An ethological analysis of long stay hospitalized psychiatric patients. Senders and receivers in social interaction.

Ethological methods were employed to monitor social interaction among 24 long stay male patients on a psychiatric ward. Most were diagnosed as schizophrenic. Analysis was made using four molar behavioral groupings: assertive, altruistic, cigarette, and verbal. Within each grouping social behavior was divided into two categories: sending and receiving. Patients were ranked in an interactional scale and divided into three groups on the basis of the amount of social interaction: top, middle, and bottom third. Results showed that individuals in the top third tended to be senders of social behavior, whereas individuals in the middle and bottom thirds tended to be receivers. Individuals in the middle received relatively large amounts of assertive behavior. In addition, correlative relationships indicated positive associations between send and receive verbal and send and receive cigarette. No associatiociation existed between send and receive verbal and send and receive assertive. Findings are discussed in terms of a) sending and receiving profiles characteristic of each third of the interactional scale; b) the value of dividing social behavior into components of sending and receiving; and c) the role assertive behavior plays in the social organization of hospitalized groups.