What do you do when asked to answer humorously?

250 12th-grade and male Jewish and Arab students were given a modified version of the Rosenzweig Picture-Frustration Study. They were asked to answer this questionnaire twice: (a) ordinarily (as if they were present in the situation) and (b) humorously (as amusingly as possible). When ordinary and humorous answers were compared, it was found that humorous answers contained more expressions of high aggression and fantasy denials. Ordinary answers contained low aggression and rational denials. Humorous answers manifested the use of special techniques as specified by Freud: displacement, representation by the opposite, play on words, absurdity, and fantasy. Results show that Ss applied clear rules when answering with humor. They used more aggression, more sex, and more fantasy and they used Freud's techniques as if they had read his writings. Results are discussed by contrasting incongruity explanations with motivational explanations. Results do not support Freud's cathartic hypothesis. (28 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).