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A test of the repression hypothesis in agoraphobics

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 July 2009

Willem A. Arrindell  and
Paul M. G. Emmelkamp
Willem A. Arrindell*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychology, Academic Hospital of the State University of Groningen, The Netherlands
Paul M. G. Emmelkamp
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Psychology, Academic Hospital of the State University of Groningen, The Netherlands
*
1 Address for correspondence: Mr Willem A. Arrindell, Department of Clinical Psychology, Academic Hospital of the State University of Groningen, Oostersingel 59, 9713 EZ Groningen, The Netherlands.
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Synopsis

In a recent study Turner et al. (1983) employed Bell & Byrne's (1978) Repression-Sensitization (R–S) scale to test the hypothesis that agoraphobics utilize repression as a method of avoiding anxiety-arousing forms of cognition. However, no support was found for this view. Rather, the R–S scores indicated general sensitization and attention to negative affect. In this paper it is argued that, on both theoretical and psychometric grounds, the R–S scale cannot be considered a suitable measure of the repression–sensitization process. A study was carried out in which a number of other defensivity measures were used in addition to the R–S scale. Weak support was found for Goldstein & Chambless’ (1978) view that a defensive cognitive style is characteristic of agoraphobic patients when compared with non-phobic psychiatric controls.

Type
Research Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 15 , Issue 1 , February 1985 , pp. 125 - 129
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1985

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