Aggression control and structuring of social relations among recently admitted schizophrenics

As part of a study using an ethological conceptual approach, three scales were constructed to reflect adaptive success in the structuring of social relations. Twenty recently admitted schizophrenics were studied longitudinally in an active therapeutic milieu, drug-free, and during neuroleptic treatment. Patients showed substantial failures in the ritualization of agonistic behavior, manifest in more overt flight and fight. Poor group integration and absence of bond formation characterized the sample and were correlated with social withdrawal and elevated resting pulse rate--a pattern highly reminiscent of that seen in monkeys after bilateral amygdalectomy. The paranoid subgroup was the least impaired. Four-month long intensive treatment, including neuroleptics and psychosocial therapies, produced significant but modest improvements. Considerable maladaptive functioning remained.