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432
W. F. GROSS
&
L. 0. ALDER
group intelligence test. The average number of formal years of schooling was 10.6. Although the Tennessee Self-concept Scale was administered early in treatment, none of the
Ss was considered intoxicated, overly medicated, or showing signs of withdrawal.
The reference group used in this study was the standardization sample (N of 626)
reported in the manual for the Tennessee Self-concept Scale. Fitts has found that "the
effects of such demographic variables as sex, age, race, education, and intelligence on the
scores of this scale are quite negligible" and that "samples from other populations do not
differ appreciably from the norms;" therefore, it was not deemed necessary to establish a
separate normative group for this investigation ( 3 ) .
Znslrum ent
The Tennessee Self-concept Scale (TSCS) is composed of 100 self-descriptive statements to which S responds along a five-point scale, according to the way the item describes
his own perception of himself. Ninety of the items, equally divided as co positive and
negative statements, make up the eight subscales of the test which define Self-esteem. The
remaining 1 0 mildly derogatory items, which most people admit as being true for them,
compose the Self-criticism Scale. For purposes of this study, scores were obtained for 1 0
subscales (Total Positive, Identity, Self-satisfaction, Behavior, Physical Self, Moral-Ethical
Self, Personal Self, Family Self, Social Self, and Self-criricjsm). Test-retest reliabilities
for these subscales range from .75 to 9 2 . According to Fins, "Validation procedures are
of four kinds: content validity, discrimination between groups, correlation with other personaliry measures, and personality changes under particular conditions" ( 3 ) .
Procedure
The TSCS was administered to all patients who entered the Alcoholic Treatment Program at the Lexington VA Hospital during the period of a year. The scale was administered early in the trearment program to small groups. The scores for the alcoholic sample were then compared with the standardization or norm group's scores on each of the 1 0
self-concept aspects to determine whether significant differences existed. Hotelling's modification of the variance ratio for multivariate data was computed ro see whether there was
a significant difference between groups over all the aspects of self-concept. Finally, a simple between-groups t value was found for the 9 subscales taken in pairs.
RESULTS
The F value obtained for the variance ratio (31.36) for the total score
differences was significant ( p < .001), with dfs of 9 and 130. Thus, there
was a significant difference in the 10 aspects of self-concept between the alcoholic sample and the standardization sample.
It can be seen from Table 1 that each of the 10 t values was significant ( p
< ,001). This means that there were significant hfferences between the alcoholic sample and the standardization group for the 10 aspects of self-concept
measured. The t value for the total positive score was negative, showing that
the over-all level of self-esceem of the alcoholic sample was lower than that of
the standardization sample.
The alcoholics perceived themselves significantly less favorably on the
Identity (what I am), Self-satisfaction (how I feel about myself), and Behavior (what I do) scores than did those in the standardization group. These
three subscales, according to Fitts, "represent an internal frame of reference within which the individual is describing himself" ( 3 ) .
SELF-CONCEPTS OF ALCOHOLICS
TABLE 1
MEANSCORES
ON 10 ASPECTS OF SELF-CONCEPTS
OF AN ALCOHOLICSAMPLE
AND A STANDARDIZATION
GROUPAS MEASURED
BY TENNESSEE
SELF-CONCEPT
SCALE
Scale
ML
M=
MI-M?
a*
Total Positive
286.23
Identity
109.40
Self-satisfaction
82.98
Behavior
93.85
Physical Self
58.57
Moral-Ethical Self
54.47
Personal Self
52.73
Family Self
57.13
Social Self
62.40
Self-criticism
38.67
*At p,, t = 3.29, df = 139.
The alcoholics also consrrued themselves significantly more negatively than
did those in the standardization group on the scores pertaining to Physical Self
(body, health, appearance, skills, sexuality), Moral-Ethical Self (moral worth,
relationship to God, satisfaction with one's religion), Personal Self (personal
worth and adequacy, evaluation of personality), Family Self (adequacy, worth,
and value as a family member), and Social Self (adequacy and worth in interaction with others). These five subscales are said to represent an external frame
of reference ( 3 ) .
The positive t value computed for the Self-criticism subscale substantiates
chat the alcoholics were more open and self-critical than were chose in the standardization sample.
DISCUSSION
The results provide empirical support for the clinical observation that alcoholics view themselves as generally inadequate and unworthy of respect. The
finding that the alcoholics in this sample differed significantly in a negative direction from the standardization group on numerous and important aspects of
self-concept suggests that the derogative self-perceptions of alcoholics are global
or general, not specific and limited to narrow spheres of personality and behavior. This configuration of highly negative conceptualizations of self may be
central to what some have termed the "alcoholic personality" (4, 6 ) .
Much of the alcoholic's self-defeating life style can be understood in the
context of self-theory which holds that the self-concept is the basic determinant
of behavior. Thus, the alcoholic's destructive existence can be construed largely
as a function of his abasement-oriented self-image. Moreover, the alcoholic's intrapunitive and extrapunitive actions evoke negative and hostile reactions from
the social environment which only serve to confirm his disparaged self-view.
434
W. F. GROSS 8: L. 0. ALDER