THE EFFECTS OF LEVELS OF SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-MOTIVATION ON IMPROVEMENT DURING TREATMENT IN ALCOHOLICS (MMPI)
Abstract
Two variables which have received much attention in relation to alcoholism and alcohol rehabilitation are self-esteem and motivation for treatment. Some researchers have found that alcoholics who voluntarily seek treatment exhibit a lower level of self-esteem than those who reject treatment (Charalampous, Ford, & Skinner, 1976; Matefy, Kalish, & Cantor, 1971; Mindlin, 1964). The present study was designed to investigate how level of self-esteem, level of self-motivation, and the potential interaction of these two variables influence the degree to which alcoholics improve during treatment. Upon admission to a 30-day alcohol treatment program, white, male alcoholics were administered the MMPI and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSE) (Rosenberg, 1965). Staff screeners also classified subjects into high or low self-motivation categories after extensive interviews. After completion of the program, subjects were administered another MMPI. Improvement or change from admission to discharge was measured principally by three indices of maladjustment computed from the MMPI protocols: (1) mean T-score for all the clinical scales, except 5; (2) number of clinical scales with T-scores greater than or equal to 60; (3) number of clinical scales with T-scores greater than or equal to 70. The results of two separate analyses of covariance and multiple linear regression analysis indicated that levels of self-esteem and self-motivation were not found to predict change in the three indices. Supplemental analyses indicated, however, that self-esteem had a significant effect on scale 9 and the MacAndrew alcoholism scale but in the direction opposite to that hypothesized. Level of self-motivation was found to be a significant factor for scales L and 2. It was concluded that while levels of self-esteem and self-motivation may not be predictive of improvement as measured by these three indices, these variables seem to have some effect on several isolated scales of the MMPI.
Subject Area
Psychotherapy
Recommended Citation
TOZZI, SUSAN MARY, "THE EFFECTS OF LEVELS OF SELF-ESTEEM AND SELF-MOTIVATION ON IMPROVEMENT DURING TREATMENT IN ALCOHOLICS (MMPI)" (1985). ETD Collection for Fordham University. AAI8521420.
https://research.library.fordham.edu/dissertations/AAI8521420
