An investigation of personality variables of college students with high and low sex information scores

The purpose of this study was to ascertain what personality traits as measured by the MTPI and DAP tests were associated with college students who scored low on a sex information (61) test as opposed to those who had a high SI score. The hypotheses were: 1. Low SI subjects will tend to have a greater elevation on the basic MMPI scales than high SI subjects. 2. Low SI subjects will tend to have a larger number of sexual conflict signs on the DAP than high SI subjects. 3. Low Si subjects will tend to have a higher score on sexual, conflict ratings on the DAP than the high SI subjects. The first hypothesis was not confirmed, nor was the third. The second hypothesis concerning the total number of DAP sexual conflict signs was not upheld, but on examination of each of the 14 signs there was a significant relation found between body or clothes narcissism and sex information. It was assumed that the high SI subjects felt free to use body or clothes narcissism as a healthy expression of sexual feelings. On further examination of SI scores fatten at the end of the semester, the mean for the low SI groups had risen to within 10 and 12 points of the mean for the high SI groups (females and males, respectively), whereas the earlier difference was 30 and 47 points. MMPI anxiety and repression scores taken the first week and later during the fourteenth week of the course showed that anxiety mean raw scores decreased for all groups except low SI females, in which case there was an increase of only .6 of a point. Raw repression scores decreased for high SI females and low SI males. It was assumed that exposure to the course material and its method of presentation had a therapeutic effect resulting from lessening of feelings of guilt and a healthier acceptance of sexual impulses. Repression and anxiety scores revealed a poorer level of adjustment for low SI males than any other group, which would suggest that a lack of adequate sex information is a more valid indicator of problems in the area of sex for males than for females.