This explorative study tends to elicit to what degree parental images of three subject groups: neurotic patients ( n = 158), psychosomatic patients ( n = 117) and healthy subjects ( n = 107)—can be viewed as a function of paternal and maternal symbolism. The Semantic Differential Parental (S.D.P.) an unipolar seven-step scale item list was employed. In this, 36 qualities reflect the main aspects of the paternal and maternal symbolic dimensions. Concepts offered for assessment were, among others, the father and mother images, both with a realistic and “ideal parent” appraisal. Our results suggest that psychosomatic patients do not differentiate between a separate paternal and maternal gestalt. In addition, their mother image on a real level appears more close to both the ideal father and ideal mother images. On the contrary, with neurotic patients the distinction between the paternal and the maternal symbolism and between real and ideal images determine to a large extent the experiencing of the concrete parental figures. Both the neurotic and the psychosomatic patients fail to conceptualize a maternal ideal image that is clearly distinct from the paternal ideal image. This seems based on too strong an emphasis with these subjects on the more general maternal aspects of caring and devotion in both ideal omages. Both patient groups seem to stress the active and self-giving values in the objects at the expense of the values of receptivity, empathy and closeness.