Reflection-impulsivity and locus of conflict in emotionally disturbed children

Forty-four emotionally disturbed children were administered the Matching Familiar Figures Test by one examiner, and the 13 most impulsive and 13 most reflective children were chosen. The teachers of these 26 children were asked to fill out a Locus of Conflict Rating Scale by which each child was designated as either an internalizer or externalizer. Impulsive children were found to be externalizers, while reflective children were internalizers. The implications of these results for the etiology and treatment of maladaptive behaviors of emotionally disturbed children were discussed.