Presidential preferences of psychotics and normals in two recent elections

The favorite reasons of psychiatric patients for selecting a president

As part of a long questionnaire about political behavior, 50 psychotics and 27 normals were asked to identify their reasons for selecting a president using an 8-item checklist. Patients in contrast to normals significantly preferred physical appearance, good speaking skills, and acceptance of the candidate by relatives and friends, whereas normals preferred standing for issues. Results confirm that mental patients attribute control of their behavior to external rather than internal characteristics more than normals.