Responses of a Person with High-Functioning Pervasive Developmental Disorder (PDD) to Thematic Apperception Tests (TAT) : A Comparison of Pre- and Post-Day-Care Treatment

Abstract

The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a projective psychological test that presents an illustration of a person or persons engaging in some activity and asks the subject to create a story based upon the characters he/she sees. It is thought that contents of the resulting imagined narrative can provide an insight into the subject's personality. The research presented here involves a pre- and post-TAT treatment comparison of a male subject diagnosed with a high-functioning pervasive developmental disorder (PDD), who underwent psychiatric day care as a means of rehabilitation. The study examines the state of his condition before and after the TAT treatment. At the first assessment, the subject spoke very little even over long periods of time. His defensive posture was evident, and he refused to respond to three of the presented illustrations. At the second assessment, however, the subject's defensive posturing reduced, he began to speak with more regularity, and his references to the story's content became more specific. However, little change was observed in such areas as the perception of stimuli, recognition of emotions, understanding of the chronology of events, and relationships between characters. The changes revealed by the TAT in this study show that although problems regarding the comprehension of chronological events, interpersonal skills, and tendencies toward fragmentary perception remain, the subject will possibly be able to reintegrate into society on the basis of advances made by him in acquiring skills and desires concerning personal relations and resisting uncertainty.