Human responses to the Rorschach were analyzed according to developmental principles of differentiation, articulation, and integration in a longitudinal study of normal development (ages 11-12, 13-14, 17-18, and 30) and in a sample of adolescent and young adult inpatients. In normal development, there was a significant increase in well-differentiated, highly articulated, and integrated human figures seen in constructive and reciprocal interactions. In comparison with normals, patients gave human figures that were significantly more inaccurately perceived, distorted, and partial and that were seen as inert or engaged in unmotivated, incongruent, nonspecific, and malevolent activity. Unexpectedly, however, patients, as compared with normals, gave significantly more human responses at developmentally lower levels on accurately perceived responses and significantly more human responses at developmentally advanced levels on inaccurately perceived responses. It was only in the most seriously disturbed patients that both accurately and inaccurately perceived human responses were at lower developmental levels. These findings are discussed in terms of the nature and the function of experiences of reality and the importance of assessing the content and formal properties of object representation in studying normal development and psychopathology.

Paranoid schizophrenia, or at least some forms of the disorder, may be camouflaged depression and not a true schizophrenia. Paranoid and nonparanoid schizophrenic individuals differ along a variety of dimensions. Research has disclosed similarities among paranoid schizophrenia, mania, and substance abuse. Mania and substance abuse allow individuals to avoid negative selfevaluations and consequent depression. Paranoid schizophrenia can be viewed as yet another mechanism whereby individuals ward off painful depressive experiences. A number of research directions are proposed to further refine and test this formulation.

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Examined thought disorder in a sample (n = 11) of high-functioning autistic young adults and older adolescents (mean IQ = 83) utilizing objective ratings from the Thought, Language and Communication Disorder Scale (TLC Scale) and projective data from the Rorschach ink blots. Results from the TLC Scale pointed to negative features of thought disorder in this sample (e.g., Poverty of Speech). Rorschach protocols revealed poor reality testing and perceptual distortions in every autistic subject, and also identified several areas of cognitive slippage (e.g., Incongruous Combinations, Fabulized Combinations, Deviant Responses, Inappropriate Logic). Comparing TLC Scale and Rorschach results to schizophrenic reference groups, autistic subjects demonstrated significantly more Poverty of Speech and less Illogically on the TLC Scale, and on the Rorschach they evidenced features of thought disorder that are encountered also in schizophrenia. Results are discussed in relation to the measures employed, and to areas of similarity and difference between autism and schizophrenia.

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