Task-Orientation, Persistence, and Anxiety of Mental Hospital Patients with High and Low Motivation

Abstract

Much emphasis is now being given to the rehabilitation of the chronic hospitalized mental patient. One of our efforts involves the use of a Vocational Rehabilitation Unit. Approximately half of the patients in the Vocational Rehabilitation Program have been in the hospital for 2 yr. or more. Perhaps one of their crucial problems is motivation. The present study explores whether certain tests can discriminate between patients of high motivation (HM) and those of low motivation (LM) in this program. Two Vocational Rehabilitation Instructors were asked to select independently 14 HM and 14 LM patients from 29 available male and female patients who had been in the program from 2 to 7 mo. HM patients were defined as chose who worked hardest, who displayed the most drive, who were steady and persistent in their work, and who would stick with tasks until completed. The mlo instructors agreed on 13 of 14 cases for each group (93% agreement). The 13 HM Ss had a mean age of 35 yr. (range was from 23 to 55 yr.) , while those in the LM group had a mean age of 33 (range was from 21 to 53 yr.). Also, each rater was asked to rank Ss in each group for motivation from 1 to 13. A rho of .59 was found between raters for the HM group and a rho of .56 for the LM group (p = .05). The Orientation Inventory (Bass, 1962) and the Sixteen Personality Factor Quesrionnaire (Cattell & Stice, 1957) were administered to the two groups. Three test variables were studied: task orientarion (orientation toward completing tasks and solving problems) from the Orientation Inventory, the G factor (persistence, conscientiousness) from the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 P.F.), and the second-order anxiety factor from the 16 P.F. It was hypothesized that HM patients would be appreciably higher in task orientation, persistence, and anxiety than the LM group. The results revealed that the HM group was significantly higher in task orientation than the LM groups (t = 2.09, df = 24, p =.05; rll~~rl = 32.1, IWL~I = 27.3). Differences in persistence and anxiety were not statistically significant, but they were in the expected direction. The present results suggest thac a follow-up study with an increased N would be profirable, particularly if more clearly distinct motivation levels were employecl and if predictive validity were the aim rather than concurrent validity.