A METHOD OF ANALYSIS OF THE PROCESS OF VERBAL COMMUNICATION BETWEEN A GROUP OF EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED ADOLESCENTS, AND THEIR FRIENDS AND RELATIVES.

In this study an objective method of analysis of the process of written communication between a group of emotionally disturbed adolescents, and their friends and relatives was presented. All the mail written to and by the children at Linden Hill for a period of nine days was collected resulting in a group of 10 children at Linden Hill writing a total of 24 letters, a group of 6 children in the community writing a total of 7 letters, and a group of 15 adults in the community writing a total. of 28 letters. It was demonstrated that: (a) the method of analysis is reliable (coefficients of agreement varying from 7.5 to 95 per cent); (b) that the emotionally disturbed children resembled both the children and the adults in the community with whom they corresponded; (c) that it is possible to arive at an index of similarity between the children and their parents by correlating proportions of verbal material relegated to each category. The results of this investigation were analyzed separately by category and related to the appropriate findings in the literature. Some indications were also given as to possible direction of further work in this area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]