OBJECT RELATION AND DEFENSIVE OPERATIONS IN TRANSSEXUALS AND BORDERLINE PATIENTS AS MEASURED BY THE DEFENSE-MECHANISM TEST

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.