Oral imagery and autonomic arousal in social isolation

Psychoanalytic theory suggests that the presence of others reduces anxiety in those with oral-dependent needs. Electrodermal activity of male subjects high and low on Rorschach oral-dependent responses was monitored in one of three conditions while the subject was in a soundproof chamber for 40 minutes: alone with no task; alone working on a clerical task; and together with a male confederate, both working independently on the clerical task. Oral-dependent subjects placed in the chamber with the confederate showed fewer electrodermal increase over time than orals sitting alone or nonorals either alone or with the confederate (p less than .001). On the clerical task there was a strong main effect of orality, with nonorals showing more accuracy than orals (p less than .03).