Purpose: This study aimed at clarifying the relationship between rigidity and adjustment as well as the qualitative and quantitative aspects of rigidity in persons with normal intelligence. Main problems we studied were:
1) It is said that organisms with some organic or functional handicap in cerebrum have in general rigidity. Dose it apply to persons with normal intelligence?
2) It is said that the longer are persons in social isolation, the more increases rigidity. Is this true?
3) It is said that the more intensive stress have persons, the more increases rigidity. Is the rigidity caused by these various conditions the same or not?
Subjects: 80 persons were used as Ss, 20 for each of 4 groups; cerebral palsy, polio, amputations, and normal groups. All the Ss had normal intelligence, were not feebleminded, and lived in groups. Their age ranged from 16 to 35.
Method:
1) Dot configuration test……the similar method to Werner's.
2) Concept formation test……the same method as Zaslow used.
3) Water jar test…The test material was revised by adding an extinction question to the one used by Cowen.
4) Rorschach test
5) Personality rigidity inventory
Results: 1) Physically handicapped groups with motor functional defect showed more rigidity than the normal. Though there were individual differences, three groups of c. p., polio, amputation had each some what different rigidity.
2) For persons with organic defect in cerebrum, even if there was no handicap in intelligence, abnormal perseveration responses in perception were seen and their personality, as a whole had rigidity and, in particular, intensive constriction and perseveration.
3) Persons with long social isolation due to motor functional handicap since childhood had some perseveration in perception. But their signs of rigidity were found in such conditions as they had difilculty to shift their mental set and to adjust themselves to others' emotional need, and as they showed repressive tendency more intensively than the other groups.
4) Persons who were handicapped comparatively recently showed rather intense invariability in conceptformation and their personality had strong emotional nervousnesss, conflict and anxiety. So their rigidity was seen in their conventional attitude of not easily bein friendly to others. To them influence of stress was stronger than that of isolation.
5) Wefound that abnormal perseveration responses in perception were basically caused by cerebral defect. The rigidity on other levels, however, seemed to be not general but specific to each kind of deficiency.
6) As to the rigidity of normal persons with normal intelligence, further studies are necessary on both qualitative and quantitative aspects of rigidity and on the relationship between rigidity and adjustment as well as rigidity and personality.