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The path of inquiry in mental illness and problem-centered self-description

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Abstract

College students listed the questions they would ask a job applicant after he had described the reasons for his psychiatric hospitalization in either problem-centered (PC) or mental illness (MI) terms. The initial questions asked in response to MI self-description were more past-oriented. MI self-description also induced a greater focus on the conditions of admission and discharge, with questions phrased to imply that the ex-patient was notautonomous in entering and leaving the hospital.

Under MI self-description, expert opinion was sought about the applicant's current capacity; under PC self-description, the applicant's own evaluation of himself was sought more. Finally, MI self-description prompted illness-centered questioning. Implications for ex-patients seeking employment are discussed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Houston Veterans Administration Hospital, USA

    Paul Rothaus Ph.D. (Research Psychologist, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology) &  Philip G. Hanson Ph.D. (Director, Human Rlations Training Laboratory, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology)

  2. Baylor University College of Medicine, USA

    Paul Rothaus Ph.D. (Research Psychologist, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology) &  Philip G. Hanson Ph.D. (Director, Human Rlations Training Laboratory, Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychology)

Authors
  1. Paul Rothaus Ph.D.
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  2. Philip G. Hanson Ph.D.
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Rothaus, P., Hanson, P.G. The path of inquiry in mental illness and problem-centered self-description. Community Ment Health J 1, 29–36 (1965). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01435965

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