Abstract
This study took advantage of the acknowledgment by Wilbur D. Mills, former influential Chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, that his recently widely publicized escapades were a result of his being an alcoholic. Subjects were asked to rate Representative Mills as a person on a number of semantic differential scales. It was hoped that fundamental attitudes toward alcoholism and alcoholics would be disclosed that might otherwise not be revealed on more direct attitudinal questionnaires. 139 subjects, representing recovering alcoholics and control subjects, were administered the semantic differential scales and a more direct attitudinal measure. Significant sex and group differences emerged; males rated Rep. Mills more favorably than females, and recovering alcoholics were consistently more favorably disposed toward him than controls. The direct approach also provided important leads to identifying attitudinal group differences. However, the indirect method of attitudinal assessment appeared to be a more sensitive method in uncovering group differences in attitudes toward alcoholics.
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