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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.
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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.
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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
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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.
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| LeRoy A. Stone, Ph.D., ABPP (Forensic) |
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