This study was conducted to identify the emotional characteristics of temporomandibular disorder patients. The authors applied one of the self-report modes of psychological measurement, Symptom Checklist-90-Revision. The subjects were 219 TM disorder patients who visited the Department of Oral Diagnosis and Oral Medicine, Seoul National University Hospital, during the period from December 1985 to September 1986. Patients were divided into subgroups according to sex, age, duration of symptoms, pr esence or absence of pain, and educational level. The mean values and distribution of T-scores of each symptom dimension and global index were then compared.