The use of projective methods in research: 1947-1965.

Abstract

Summary A survey of ten journals was conducted to determine the use of 21 projective techniques in research during the past 18 years. The purpose of this study was to obtain an overview of trends and to extend the survey presented by Mills (1965), which was based only on the Journal of Projective Techniques and Personality Assessment. Data presented were yearly ranks and absolute frequencies for specific methods. The use of projective techniques peaked in 1955, dropped sharply in 1956 and 1957, and then remained at a rather stable level through 1965. The most frequently used techniques have changed little over the years surveyed, with the Rorschach, TAT, and Human Figure Drawings outranking all other methods; the next most frequently employed techniques being the Bender-Gestalt, Sentence-Completion, Word Association, Rosenzweig P-F, House-Tree-Person, Szondi, and Blacky.