[Defense mechanisms in paranoid schizophrenia].

A group of 90 hospitalized patients suffering from paranoid schizophrenia were examined and than compared with parallel group of 90 healthy volunteers. The following methods of examinations were used: Plutchick's LSI-Test, Spilberger's STAI-Test, Szustowa's Egocentric Association Test and an Inventory of Self-Description by Lukaszewski. The results indicate that schizophrenic patients in comparison to healthy persons use the specific defense mechanisms (rationalization and negation) more often and have higher level of egocentrism. On the other hand both groups can be characterised by a low level of ability to change "ego".