Abstract
This book describes a research study into the nature of altered states of consciousness, the personality factors related to the specific manifestations of such states as experienced by a given person, and the manner of functioning in these states. It dates back some years when members of the staff at the Research Center for Mental Health of New York University became interested in an experimental approach to the psychoanalytic theory of consciousness. These interests led to a search for a means of producing an altered state of consciousness in which it would be possible to enlist they cooperation of a subject in a range of psychological tests of his imagination, fantasies, and cognitive and other functioning. We inevitably came upon the early literature on the effects of mescaline and then the rather substantial literature describing the effects of a then unique drug, d - lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD-25). At that time the drug was something of a scientific curiosity and relatively unknown to the public. It was, however, a substance par excellence for our purposes and, after some preliminary testing with staff members, we undertook the controlled research study whose major findings are presented here. CONTENTS CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION: Research Strategy for Studying Personality and Differences In Drug Response INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCESIN DRUG RESPONSE 4 . A STRATEGY FOR STUDYING DIFFERENCES IN DRUG RESPONSE 5 A BRIEF LOOK AT PRIOR RESEARCH ON LSD AND INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES 6 CHAPTER 2 The Design of the Study and the Subjects It THE PLAN OF PRESENTATION 12 SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT OF SUBJECTS 13 . DESCRIPTION OF SUBJECTS 15 . THE RESEARCH PROCEDURE AND SETTING 19 . CHAPTER 3 General Drug EdectsSubjective Reactions and Observable Behavior 24 SUBJECTIVE REPORT: THE QUESTIONNAIRE 24 . OBSERVATIONS OF BEHAVIOR 39 . SUBJECTIVE REPORTS VS.OBSERVATIONSOF BEHAVIOR 42 . CHAPTER 4 The Effects of the LSD States on . Experimental Test Performance 45 I THE EXPERIMENTAE TASKS 46 The Costive Tests 46 . The Color-Word Test 51 . Theme Lists: The Retention of Drive-Related and ' NOTE a' it Neutral Material 54 i - Responsiveness to the Expressive Connotations of - - Words as Both Peripheral and Focal Stimuli 59 APPENDIX 3 Notes ' The Use of Color vs. Form in Perceptual Organization 62 ¡ NOTE i; .. - - , -; THE PROJECTIVE TESTS 67 Earliest Memories Pr;ary-Process Manifestations in the Rorschach Test 70 Drawings of the Human Figure 80 CHAPTER 5 LSD States and Personality 86 . GROUP I . The Case of Arthur 93 GROUP II. The Case of Bert 104 . GROUP III ; The Case of Calvin 112 ,- GROUP IV . The Case of David 118 at. GROUP V . The Case of Eugene 129 GROUP VI The Case of Frank 137 CHAPTER 6 Conclusions 141 . LIMITATIONS 141 NOTE - THEORETICAL IMPLICATIONS 143 CONCLUDING COMMENTS 157 APPENDIX 1 The Psychoanalytic Theory of Consciousness 168 : APPENDIX 2 Notes for Chapter 2 182 NOTE 1 ALTERNATIVE METHODS OF ANALYZING THE DATA 182 NOTE 2 THE PRELIMINARY MMPI SCREENING OF SUBJECTS 182 NOTE 3 THE PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT VARIABLES NOTE 4 THE INADEQUACY OF RANDOM ASSIGNMENT OF SUBJECTS TO GROUPS 188 APPENDIX 3 Notes for Chapter 3 190 . NOTE 1 ADMINISTRATION AND SCORING OF THE . : QUESTIONNAIRE 190 NOTE 2 COURSE OF SPECIFIC LSD EFFECTS OVER TIME 191 NOTE 3 RELATIONSHIPS AMONG BEHAVIORAL EFFECTS 194 NOTE 4 RELATION BETWEEN SEEF-REPORT AND , BEHAVIOR 196 APPENDIX 4 Details of Experimental Procedures and Statistical Techniques 200 NOTE 1 THE EGO ADEQUACY AND PARANOID -PRONE SCORES 200 NOTE 2 COGNITIVE TESTS 202 NOTE 3 COEOR-WORD TEST 203 NOTE 4 THEME LIST EXPERIMENT 207 . NOTE 5 RESPONSIVENESS TO THE EXPRESSIVE CONNO - TATIONS OF WORDS .211 NOTE 6 COLOR VS. FORM IN PERCEPTUAE. ORGANIZATION 214 NOTE 7 EARLIEST MEMORIES 218 . NOTE 8 THE RORSCHACH TEST 221 NOTE 9 DRAWINGS OF THE HUMAN FIGURE 222 APPENDIX 5 Statistical Basis for the Reaction Pattern Groups
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