SACKS’ SENTENCE COMPLETION TEST

NATURE OF THE TEST

Dr. Joseph M. Sacks and other psychologist of the New York Veterans Administrative Mental Hygiene
Service developed a sentence completion test designed to obtain significant clinical material in four
representative areas of adjustment namely:

•family •sex

•interpersonal relationship •self-concept

It has felt that items included in this test present sufficient opportunities for the subject to express his
attitudes so that clinical psychologist may infer his dominant personality traits/trends. Such information
is useful in screening patient for therapy, which gives clues to content and dynamics of patients’
attitudes and feelings.

NATURE OF THE SCALE FAMILY The family area included three sets of attitudes namely: a) those
towards mother, b) father, and c) family unit. It is hoped that even when the subject becomes evasive or
cautious, at least one of the four items in each area will reveal significant response.

SEX The sex area includes attitudes towards woman and heterosexual relationship. The 8 items in this
area allows the subject to express himself with regards to woman, towards marriage, and with respect
to sexual relationship.

INTERERSONAL RELATIONSHIP The area of interpersonal relationship includes attitudes towards

friends and acquaintances, colleagues at work or school, superior at work or school, and people
supervised. The 16 items in this area affords the subject to express his feelings towards those.

SELF-CONCEPT The area of self-concept includes fear, guilt feelings, goals and attitudes towards one’s
own ability, concept of himself as he is, he was and as he hopes to be. There are 24 items included in
this area.
SCORING AND INTERPRETATION A rating sheet has been advised for the SSCT which brings together
under each attitude, the four stimulus item and the subject’s responses to them.

For example:

Attitude towards Father items:

1.I feel that my father seldom works.

16. If my father would do better.

31. I wish that my father is dead.

46. I feel that my father is no good.

Those four responses are considered together and interpretative summary is made that crystallizes the
clinician’s impression of the subjects’ attitude towards in this area. In this case, the summary stated:
“Extreme hostility and contempt or overt death wishes” A rating is made of the subject’s degree of
disturbance in this area according to the following scale:

2 - SEVERELY DISTURBED Appears to require the therapeutic aid in handling emotional conflicts in this
area.

1 – MILDLY DISTURBED Has emotional conflict in this area but appears able to handle them without
therapeutic aid.

0 – No Significant disturbance rated in this area

X – Unknown, Insufficient evidence

Sacks and Levy feel that it is more desirable to point out areas of disturbance and determine these
through a constellation of response. The validity of the rating is dependent of course upon the clinical
background of the examiner as well as upon materials produced by the subject.
The following are the summaries and ratings of the individual attitudes and outlines presented for a
general summary of the SSCT findings. This includes the following:

1. Statement of those areas in which subject shows the most disturbed attitudes. This may provide
significant clues for therapist.

2. A description of the interrelationships between attitudes with respect to content. This often
illuminates dynamic factors in the case.

Certain influences on the subject’s personality structure case be made on the basis of the SSCT, such as:

1. The subject’s manner of response to impulse from within or to stimuli from the environment.

2. The subject’s nature of response to stress –impulsive or well-controlled.

3. The subject’s thinking content: realistic, artistic, and fantastic.

Interpretation Guide

Attitude towards Mother (14, 29, 44, 59) 2 = Completely rejects and depreciates mother whom he
considers over demanding. 1 = Sees mother’s fault but accepts and tolerates differences. 0 = express
only positive feelings towards the mother.

Attitude towards Father (1, 16, 31, 46) 2 = feels extreme hostility and contempt with overt death
wishes. 1 = admires father but wishes that their relationship were closer. 0 = expresses complete
satisfaction with father’s personality.

Attitude towards Family Unit (2, 27, 42, 57) 2 = feels rejected by the family which lacks solidarity and
which has constantly contended with difficulties. 1 = aware that the family does not recognize him as a
mature person but has no difficulty in relating with them. 0 = instability of the family domicile has had
little effect on his favorable feeling towards them.

Attitude towards Women ( 10, 25, 40, 55) 2 = extremely suspicious, possible homosexual tendency 1 =
high ideas but ambivalent feelings. 0 = only minor or superficial criticisms
Attitude towards Heterosexual Relationship (11,26,41,56) 2 = appears to have given up achieving good
sexual adjustment 1 = deserved sexual experiences but reservation about his ability to maintain marital
relationship. 0 = indicates satisfaction towards this area

Attitude towards Friends and Acquaintances (8,23,38,53) 2 = suspicious and apparently seclusive 1=
seems to wait approval of others before committing himself emotionally 0 = express mutual relationship
with friends and self

Attitude towards People Supervised (4,19,34,58) 2 = feels he can handle or control hostility in handling
others 1 = feels capable of doing good supervisory but has misgivings about assuming an authoritarian
role. 0 = feels controllable and well accepted by subordinates.

Attitude towards Supervisors at work or School (6,21,36,51) 2 = resents or fear authority 1 = mild
difficulty in accepting difficulty 0 =

Attitude towards Colleague at work/school (13,28,43,58) 2 = feels rejected by colleagues, and

condemns them 1 = has some difficulty at work and depends on colleagues 0 = expresses good mutual
feelings

Fear (7,22,37,52) 2 = disturbed by the apparent fear of loving, possibility to control his feelings 1 = fear
of self-assertion which is fairly common and not pervasive. 0 = lack of fear

Guilt Feelings (15,30,45,60) 2 = concerned with spiritual feeling and physical sex drives 1 = has regret
over past and seems mildly disturbed by his failure to control his trouble. 0 = does not seem to be aware
of guilt feelings

Attitude towards Own Ability (2,7,32,47) 2 = feels completely incompetent and hopeless 1 = feels he
has a specific ability but tends to fear difficulty 0 = confident on his ability to overcome obstacles
Attitude towards Past (9,24,39,54) 2 = feels rejected and isolated 1 = 0 = feels well adjusted, no
significant disturbance in the past

Attitude towards the Future (5, 20, 35, 50) 2 = pessimistic, no hope in his own resources for happiness
and success 1 = unsure of himself but tries to be optimistic 0 = seems confident in achieving his goals

Goals (3, 18,53,49) 2 = lack of motivation for achievement 1 = desires material things for family as well
as for himself 0 =

References

Internet

<http://allpsych.com/forums/students/_students/00000828.htm>