Ast olox: s as gs4.
1
HERE ARE ABOUT 10,000 astrologers in this country,
T and an estimated 10 million Americans use their ser-
vices. The Ladies' Home Journal (circ. seven million)
and over a thousand newspapers (including the New
York Post and St. Louis Post-Dispatch) regularly
publish columns of astrological advice.
To most people who do not consult astrologers, of
course, their advice is not only useless but probably
harmful. Our own research during the past year, how-
ever, contradicts this. We have found that, by and
large, the advice given by mail-order astrologers is not
only not damaging, but may actually be a great bargain.
Now, we would not deny that astrology--the alleged
study of the influence of stars and planets upon human
affairs--is based upon untenable assumptions and re-
lies upon erroneous reasoning; in short, that it is
"unscientific." Indeed, astronomers who have inves-
tigated the methodology of astrologers have told us
that astrologers actually know very little about plotting
the positions of stars and planets, and frequently make
whopping errors.
Still, a person can give good advice even if the
theory upon which he supposedly bases his advice is
absurd. After all, he might simply ignore his theory
altogether. And, as we have discovered from other
investigations, the predictions of astrologers usually
bear no discernible relationship to any accepted astro-
logical principles. Thus, astrologers might be sensitive,
mature, intelligent people, capable of transcending the
limitations of their theories. And the fact that their
advice does not often agree (astrological theory is very
loose) indicates that they have ample room for indi-
vidual expression.
34
Marriage Consdors
LEE SECHREST
JAMES H. BRYAN
To be sure, there is a good deal of prejudice against
astrologers and other "quasi-therapists." In our soci-
ety, people in trouble are encouraged to get "profes-
sional" help--that is, to consult a clergyman, or some-
one with university training at a level of specialization
usually requiring a graduate degree. But there are n o t
enough professionals to go around; and many people
find that a professional's fees are too high, or they
just have not developed the habit of thinking that a
professional might help them with their problems. In
any case, there is no evidence that professionals give
better advice than quasi-therapists, which should pro-
vide no comfort to those who would recommend "pro-
fessional" advisers.
At this point, the key question is: What determines
whether advice is useful and helpful? We have de-
vised six criteria. Advice should be
(1) sound--that is, adequate to the situation. Thus,
good advice is likely to be based upon someone's firm
grasp of interpersonal and other problems;
(2) inexpensive, so that obtaining it does not cre-
ate financial problems;
(3) promptly and dependably furnished, so that
the recipient need not suffer an unnecessarily long
wait;
(4) relevant and practical;
(5) credible, so that the recipient is likely to fol-
low it; and
(6) friendly. Indeed, W.A. Schofield views the en-
tire psychotherapeutic enterprise as a way a distressed
and lonely person can purchase friendship.
The investigation we made of the usefulness of
astrological advice was confined to the advice of astrol-
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ogers who practice by mail. Though many astrologers
have face-to-face contacts with their clients (one even
charges $25 an hour), those who engage in mail-
order therapy are more readily available to the general
public. These mail-order astrologers advertise in as-
trology magazines, horoscope books, and various other
publications, and offer personal advice for almost every
imaginable problem. Their prices range from virtually
no charge to $20 for a complete personal analysis to
$40 for a one-year horoscope.
Our investigation, in addition to being confined to
mail-order astrologers, was also confined to marital
advice--one of the services that mail-order astrologers
frequently advertise.
For our experiment, we identified 18 astrologers
who gave marital advice by mail. Then we sent each
of them two of three letters, purportedly from couples
considering marriage and seeking recommendations for
or against.
9 One letter was "neutral." All it gave was the mini-
mum that the astrologers asked for--the date, place,
and time of birth of each of the prospective marriage
partners.
9 A second letter was "positive." Besides the informa-
tion on birth, this letter contained statements to the
effect that the couple enjoyed each other's company and
got along very well.
9 A third letter was "negative." Besides giving birth
information, this letter said that the couple, although
very much in love, had many arguments.
Each of the 18 astrologers received one neutral
letter and one slanted letter, either positive or negative.
Thus we could learn whether the negative or positive
letter had any effect upon the astrologers' advice. The
letters were mailed from different places across the
country, so as not to arouse the suspicion of the re-
cipients, and all were posted on the same day, so we
could compare how much time elapsed between the
various answers. Half of the letters purportedly came
from the would-be groom, half from the would-be
bride.
How useful was the advice we received?
For the most part, the service was inexpensive. The
most common charge was $2; only three astrologers of
the 18 charged $5 or more; the top price was $10. In
general, the longer the reply, the higher the fee. (See
Table 1.) But this link was far from perfect, and
apparently some astrologers wrote long letters be-
Cost of Service, Length of Replies (Table 1)
Cost
Length of Replies $2 or Less $3 or more
Long 8 10
Short 18 0 of altruistic responses by children and adults, and the effects
NOVEMBER 1968
Slant of Letters, Speed of Replies (Table 2)
Slant of Letters
Date of Replies Positive Neutral Negative
Early 3 8 7
Late 6 10 2
cause they were personally involved. One astrologer,
for 50 cents apiece, typed out a 450-word reply to one
letter, and a 750-word reply to the second. Another,
for only $3, sent a 900-word, handwritten reply. Aside
from printed or mimeographed material, the replies
ranged from five handwritten words to 3915 type-
written words, with a median of about 250 words,
usually typed. (In three cases, however, the replies
were not personal. One consisted entirely of printed
matter, and two relied upon a Dial-a-mate, a card-
board, dual-circle device that is supposed to match
horoscopes.)
