Is aesthetic judgment impaired by neuroticism?

If aesthetic aspects of art are objective and reside in the art, as Arnheim (1954) argues, then perceiving them may be akin to any other kind of reality testing. Further, if neurosis impairs reality testing, it would also impair aesthetic judgment, especially if aesthetic cues are vital and relevant to the human experience as Arnheim maintains. This hypothesis was investigated by administration of personality tests to measure neuroticism, especially Cattell's Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire (16PF), and art judgment tasks, especially Child's slide comparisons, to 105 University of Michigan undergraduates. The hypothesis was supported by a high negative correlation between the 16PF's neuroticism scale and art judgment, r = -.48; t(103) = -.5.61, p less than .0001. The results are discussed in terms of growth versus adjustment models of mental health, and the possible inhibiting role of verbalization over visualization in aesthetic perception.