Schizophrenia-like Rorschach results among the consanguine relatives of schizophrenics

In this study first published in 1972, 218 relatives of 28 schizophrenic and a control group of 34 brain-damaged patients were interviewed and tested with the original Rorschach inkblot cards. In contrast to Rorschach surveys in the general population, the study revealed schizophrenia-like test results in approximately one quarter of the subjects, equally distributed among the relatives of schizophrenic and of brain-diseased patients. On the basis of individual and family history, genetic and psychodynamic hypotheses for these findings are discussed. The study clearly demonstrates that psychologically healthy and well-integrated persons may react in the Rorschach test as schizophrenic patients often do. In addition, neither these subjects nor their offspring show an increased incidence for a schizophrenic psychosis. It is concluded that a schizophrenia-like protocol is not an indicator for a "latent" schizophrenic psychosis.