This paper reports on an experiment examining sex differences in the types and meanings of emotional responses to a particular projective test: May's deprivation/enhancement measure (D/E), which is seen as an index of gender identity. The measure consistently differentiates males and females, which May felt reflected both physiological and socialization differences. The present experiment attempts to answer some of the issues raised by and problems in, May's measure. Male and female college volunteers served as subjects and the experiment compared male and female stories and D/E, while manipulating instructions, and gathering information on sex role dissatisfaction. The data supported previous work by replicating the emotional pattern differences and by showing that the differences resulted more from the extremes in female scores than from a positive female pattern vs. a male negative pattern. The experiment further indicated that perceived similarity to self is an extremely important variable to be considered when interpreting the meaning of May's measure. The author concludes the D/E is tapping a phenomenological self-identification of males and females, which occurs on an emotional level. (NG)