An automated procedure was developed for monitoring fast changes in the size of spherical samples of polymers during their contact with a solvent or drying. The kinetics of bulk defor mation in these processes was studied for a series of cross linked polymers, viz., gel type and porous styrene-divinylbenzene copolymers and poly(divinylbenzenes), and hypercrosslinked polystyrenes. Gel, macroporous, and hypercrosslinked polystyrenes are substantially different in the rate, mechanism, and degree of swelling, which is associated with the principal differ ences in their physical structures. An unusual effect of a sharp decrease followed by a tempo rary increase in the volume of porous polystyrene and poly(divinylbenzene) materials were observed during desorption (evaporation) of organic solvents. Water desorption is accompanied by an excessive bulk compression of porous granules giving rise to negative deformations, which gradually relax to the state equilibrium for the dry polymer. The results of dynamic desorption porometry (for water desorption) are indicative of a bimodal size distribution of micropores in hypercrosslinked polystyrene.