The role of formal assessment in the practice of sex therapy with couples is discussed. A case is made for the use of behaviorally oriented paper-and-pencil tests of the self-report variety in clinical settings. Such procedures yield information relevant to diagnosis. (Author)

An exploratory study concerned with the measurement of perseveration, or persistence, as a personality variable was based on the work of G.V. Hamilton, an early investigator in the field. Persistently maladaptive behavior was hypothesized to be a chief characteristic of neurosis. An experimental problem-solving situation was designed to…