Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-mp689 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-24T14:36:11.667Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Perceptual Phenomena and Personality in Sensory Deprivation

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  29 January 2018

J. P. Leff
J. P. Leff*
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital, London, S.E.5
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

From time to time, normal human beings not suffering from any mental illness have reported experiences either akin to or identical with hallucinations (Byrd, 1938; Slocum, 1948; Ritter, 1954; Bombard, 1955). The common features in these reports have been the social isolation of the people involved and the physical hardships of their living conditions. They have usually been solitary mariners or polar explorers. Scientific interest was not aroused in these phenomena until directed to them by the experiences of prisoners of war in Korea who had undergone “brain-washing” techniques. At this time, Hebb and his colleagues began a series of experiments which opened up an era of widespread research into the field of Sensory Deprivation.

Type
Research Article
Information
The British Journal of Psychiatry , Volume 114 , Issue 517 , December 1968 , pp. 1499 - 1508
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1968 

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Alanen, Y. O. (1958). “A study of the mothers of schizophrenic patients.” Acta psychiat. Scand., Suppl. 124, 93–361.Google Scholar
Bombard, A. (1955). The Voyage of the Hérétique. New York.Google Scholar
Byrd, R. (1938). Alone. New York.Google Scholar
Cattell, R. B., Saunders, D. R., and Stice, G. (1957). Handbook for the Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire. Illinois.Google Scholar
Davis, J. M., McCourt, W. F., Courtney, J., and Solomon, P. (1961). “Sensory deprivation; the role of social isolation.” Arch. gen. Psychiat. (Chic.), 5, 84–90.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Eysenck, H. J. (1952). The Scientific Study of Personality. London.Google Scholar
Heron, W., Doane, B., and Scott, T. H. (1956). “Visual disturbance after prolonged perceptual isolation.” Canad. J. Psychol., 10, 13–16.Google Scholar
James, W. (1891). “The perception of things.” In: Principles of Psychology. London.Google Scholar
Jaspers, K. (1946). General Psychopathology. Engl. transl. Manchester, 1962.Google Scholar
Meduna, L. J. (1950). Oneirophrenia—the Confusional State. Illinois.Google Scholar
Reed, G. F. (1962). “Preparatory set as a factor in the production of sensory deprivation phenomena.” Proc. Roy. Soc. Med., 55, 1010–1014.Google Scholar
Ritter, C. (1954) A Woman in the Polar Night. London.Google Scholar
Rosenzweig, N., and Gardner, L. (1966). “The role of input relevance in sensory isolation.” Amer. J. Psychiat., 122, 920–928.Google Scholar
Sedman, G. (1966). “A phenomenological study of pseudohallucinations and related experiences.” Acta psychiat. Scand., 42, 35–70.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Slocum, J. (1948). Sailing Alone Around the World. London.Google Scholar
Solomon, P., Leidermann, P. H., Mendelson, J., and Wexler, D. (1957). “Sensory deprivation—a review.” Amer. J. Psychiat., 114, 357–363.Google Scholar
Suedfeld, P., and Vernon, J. (1964). “Visual hallucinations during sensory deprivation: a problem of criteria.” Science, 145, 412–413.Google Scholar
Tienari, P. (1963). “Psychiatric illness in identical twins.” Acta psychiat. Scand., Suppl. 171.Google Scholar
Wrbtmark, G. (1959). “A study in grief reaction.” Acta psychiat. Scand., Suppl. 136, 292–299.Google Scholar
Ziskjnd, E. (1964). “A second look at sensory deprivation.” J. nerv. ment. Dis., 138, 223–232.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Zuckerman, M., and Cohen, N. (1964). “Is suggestion the source of reported visual sensations in perceptual isolation?” J. abnorm. soc. Psychol., 68, 655–660.Google Scholar
Zuckerman, M., and Haber, M. M. (1965). “Need for stimulation as a source of stress response to perceptual isolation.” Ibid., 70, 371–377.Google Scholar
Zuckerman, M., and Hopkins, T. R. (1966). “Hallucinations or dreams? A study of arousal levels and reported visual sensations during sensory deprivation.” Percept. motor Skills, 22, 447–459.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.