Direct and Projective Assessment of Alienation among Affluent Adolescent Males

Abstract

Summary Dimensions of Davids' psychological construct of alienation (egocentricity, distrust, pessimism, anxiety and resentment) among upper middle class high school males (Ss, N=80) were comparable to that reported for students at Harvard University (N=20). These dimensions were assessed by two direct and two projective techniques. Ss showed no significant differences from the normative group on all four measures but revealed significantly less variability on both direct tests than did the normative group. These results indicate the presence of these same dimensions in different student populations of college and adolescent males.