The present study examined the self-concepts of 101 hospitalized alcoholics, 20 hospitalized non-alcoholics, and 20 controls using the Clinical and Research Form of the Tennessee Self-concept Scale. A moderate treatment effect on self-concept was found for the hospitalized alcoholics. Subscale scores were not related to treatment completion. Examination of the self-concept of hospitalized and normal controls suggested that the former group has a more negative self-concept than the latter. The possibility is raised that hospitalization played an unexamined but important role in previous studies of alcoholics' self-concepts.
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