In most cases, the service was prompt. Within one
week, 17 percent of the replies were in; within two
weeks, 50 percent were in. The waiting time at many
professional centers certainly exceeds this. (In one
public clinic in a large city, telephone applicants are
asked to wait one week for an intake interview.) Re-
plies kept dribbling in, and within six weeks all but
one had been received. That last reply arrived after
four months--two or three weeks after the date men-
tioned for the proposed wedding. Fortunately, the re-
ply said the marriage looked like a winner.
Interestingly, the negative letters elicited the fastest
and longest repties--a finding that seemed eminently
Lee Sechrest is currently on leave from Northwestern University,
where he is a professor of psychology. He is a specialist on the
Philippines, and is engaged in research on behavioral reactions
following disasters. One of his major interests is quasi-
therapists such as astrologers and advice columnists.
James H. Bryan is an associate professor of psychology at
Northwestern. His current research efforts include the study
of hypocrisy upon the development of such responses.
35
reasonable to us, for it was those letters that realIy
held the problem. The positive letters, posing no spe-
cial problem, were, on the whole, answered most
slowly and briefly. (See Tables 2 and---on p. 36--3.)
Was the the advice sound? This, of course, is the
crux of the matter. If advice is bad, after all, maybe
it should arrive late. This question, of course, is almost
impossible to answer, but some comments can be
made.
First, many astrologers were influenced by the slant
in the letters--a good sign. We categorized their re-
plies as favorable, unfavorable, or cautionary and
qualified. Since one set of replies in each category was
Slant of Letters, Length of Replies (Table 3)
Slant of Letter
Length of Reply Positive Neutral Negative
Long 3 9
Short 6 9
useless (the astrologers had sent preprinted material),
there were 34 specific replies in all, eight to positively
slanted letters, eight to negatively slanted letters and
17 to neutral letters.
The eight positively slanted letters drew six favor-
able replies, one qualified reply, and one negative re-
ply (this last being the result of the mechanical Dial-
a-mate device).
The eight negative letters drew one favorable re-
ply, five qualified replies, and two outright predic-
tions of marital failure. Typical of the qualified re-
plies was a suggestion that the couple wait a while
before marrying--probably sound advice for a couple
that fights often.
The neutral letters occupy a middle group, with
eight favorable, six qualified, and three unfavorable
replies. These answers, of course, were not based upon
any evidence at all; but it may be significant that more
of these replies were cautionary than of the replies to
the other letters.
Whether the replies were convincing is hard to say,
but most people who use such services, who pay in ad-
vance (as they must), undoubtedly have a predisposi-
tion to believe. The advice was usually direct and
dear, and presented with considerable vigor. Negative
advice was sharply negative; positive advice, sharply
positive. As for the practicality of the replies, probably
because of the problem itself to marry or not to
marry--all answers were realistic.
Many of the astrologers, as expected, made few
if any references to astrological theory. One even ad-
vised the groom, in order to assess his own chances
for happiness, to make a careful observation of his
intended's mother. Another, amazingly enough, ad-
36
vised the supposed author of a neutral letter to "give
up this crazy plan. Marriage is a personal thing and
can't be foretold from the stars!" (That same astrologer,
however, gave a direct and unfavorable reply to the
negative letter he received.) Two astrologers did claim
to base their predictions entirely upon the stars and
planets, For a positive letter and a negative letter, their
responses turned out to be in line with the slant. In
reply to the neutral letter, both were slightly in favor
of marriage.
Only one astrologer clearly relied upon astrological
theory. He made an extensive analysis of birth charts
and predicted marital failure for both a neutral letter
and a negative letter. From other studies we have a
number of letters from him, and he is consistently
thorough, professional, and firm in his advice; we
therefore believe that it is unwise for people to con-
sult him.
6
3 In sum, we believe that the advice people get from
astrologers is not likely to be damaging--and that it
may even be a great bargain. For on the criterion of
friendliness, the astrologers scored high. People who
write to astrologers, we learned, may be those who,
in our autonomous, anonymous society, are lucky
enough to buy friendship. The letters received from
the astrologers in our study were usually personal,
quite amiable, written in a "folksy" style, and filled with
evidence of the astrologer's interest in his client. The
supposed author of a positive letter got not only a
favorable reply, for example, but the astrologer's con-
gratulations on his excellent judgment in choosing a
spouse. And three of the astrologers later sent their
"clients" Christmas cards!
FURTHER READING SUGGESTED BY THE AUTHORS;
Persuasion and Healing by Jerome David Frank (Baltimore: Jobns
Hopkins University Press, 1961). A persuasive argument that
psychotherapeutic effects are large attributable to suggestion.
Magic, Faith, and Healing by Ari Kiev (New York: Free Press
of Glencoe, 1964). Studies of indigenous psychiatric healers
in primitive groups, which establish the importance of
quasi-therapists.
Psychotherapy, The Purchase of" Friendship by W. A. Schofield
(Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1964). A revision
of the concept of mental disorder. It makes apparent the role
played by quasi-therapists in alleviating important personal
and social problems.
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