Norm-
You are asking great difficult questions!
There are something's to think about that can help one sort out what kind of test a patient is presenting - but one doesn't always know.
One of the things that I like about Weiss' theory is that it relies on the real data. The way that the patient responds is very informative and guides your understanding. The research group closely studies cases and seeks to understand the therapeutic process. The research has been published and a bibliography is listed in the forum. We shift and change as we learn more about the patient's plan and needs. The answers are always case specific so one must reconsider your question for each patient in each session. There are even times when the same issues can be used in different ways for the same patient.
In passive into active tests you are getting the traumatic experience first hand. One must look to the patient's individual data to see how they were treated. Otto 's punishment was so out of line for his behavior that it caused trauma. When Don hospitalized him it was an appropriate form of protection that relieved Otto. I f we had seen Otto become more anxious and worried we would have to reconsider our formulation.