A group of 43 adult psychiatric in‐patients with a preliminary diagnosis of depression were tested with the Meta‐Contrast Technique to determine degree of depressive retardation. They were also given an Identification Test where subliminal tagging was used to direct identification with an aggressor or a victim depicted on a tachistoscopically exposed stimulus. The higher the degree of depressive retardation the more reluctant the subjects were to get involved in the aggressor‐victim theme. A Creative Functioning Test also attested to the empty, dehumanized experiential world of the most retarded sub