The self representation in schizophrenia: evaluation by means of the Rorschach test

Abstract

This article discuss the relationship between the self representation and the psychic organization in schizophrenia, using the Rorschach psychodiagnosis test. The study was conducted on a sample of twenty adult male outpatients diagnosed as schizophrenics. An instrument of content analysis was applied for a systematic evaluation of the responses obtained, based on the criteria and interpretative frameworks proposed in the literature. Data analysis indicated a severe impairment of the structure of self representations, as well as a scarce projection of dynamism and of interactional activity in the perceptions. The inner world of the schizophrenic is precariously ordered and integrated, marked by a marked lack of affective differentiation, and by archaic and regressive representations of the Ego, resulting in the impoverishment of the personality. Theoretical implications are taken into account when discussing results.