Borderline Personality and the Rorschach Test

Abstract

Rorschach responses of borderline persons, acute and chronic schizophrenics, normals, and neurotics were compared on summary, composite, and fabulized combination scores and on a score reflecting decline in the quality of responses to individual cards. The groups' summary scores were as ego function theory would predict; normals had the highest scores, followed by neurotics, borderline persons, acute schizophrenics, and chronic schizophrenics. In a three-group comparison, discriminant-function analysis correctly classified most of the borderline and acute and chronic schizophrenic subjects. In a two-group comparison, stepwise regression analysis correctly classified most of the borderline and acute schizophrenic subjects. The borderline persons tended to produce more fabulized combination responses and show a greater decline in response quality on each card. The associative drift and sporadic reasoning problems imputed to borderline persons clinically distinguished the borderline sample's Rorschach records.