perceive,
process and produce information in a disturbed manner. The
disturbance seems particularly evident in the schizophrenic
person's incompetent communication with and participation in
his world. He could progress further towards a condition
characterized by withdrawal, fear and other forms of mental
suffering, and a lack of identity.
These three abovementioned features of the schizophrenic
condition - as viewed relative to "normal" states - were
introduced into three experimental situations, represented
respectively by the words "daydreaming", "pain" and a topic
"self". Each of the 25 diagnozed male schizophrenics were
asked to talk about these concepts (presented to them in the
form of words written on cards) in any way they liked.
Their responses to these situations were analyzed by means
of a specifically designed content analysis model of verbal
behaviour. For the purpose of this study, verbal behaviour denotes
the person's relative degree of communicative competence,
which appears to reflect the nature and progress of his
schizophrenic condition.
Verbal behaviour was interdependently analyzed on three
levels. The first of these, language structure, assessed
the schizophrenic person in terms of the more latent aspects
of disturbed thinking, such as thought blocking and failure
to integrate ideas. An assessment was also made of these
language deviations as they were reflected in syntactical
structures.
On a second level, semantic content, subjects' verbal
productions were analysed in terms of themes which represented
their major preoccupations. The effect of the three
experimental situations on the semantic content of the
subjects' responses was also investigated.
The third level of content analysis, language behaviour,
dealt with the schizophrenic individual's verbal and nonverbal
reactions to his perceived environment.
It appears that the schizophrenic person projects his condition
through his communicative competence, into symbolic
representations of his condition. The projections seem to
coincide with stages of progression of the schizophrenic condition,
or degree of disturbance. This tendency, as well as
certain others investigated in the present study, ted to the
formation of hypotheses which can be investigated in further
research.
It would appear that the quantification of communicated
material in the clinical or other interview, has diagnostic
value.