The Rorschach protocol and psychotherapy of a 7 year-old boy with severe ADHD symptomatology were studied in conjunction with one another. Both arenas place a premium on affect tolerance and expression. On the Rorschach, he displayed a constricted record on achromatic cards and a chaotic record on chromatic cards. This pattern was replicated many times over the course of his subsequent dynamically-oriented treatment. Both patterns were explained as an attempt to either simplify or deaden complex/ambiguous stimuli, with inner and outer tumult as the result when the emotional demands of a given situation could not be subdued in that manner.