E. Sundbom et al., OBJECT RELATION AND DEFENSIVE OPERATIONS IN TRANSSEXUALS AND BORDERLINE PATIENTS AS MEASURED BY THE DEFENSE-MECHANISM TEST, Nordic journal of psychiatry, 49(5), 1995, pp. 379-388
The aim of the present study was to discern discriminating patterns in
the perceptual responses in accordance with the Defense Mechanism Tes
t (DMT), a projective percept genetic method, among 41 subjects with t
he diagnoses transsexualism (TS) or borderline personality disorder (B
PD) and a non-patient group (NP). The overall results showed that, by
means of a pattern analysis of 130 DR IT variables and partial least s
quares (PLS) discriminant analysis, it was possible to separate these
diagnostic groups. A two-dimensional model seemed to be powerful. The
quality and the complexity of the self and object representations have
to be considered both from a structural/reality-oriented and from an
affective perspective. The most characteristic properties of the TS gr
oup were high threshold values for perception, including difficulty in
perceiving the threat in the stimulus picture, lack of emotional mani
festations, and some projection and introjection responses. With regar
d to the BPD group, a discontinuity of the two-person relationship in
the stimulus picture and emotional expressions emerged as discriminati
ng features. The NP group was distinguished by very few DMT distortion
s and consequently showed a good reality orientation. In brief, the TS
group displayed poorer reality testing in the DMT than the borderline
group. Furthermore, the BPD group seemed to form their representation
s affectively compared with the TS group.