A genetic evaluation of perceptual structurization in certain psychoneurotic disorders by means of the Rorschach technique.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--Boston UniversityWhile the psychoneurotic reaction types are amongst the most frequently encountered psychpathological entities in clinical psychiatry, their definition and nosological status are matters of continued dispute. It has, nevertheless, been a general observation amongst clinicians that, with the exception of the obsessive-compulsive syndrome, patients with these disorders maintain relatively undisturbed their orientation to reality, even though they give evidence of deficient attempts at adaptation to life. It was the purpose of this study to investigate quantitatively this clinical notion of the limited upheaval in psychoneurotic adjustment through an analysis of their perceptual responses in comparison with those of children and normal adults. The Rorschach ink blot test was employed since it is well suited to the collection of perceptual data and, in addition, makes possible the testing of a wide range of age groups with the same material. [TRUNCATED