THE FINDINGS OF THE PSYCHIATRISTS

The team of psychiatrists headed by Dr. Farnsworth, in seeking to judge the social and emotional adjustment of the 1951 Scholars, began by examining their performance from the negative point of view. They made a careful study of the incidence of neurotic or psychotic symptoms among the Scholars with a view to comparing this with the incidence found among regular college students. This determination was, of course, highly important, for a possible hazard of early admission could be that it would submit the young Scholars to excessive psychological strain.

The finding of the psychiatrists, based on all available student records as well as on personal interviews with some of the Scholars, was most definite on this score. The Scholar group, they reported, showed no more psychiatric difficulties than the older Comparison students. The few psychotic cases which developed among the Scholars were, according to the psychiatrists, no more than is normally found in this age group. As for the proportion of cases of "simple adolescent maladjustment," this also was small and at no college exceeded that of the Comparison students. Nor did the 1951 Scholars, in general, exhibit more difficulty than the Comparison students because of "emotional immaturity."

The Farnsworth team found that the proportion of Scholars visiting college and university counseling services for help with emotional difficulties was the same as or lower than that for college students in general. The number of Scholar visits to college medical services was also examined for possible indication of psychosomatic ailments because, as the report observed: "It is