Abstract
Abstract Introduction: There are numerous points of controversy over the psychological interpretation of the so-called S responses – namely, the interpretation of white space in the Rorschach test. The aim of my paper was to verify the position held by Charles P. Fonda, who claims that the meaning of S responses depends on the results of the test as a whole. Materials and methods: I have presented the responses of two young men and coded them according to the Comprehensive System developed by John E. Exner. I chose this way of processing data as the most precise, relatively well formalized, and detailed one. The two examinees gave an almost identical number of responses in the whole test and a similar number of S responses, similarly distributed across the cards of the test. Results: I assessed and compared the results of the two examinees in terms of the effectiveness of their cognitive processes, self-control ability, mental resources, social adjustment, and self-esteem. Finally, I looked closely at the contents of a few responses, as in my opinion they symbolically expressed the examinees’ basic problems. Discussion: I tried to avoid describing the examinees’ psyche in nosological terms and to focus on presenting the way in which they experienced the world, as well as on how this experience affected their behavior. Conclusions: I found that in Examinee 1 criticism towards other people may stem from an excessively idealistic attitude to the world and from the ensuing disappointments. Good cognitive functioning, resistance to stress, positive self-esteem, and the socialized emotional sphere make this man’s S responses a sign of creative engagement in the problems encountered rather than a sign of maladjustment. In the case of Examinee 2, S responses can be understood as defiance and a generalized attitude of negativism, which play the role of defense against the excessively complicated, not fully comprehensible, and inhospitable world; these responses may, in their turn, contribute to the intensification of problems and to an increase in maladjustment.
Highlights
There are numerous points of controversy over the psychological interpretation of the so-called S responses – namely, the interpretation of white space in the Rorschach test
I assume that the critical value for the percentage of “minus” responses is 29, because this number is a limit for the Rorschach Perceptual-Thinking Index (PTI); a value higher than 29 testifies to some kind of abnormality
The goal I set myself was to show, on two specific cases, how a similar number of white space responses in the Rorschach test can be associated with different psychological characteristics of the responses and how it can be understood in the context of results from the entire test
Summary
There are numerous points of controversy over the psychological interpretation of the so-called S responses – namely, the interpretation of white space in the Rorschach test. If the examinee turns his or her attention to the white background, this kind of response can be construed as showing an attitude of negation, defiance, or even aggression This attitude may stem from the examinee’s personality traits, or it may be a reaction to the examination situation. Among S examinees there are strong, selfconfident, and assertive individuals and the ones who are psychologically weak and who are desperately and compensatorily struggling to maintain their independence and autonomy The latter are mentioned by Zygmunt Piotrowski, a scholar whom I consider one of the most insightful in discussing the meanings of S responses and the most emphatic in stressing their ambiguity. An examinee who gives more S responses may feel that other people do not accept his or her reactions and attitudes, which separates this person from the social environment and may become a source of conflicts [3]
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