Indices of Psychopathology in the Rorschachs of Boys With Severe Gender Identity Disorder: A Comparison With Normal Control Subjects

Abstract

Recent clinical and empirical studies of boys with Gender Identity Disorder (GID) of Childhood suggest that severe behavioral disturbance exists beyond their feminine preoccupations. This study examines the thought organization and object representational paradigms of a sample of GID boys (n = 26) in a blind comparison with a normal subgroup (n = 18). Rorschach test protocols were used to compare the groups along these two more internal measures of personality organization. As hypothesized, the GIC group was found to have more pathological scores than the normal group on the Mutuality of Autonomy (MOA) Scale and a thought disorder hierarchy. The findings suggest that GID boys do not suffer solely from gender symptomatology but are disturbed in other aspects of their ego functioning as well.