NCJ Number
129993
Journal
Journal of Clinical Psychology Volume: 46 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1990) Pages: 500-506
Date Published
1990
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Interpersonal types among alcohol abusers were examined with Calsyn, Roszell, and Anderson's (1988) 9-type system for classifying Fundamental Interpersonal Relations Orientation-Behavior (FIRO-B) profiles.
Abstract
The frequencies of the 9 FIRO-B types among a sample of 135 male veteran alcohol abusers were compared with Calsyn et al.'s (1988) previously published data for a sample of 111 male veteran drug abusers, a normative veteran sample of 656, and a general population sample of 8,000. The alcohol abusers, similar to Calsyn et al.'s sample of drug abusers, were more likely than the general population to report a more frequent preference for interpersonal styles that emphasized social withdrawal (58 percent "Loner" type), avoidance of responsibility (42 percent "Rebel" type), and mistrust of others (46 percent "Pessimist" type). However, both the alcohol abusers and the drug abusers were heterogeneous groups whose members demonstrated a variety of interpersonal types. This finding highlights the fallacy of attempting to stereotype either of these clinical populations. 3 tables and 21 references (Author abstract modified)