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History and Development of the Rorschach Exne C01.Qxd 9/19/02 11:10 AM Page 2 Exne C01.Qxd 9/19/02 11:10 AM Page 3 exne_c01.qxd 9/19/02 11:10 AM Page 1 PART ONE History and Development of the Rorschach exne_c01.qxd 9/19/02 11:10 AM Page 2 exne_c01.qxd 9/19/02 11:10 AM Page 3 CHAPTER 1 Introduction The 10 figures that constitute the stimuli of the not difficult to learn if the student of the test has Rorschach test were first unveiled to the profes- each of three basic prerequisites. sional public in September 1921, with the release of Hermann Rorschach’s famed monograph, BASIC PREREQUISITES Psychodiagnostik (1941/1942). Since that time, the test has generated much interest, extensive A first prerequisite is a reasonably good under- use, and considerable research. For at least two standing of people and the notion of personality. decades, the 1940s and 1950s, its name was al- This does not mean that the Rorschach data are, most synonymous with clinical psychology. Dur- or should be, interpreted directly in the context of ing those years, the primary role of the clinician any particular theory of personality. That proba- focused on assessment or psychodiagnosis. Al- bly is a mistake. Rorschach-based conclusions ul- though the role of the clinician broadened and timately can be translated into any of a variety of diversified during the 1960s and 1970s, the theoretical models concerning personality but, Rorschach remained among the most commonly before doing so, the data should be interpreted used tests in the clinical setting, and that status in a manner that is consistent with findings on continues today. This is because considerable in- which their validity has been based. formation about the psychological characteristics Rorschach interpretation always proceeds with of an individual can be derived if the test is prop- the objective of developing an understanding of erly administered, scored, and interpreted. the person as a unique individual. Stated differ- Most any intelligent person can learn to ad- ently, an awareness that no two people are exactly minister and score (code) the Rorschach. The pro- alike should prompt any interpreter to strive for cedures are reasonably straightforward. On the an integration of findings about characteristics other hand, Rorschach interpretation is neither such as thinking, emotion, self-image, controls, simple nor mechanistic. It is a complex process and so on in a manner that highlights individual- that can be demanding. It is complex because it ity as much as possible. requires the interpreter to maintain a framework A second prerequisite for Rorschach interpre- of logical conceptualization, without which it is tation is a good working knowledge of psycho- impossible to develop meaningful conclusions. pathology and maladjustment. This does not mean The process is demanding because it requires the a simple awareness of diagnostic labels, or a naive interpreter to frequently challenge the integrity assumption that concepts such as normal and ab- of the data. On the other hand, the routines of in- normal establish discrete criteria from which as- terpretation, that is, systematically questioning sets and liabilities can be identified. Rather, a data and conceptually organizing findings, are good understanding of psychopathology and/or 3 exne_c01.qxd 9/19/02 11:10 AM Page 4 4 History and Development of the Rorschach maladjustment evolves from an appreciation of The answer to this question is not as straight- how characteristics become liabilities, and how forward as some Rorschach advocates might various mixtures of liabilities breed forms of in- hope. In reality, Rorschach findings may have ternal and/or external maladjustment. little or no value in some assessment situations. The third prerequisite is that the interpreter For instance, if an assessor or referring party is must have an understanding of the test itself. It convinced that a “hardwired” relationship exists consists of 10 inkblot figures which, when admin- between the presenting symptoms of the person istered in a standardized manner, prompt the in- and the most appropriate treatment for those dividual to make a sequence of decisions that lead symptoms, Rorschach findings will contribute lit- to a series of responses. Once the responses are tle or nothing to a treatment decision. There are coded or scored, compiled sequentially, and used other cases in which the purpose of the assess- as a basis for numerous calculations, three inter- ment is to select a diagnostic label. Rorschach related data sets will exist: findings can contribute to this decision, but it is a time-consuming test and other assessment meth- 1. The verbiage used by the subject when giving ods might achieve the “labeling” objective more answers or responding to questions raised by efficiently. the examiner, The greatest utility of the Rorschach is when 2. The sequence in which the responses have oc- an understanding of a person, as an individual, curred as reflected in both the substance of becomes important for the purpose of selecting answers and the coding or scoring