LAUSR

OBJECTIVES The purpose of the research was to analyze the sense of power of schizophrenic patients in relations with others, physicians, their need for power and influence as well as the sense of being able to have power and influence. Dependencies linked with the age and gender were also analyzed by comparing the study group and the control group. METHODS The study group included 47 patients diagnosed with F20 (Schizophrenia). The patients in the control group did not use any psychiatric or psychological support and were selected based on the age and gender criteria. The following tools were used in the research: the Index of Personal Reactions (Bennett, 1988), the Sense of Power Scale (Anderson, John and Keltner, 2012) and an extended document history. RESULTS Patients suffering from schizophrenia were characterized with a lower sense of power in comparison with the healthy individuals. The patients also obtained lower results in comparison with the control group with respect to the sense of power and influence. Individuals suffering from schizophrenia had a much higher sense of power in relations with their physician in comparison with the general relations with other individuals. Male patients suffering from schizophrenia scored much lower in the sense of power, ability to use the power and have influence as well as the need for influence in comparison with other men. No similar differences were observed in female groups. CONCLUSIONS The results may be used in the therapy of patients suffering from schizophrenia - during the analysis of therapy efficiency or therapeutic relations. Consecutive research should explore issues linked with the dependency between the sense of power, the course of the illness and prognosis.