|
 |
|
Originally when the first developed 'home' webpage, for the Personnel
Security Standards Psychological Questionnaire
(PSSPQ) was created, some type of identifying icon
symbol/pciture was wanted to complete this internet presentation
project. The picture-icon, on the immediate left, after a
great deal of searching, was finally selected to highlight the PSSPQ
home page, and other subsequently developed web pages further
describing PSSPQ matters. The present web page (i.e., the page
you are now reading), was created so as to describe the historical
raison d'etre as to why this particular picture/icon was chosen by
Dr. LeRoy A. Stone, the developer and current marketer of the PSSPQ.
This current page was developed as a 'fun project' and presents no
additional information concerning actual prediction usage of the
PSSPQ. |
|
There may
be readers who are not aware of what the PSSPQ is and/or
why it was developed. This short paragraph will
attempt to provide that knowledge, as this will make the
following paragraphs understandable. The PSSPQ was
originally developed almost a couple decades ago; its
purpose was to provide a scientifically based means for
being able to predict very early on when an
individual, who might be processed by the Government for
possibly being denied or granted high-level security
clearance status (i.e., up to the TS-SCI access level),
would be successful or not. An informational
instrument was constructed utilizing the tried and true
procedures and techniques employed in the psychometric
or psychological testing arena. In final form, the
PSSPQ consists of 72 multiple-choice type items that can
be scored for 13 specific psychological behavioral
fields. One of the most important scales is the
so-called LIE Scale, which measures propensity to do
what is known as "faking good." This scale has
been shown, based on numerous research studies, to be
relatively uncorrelated with intelligence, which most
other similar type scales on most other 'personality'
type tests, seem not to share. The PSSPQ's content
is entirely based upon a directive from the Director of
Central Intelligence that specifies what considerations
and matters will be studied and evaluated prior to any
granting of high-level security clearances. The
PSSPQ has undergone a number of small modifications over
the years and has continued to, based upon a number of
data-based reserach investigations, show high test
reliability and validity. Its accuracy rate
continues to be seen in the 95+% range level. For
the past several years, it has been commercially
offered, on the Internet, by its developer, Dr. L. A.
Stone, who at the time of the original development of
the test, was the Chief Research Psychologist in the
USA's then largest intelligence
agency.
Dr. Stone
(whose professional forensic psychologist web site cab
be found by clicking HERE)
originally wondered as to why the icon/picture he had
selected for the PSSPQ web site, after having reviewed
many hundreds of possible images, seemed so well fitting
to the PSSPQ concept. A couple of years ago, about
2 to 3 years following his selection of the icon, a bit
of self-understanding knowledge finally was recognized
and accepted. The following is a description of
this bit of self-knowledge. It is hoped that this
discourse may widen additional future acceptance of the
PSSPQ instrument itself.
In early
1950,when Dr. Stone was just 18 years of age, and in
during his midyear as a college freshman, his
father died totally unexpectedly. A couple months
following this traumatic incident, while in San
Francisco, he attended movie in its opening weeks that,
it now appears, produced a psychological kind of
influence, that to this day has some meaningful
effect. That movie, was The Third Man, which was
filmed in Europe in 1949 and
depicted a major European capital city,
in the years shortly following the end of WWII, as a
place of foreign intrigue and all that such
entails. It was at this time, that the beginnings
of the Cold War had already started and that this
unusual kind of wartime psychology was to continue for
the next four or more decades. It is interesting to note
that Stone, at the theatre, purchased a 78 rpm record of
the major background music for the movie, The Third Man
Theme and a somewhat similar piece, the Cafe Mozart
Waltz, both composed and played by Anton Karas on a
zither. These muscial renditions must have
seriously impressed Stone as the purchasing of records,
at this time point in his life, was an almost
nonexistent kind of behavior for
Stone.
In January of 1955,
Stone entered the U.S. Army and shortly after was
assigned to the 9th Infanty Division, which
was located in southern Germany, as its Division
Psychologist. Not long after arriving, he traveled
to Vienna (via the Orient Express) for a extended
weekend. At this time, Vienna was
still controlled by Russian, French, English
and American troops and Stone found it
to resemble very closely the Vienna that had been
depicted about a half decade earlier in the Third Man
film. Approximately a year later he again visited
Vienna for a couple days and still found much of the
city to be like that promoted in the film. For
example, the Cafe Mozart, which was a memorable location
in the movie was still much alike as that portrayed in
the movie. Again, as on his earlier visitation to
Vienna, he heard repeated playing of both the
Third Man Theme as well as the Cafe Mozart Waltz.
During the next few
decades in his life, Stone, whenever given an
opportunity to hear the the playing of these two tunes,
almost automatically chose to hear them. If asked,
he would have responded with saying that these were some
of his favorate music pieces.
It is also interesting
to know that after having had a very successful period
of academic employment, he was invited to join the
National Security Agency in the capacity of a senior
psychologist. For 14 years he served as the Deputy
Chief of the Agency's Psychological Services
Division. In 1987, he became the Agency's Chief
Research Psychologist. Following his federal
retirement in 1997, he continued to carry on research
and writng pertaining to the psychology of spying,
espionage and the like. During this time, he also
founded the electronic behavioral science journal, the
Psychology of Espionage Reports, which to date he has
functioned as its editor.
