despair - 2026 ACF Regionals

Question

This emotion was described by Viktor Frankl as “suffering without meaning” in describing what leads people to consider their lives unbearable. For 10 points each:

[10m] What emotion names a device, alternatively called a “vertical chamber apparatus,” which was used by the author of “The Nature of Love” in separation studies of maternal bonds?

ANSWER: despair [or pit of despair]

[10e] The “pit of despair” was developed to separate these animals by Harry Harlow, who studied whether these animals would prefer a surrogate made of cloth or wire.

ANSWER: monkeys [accept rhesus monkeys or capuchins; prompt on primates]

[10h] This book draws on Søren Kierkegaard’s conception of despair in describing how people choose not to be their authentic self. This book, subtitled “A Therapist’s View of Psychotherapy,” first discussed unconditional positive regard.

ANSWER: On Becoming a Person [or On Becoming a Person: A Therapist’s View of Psychotherapy] (by Carl Rogers)

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Summary


California (North)	Main Site	Y	3	10.00	100%	0%	0%
California (South)	Main Site	Y	4	12.50	100%	25%	0%
Canada	Main Site	Y	11	10.91	82%	18%	9%
Florida	Main Site	Y	3	6.67	67%	0%	0%
Great Lakes	Main Site	Y	5	14.00	100%	40%	0%
Lower Mid-Atlantic	Main Site	Y	9	17.78	100%	56%	22%
Midwest	Main Site	Y	8	13.75	100%	38%	0%
Northeast	Main Site	Y	6	13.33	83%	33%	17%
Overflow	Main Site	Y	4	17.50	100%	50%	25%
South Central	Main Site	Y	2	10.00	100%	0%	0%
Southeast	Main Site	Y	8	10.00	88%	13%	0%
UK	Main Site	Y	12	14.17	92%	33%	17%
Upstate NY	Main Site	Y	4	7.50	75%	0%	0%

Data


Stanford B	Berkeley D	0	10	0	10
Berkeley B	Stanford A	0	10	0	10
UCLA B	UCSD B	10	10	0	20
UC Irvine	Arizona State	0	10	0	10
UCLA A	UC Santa Barbara	0	10	0	10
UCSD C	UCSD A	0	10	0	10
Berkeley C	Berkeley A	0	10	0	10
Brock	Toronto C	0	10	0	10
Carleton University	Simon Fraser	0	10	0	10
Guelph	Toronto F	0	10	0	10
Ottawa	McGill A	10	10	0	20
Western A	McGill B	0	0	0	0
McMaster B	Toronto D	0	0	0	0
Queen's	Western B	0	10	0	10
Toronto G	Toronto E	0	10	0	10
Toronto B	Toronto Metropolitan	0	10	0	10
UBC A	Western C	0	10	0	10
Waterloo A	UBC B	10	10	10	30
Florida A	Florida C	0	10	0	10
Michigan B	CWRU B	0	10	0	10
Michigan A	Michigan C	10	10	0	20
Ohio State B	Michigan State	0	10	0	10
Ohio State A	Pittsburgh	0	10	0	10
CWRU A	Ohio State C	10	10	0	20
Virginia	Liberty A	10	10	0	20
South Carolina B	Liberty B	0	10	0	10
North Carolina A	James Madison B	10	10	0	20
South Carolina A	NC State B	0	10	0	10
NC State A	VCU	0	10	0	10
Virginia Tech A	Duke	10	10	10	30
Virginia Tech B	Liberty C	0	10	10	20
North Carolina B	Wake Forest	10	10	0	20
William and Mary	North Carolina C	10	10	0	20
Chicago B	Illinois C	0	10	0	10
Illinois B	Chicago D	0	10	0	10
Indiana A	Chicago A	10	10	0	20
Northwestern D	Indiana C	0	10	0	10
Chicago C	Northwestern C	10	10	0	20
Notre Dame A	Chicago E	0	10	0	10
Illinois A	Purdue A	10	10	0	20
Northwestern B	Purdue B	0	10	0	10
Bowdoin B	Bowdoin A	10	0	0	10
Brown	Brandeis A	0	10	0	10
Dartmouth A	Brandeis B	0	10	0	10
MIT	Dartmouth B	10	10	10	30
Harvard A	Harvard B	0	10	0	10
Yale	Southern Connecticut State	0	10	0	10
Central Florida C	Central Florida A	0	10	0	10
Florida B	Central Florida B	0	0	0	0
Missouri A	Missouri B	10	10	0	20
Washington B	Washington A	10	10	10	30
Georgia Tech A	Iowa State	0	10	0	10
Minnesota A	Carleton College	0	10	0	10
Texas A	Texas A&M A	0	10	0	10
Texas B	Murray State A	0	10	0	10
Georgia Tech C	Alabama A	0	0	0	0
Alabama B	Louisville A	0	10	0	10
Bruin	Tennessee A	10	10	0	20
WashU A	Georgia Tech D	0	10	0	10
Georgia Tech B	Louisville B	0	10	0	10
Kentucky	Tennessee B	0	10	0	10
Mississipi State	Vanderbilt B	0	10	0	10
WashU B	Sewanee	0	10	0	10
Birmingham	Edinburgh B	0	10	0	10
Bristol	Warwick A	10	10	0	20
Edinburgh A	Cambridge B	10	10	10	30
Durham	Southampton A	0	10	0	10
Manchester	Imperial A	0	10	0	10
UCL	Imperial B	0	10	0	10
LSE	Montpellier	10	10	0	20
Cambridge A	Oxford A	10	10	10	30
Cardiff	Oxford B	0	10	0	10
Imperial C	Oxford C	0	10	0	10
City St. George's	Southampton B	0	0	0	0
Warwick B	Cambridge C	0	10	0	10
Cornell C	Binghamton B	0	10	0	10
Penn State	Binghamton A	0	10	0	10
RIT	Rochester	0	0	0	0
Cornell B	Cornell A	0	10	0	10