Two studies arc reported, the second basically a replication of the first, the purpose of which was to measure the impact upon a mental patient of believing others have become aware of his psychiatric history. The procedure entailed telling the patient the interest was in determining if another person would behave the same toward mental patients and controls. Half of the 5s were told the other person (always the same confederate) knew they were patients and the remainder that he believed them to be nonpatients. Believing others were aware of their status caused patients to feel less appreciated, to find a task more difficult, to perform more poorly, and they were perceived as more tense, anxious, and poorly adjusted by an observer. Some implications of the study are considered and suggestions for future research are made.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.