Citation

Hillbrand M, Waite BM. Arch. Sex. Behav. 1994; 23(4): 453-463.

Affiliation

Whiting Forensic Institute, Middletown, Connecticut 06457.

Copyright

(Copyright © 1994, Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

7993185

Abstract

The Experience Sampling Method (ESM) is a novel assessment strategy that allows random sampling of thoughts, affects, and behaviors. In ESM studies subjects wear beepers that signal at randomly generated, preprogrammed times at which subjects fill out a questionnaire containing items related to current activity, location, thought content, mood states, etc. The ESM was used to examine the relationship between mood states and thought content in a hospitalized sex offender. The patient exhibited a very high frequency of thoughts with sexual content, as well as thoughts indicative of anger against women, personal inadequacy, and distress. He appeared to be a poor judge of his state of optimal well-being. Whereas he considered support from others to be related to optimal well-being, it was actually sexual thoughts about a woman that were associated with his optimal well-being. The present case study illustrates the value of the ESM in the study of complex thought-affect-behavior relationships.

Language: en