of them, and treatment strategies or targets, or when that sort 3. The structural plot of frequencies for nearly of information is important to other decisions 100 variables from which data for more than concerning the individual. Few, if any, assessment 60 variables, ratios, percentages, and indices procedures can capture the uniqueness of the per- are derived. son as does the Rorschach when used appropri- ately. This is because Rorschach responses are Collectively, these three data sets form the produced by a relatively broad range of psycho- interpretive substance of the test and, typically, logical operations and experiences. will yield enough information to construct a The same functions and experiences that gen- valid and useful description of the psychology of erate Rorschach responses also produce other be- the individual. haviors, such as those observed by friends or relatives, or noted by those conducting formal in- terviews. Behavioral descriptions of a person that THE UTILITY OF THE RORSCHACH are derived from observations of significant oth- Why bother using the Rorschach? There are many ers or produced from lengthy interviews often are assessment methods that can produce valid and reasonably accurate but, typically, those descrip- useful descriptions of people and, although a tions do not include information about the psy- Rorschach-based description of a person usually chological functions that produce the observed is quite comprehensive, it stems from a rather behaviors. The Rorschach results contain this sort modest sample of indirect behaviors (responses to of information. inkblot figures). Thus, findings and conclusions The nature of the Rorschach task prompts a are mainly inferential. What value do these infer- routine of decision making under the rather un- entially based Rorschach descriptions of people usual conditions of looking at inkblot figures. A have when contrasted with descriptions formu- host of psychological characteristics come into lated after a well-developed interview, findings play when this decision making is required and, from other psychological tests, or a description because of this, the responses tend to reflect the based on the observations of significant others? features of the person as he or she goes about exne_c01.qxd 9/19/02 11:10 AM Page 5 Introduction 5 the routine decision making of everyday living. those directly involved with it were not always Many of these characteristics are not readily ap- clear about Rorschach’s conceptions or inten- parent to the observer of everyday behaviors. Ob- tions, or not always ready to study it in the sort of servations focus on the products of psychological empirical framework that Rorschach established processes, that is, the behaviors. The Rorschach in his own research. findings mainly reflect the processes that gener- Rorschach died at the age of 37, only seven ate behaviors. months after Psychodiagnostik, was published. It is in this context that the Rorschach interpre- The 183 pages (English translation) that comprise tations focus on the psychological organization the monograph are rich with concepts, findings, and functioning of the person. The Rorschach test and case examples, but many issues about which gives greater emphasis to the psychological struc- Rorschach wrote are not fully explained, and some ture or personality of the individual rather than to are addressed briefly, or in a manner that leaves the behaviors of the person. It is the sort of infor- important questions unanswered. This is not sur- mation that goes beyond the identification of prising because Rorschach did not regard his work symptoms and searches out etiological issues that as having yielded a test per se and, by no means, distinguish one person from another, even though considered his work to be complete. Instead, he both may present the same symptomatology. Why viewed his monograph as a report of findings from bother with the Rorschach? If a picture of the in- an investigation into perception. The original title dividual, as a unique psychological entity, will that Rorschach selected for his monograph was, contribute significantly to the well-being of that Method and Results of a Perceptual-Diagnostic Ex- individual by assisting in the selection of a treat- periment: Interpretation of Arbitrary Forms. The ment plan or contributing to other important deci- issue of the title was raised in early August of sions, the few hours involved in administering, 1920, when the manuscript was being reviewed be- scoring, and interpreting the test should be well fore the type setting began. Walter Morgenthaler, a worth the effort. close friend and colleague, who was serving as As noted earlier, anyone intending to develop the professional editor for the project, wrote to skill in the use of the Rorschach should understand Rorschach: the nature of the test and how it works. Some of that understanding is gleaned from history, that is, I take this opportunity to include a word about the title of your work. I believe you are being very how the test originated and how it evolved.
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