About a year or so,
Stone was attempting to place some music
background on a web page he was creating
for his created psychological test, the Personnel
Security Standards Psychological Questionnaire
(PSSPQ). It would not be difficult to surmise that
the musical piece he eventually chose was the Third Man
Theme. With this decision made, Stone rather
quickly came to a new insight, one into his own mental
processes. He also immediately was able to see
that the web site icon he had chosen several years prior
for his PSSPQ web pages, bore a most similar content and
style as a number of photo stills that had been used, in
the past, to advertize both the Third Man movie and its
sound tract. All of the images shown in this
present web page were originally used to advertise Third
Man movie matters. Readers of this page are asked
to take a look an determine whether they agree with this
just stated association.
|
|
| |
|
|
In early 1950, when Dr.
Stone was just 18 years of age, and in during
his midyear as a college freshman, his father died
totally unexpectedly. A couple months following
this traumatic incident, while in San Francisco, he
attended movie in its opening weeks that, it now
appears, produced a psychological kind of influence,
that to this day has some meaningful effect. That
movie, was The Third Man, which was filmed
in Europe in 1949 and
depicted a major European capital city,
in the years shortly following the end of WWII, as a
place of foreign intrigue and all that such
entails. It was at this time, that the beginnings
of the Cold War had already started and that this
unusual kind of wartime psychology was to continue for
the next four or more decades.
The Third Man film was set in the war-torn city of
Vienna, just after WWII, and is told from the point of
view of an American pulp western author, Holly Martins,
who is searching for an old college friend, Harry Lime,
who had offered him the opportunity to work with him in
Vienna. At the beginning of the film, Martins
discovers that his old friend, Harry Lime, whome had had
not seen since before the war, has been killed in an
accident under mysterious circumstances just prior to
Martins' arrival in Vienna.
The
deeper he delves into Harry's death, the more Martins
finds that there was more to Lime than he knew and that
Harry has been accused of being a black market racketeer
trafficking in adulterated penicillin. Martins is
told that Lime was struck by a truck while crossing a
street. On several accounts, two of Lime's friends
carried Lime's body off the street after the
accident. All eyewitnesses to the accident happen
to be friends or associates of Lime, including the
driver. Mattins'investigation lead to another
eyewitness not associated with Lime who claims that
there was a third man who helped carry
Lime's body. It is this "third man", to whom the
title of the film refers.
The atmosphereic use of
black and white expressionist cincmatography, with harsh
lighting and distorted camera angles, was a very key
feature of this rich and strange film. combined
with the unique musical theme, seedy locations, and
highly acclaimed performances from the cast
(i.e., Orson Welles, Joseph Cotten, Alida Valli,
Trevor Howard, Wilfrid Hyde-White and Bernard Lee), the
style evokes the atmosphere of an exhausted, cynical
post-war Vienna at the start of the Cold War. The
distinctive musical score was composed and played on the
zither by anton Karas. A single "The Third Man
Theme", was released in 1950 by both Decca and London
Records; it almost immediately became a best-seller and
later an LP was released
.
|
|
| | |
Summary and
Conclusion
What then can be inferred from the above descriptions of Dr.
Stone's contact with the Third Man movie rather early in his
life, and apparently a surprising continnuing interest in some
aspects of the film (i.e., the background music as well as the
overall visual presentation of the film's background
narrative. His lengthy (i.e., over 50 years)
appreciation for the Third Man Theme musical
score, is obviously the basis for his chosing, about two
years ago, to employ this particular musical piece as
background music for one of his most important web sites
dedicated to the presentation of the Personnel Security
Standards Psychological Questionnaire (PSSPQ).
When this association between
memory and interest in a more than 50 year old movie, with an
almost current selection of a melody for an Internet based
commercial type advertisement, another preference or selection
became also rather obvious. Some almost six years ago,
when Dr. Stone developed his first PSSPQ focused web site,
after reviewing literally hundreds of possible visual
symbols/images to use as icons for the Internet presentation,
he finally selected the image that is shown on the most upper
left of this current web page. He has continued to
employ this same icon image on many newer and later PSSPQ
focused web pages. When one compares this icon image,
located or featured at the most upper left-hand corner of this
current web page, to those pictures or visual depictions whown
on the right and lower side of this page, a great deal of
similarity is seen. What should be especially noted is the
last one, which is blue, it is unusually similar to the
PSSPQ's chosen icon. All of visual images whown on the
right/lower side of this page were obtained when an 'Image'
focused Google search was made of "The Third Man movie"
input. Most of the images are 'stills' from the film, or
were advertising movie posters, or the like. The
conclusion here can be clearly made, Dr. Stone's likely
unconscious basis for his final selection (about six years
ago) of the identifying visual icon for his PSSPQ focused
web pages (which are now multiple in number) can be easily
seen to be quite tied in to something not too dissimilar to
visual imprinting that took place in his late teen
years.
This current web page was
constructed solely as a type of recreation that is overy self
oriented. It's purpose was not to further advertise, in
any commerical fashion, the PSSPQ. If it does so, in any
unexpected fashion - great!
I hope your reading of this
page gave you even a small fraction of fun or
pleasure when compared to what pleasure it gave me to
create it.
|
| LeRoy A. Stone, Ph.D., ABPP
(Forensic) |
 | | |
|
