Neurotic verbalizations: an exploration of a Gestalt therapy assumption

Based upon assumptions of Gestalt Therapy, an objective, reliable scoring system for analyzing a specific aspect of verbal behavior, avoidant verbalization, was developed. Verbal samples were elicited from 30 female college students who previously had been rank ordered on the Neuroticism scale of the Maudsley Personality Inventory. The expectation that psychologically stressful questions would result in a significantly greater number of avoidant verbalizations was confirmed. Contrary to another expectation, no significant correlation between neuroticism as measured by the MPI and total number of avoidant verbalizations uttered by the Ss was found. Results were interpreted on the basis of the Gestalt Therapy theory of personality.