Rorschach Test Research Articles

Syndrome du jour: The historiography and moral implications of Diagnosing Darwin

Diagnosing Darwin's health problems has a long history. Innumerable diagnoses have been proffered in letters, articles, and a handful of dedicated books. Diagnostic speculation has exhibited contrasting somatogenic or psychogenic preferences. Psychogenic accounts dominated mid-century but were soon challenged by somatic explanations citing specific infectious or toxic aetiologies. This tension remains, although psychogenic accounts have tended to be swamped by an array of somatogenic diagnoses championed by biomedical specialists. As a whole, this parade of diagnoses has a striking syndrome du jour quality. Successive conjectures speak of the preoccupations and diagnostic fads of their particular age. Moreover, for many participants in this diagnostic game, unconscious presentism combined with self-serving projection, turning the question of what ailed Darwin into something of a Rorschach test. Never far from the surface was a sometimes-fraught tussle over the man's reputation, animated by the moral valences of the conjectures in play. In a broader sense, this diagnostic game has shaped biographical accounts of Darwin and his career in some significant ways.

A Systematic Narrative Review of Evaluating Change in Psychotherapy With the Rorschach Test

Abstract. In 2004, Grønnerød conducted a meta-analysis on the use of the Rorschach Test to detect change in psychotherapy. Results showed which Rorschach variables were associated with change in clients, and to what extent. The purpose of this study was to update the picture from the year of publication of the previous meta-analysis until 2019. A systematic review of the literature was carried out, including 17 studies of relevance to this research. Results showed that the Rorschach Test captures the changes in patients after psychotherapy, particularly when treatment is tailored to the unique needs of clients. We describe the limitations of the studies included in this systematic review and propose strategies to increase the effectiveness of using the Rorschach to evaluate treatment outcome.

A Commentary on “Eating Disorders and the Rorschach” (Guinzbourg de Braude et al., 2021)

A Commentary on “Eating Disorders and the Rorschach” (Guinzbourg de Braude et al., 2021)

Can Neuroscience Provide a New Foundation for the Rorschach Variables?

Abstract. Recent progress in neuroscience has made it possible to use neurophysiological techniques to validate and deepen the interpretation of Rorschach variables. The aim of this article is to review the results from Rorschach studies using the neurophysiological approach to discuss the consistencies and inconsistencies between the different results, and then to consider the future direction of Rorschach research in this area. We also provide unpublished data to complement the picture from peer-reviewed studies. Two main approaches to neuropsychological studies on the Rorschach exist. One approach is to measure brain activities directly during the Rorschach administration; a series of studies using multiple neurophysiological methods revealed activation of the mirror neuron system with relation to human movement responses. Another possible approach is to investigate whether individual differences in Rorschach scores can be explained by neurophysiological measurements during the administration of another psychological task. This article reviews how these two approaches provide novel insights into the Rorschach Test.

A Commentary on “Can Neuroscience Provide a New Foundation for the Rorschach Variables?” (Jimura et al., 2021)

A Commentary on “Can Neuroscience Provide a New Foundation for the Rorschach Variables?” (Jimura et al., 2021)

A Commentary on “The Rorschach and Violent Crime” (de Ruiter, 2021)

A Commentary on “The Rorschach and Violent Crime” (de Ruiter, 2021)

Therapeutic exploration with the Rorschach Inkblot Test: a case demonstration of the lifeworld approach with a child

Originally introduced by Hermann Rorschach in his seminal work Psychodiagnostics, the Rorschach Inkblot Method (RIM) was widely recognized as a revolutionary psychological assessment. Nonetheless, ...

Jouer avec la mort : prise de risque dans le sport et deuils impossibles

AimAlthough death seems to be increasingly dissimulated in our Western society, “death-dodger” behaviors, on the contrary, are constantly on the rise. The study of those who practice high-risk sports allows us to clearly see their game with/around/against death. Through the case of Kevin, who engages in tremendously risky behavior in his practice of sport, we propose to show how continued traumaphilia and flirting with death is an attempt to deal with multiple griefs, as well as an illusory attempt to restore a frail narcissism, weakened by losses and mournings that remain unresolved. MethodThe authors conducted a case study, with exemplary value, combining two unstructured-type research interviews as well as the administration of the Rorschach and TAT tests, with a retest one month later. These tests were analyzed according to the principles of the French school. ResultsIn addition to an identification with masculinity and virility, lethal risk-taking in sports can also be understood, in our case study, as a fight against the effects of multiple bereavements and the associated depression. This is the anti-depressive struggle that is at the forefront of psychological functioning and that becomes part of the masochism expressed in “traumaphilia,” constituting the last defense against the risk of an otherwise more disruptive collapse. DiscussionThe authors propose the notion of “sepulcher work” – borrowing R. Gori's and M.-J. Del Volgo's use of the expression, with reference to M. de M’Uzan's formula on the work of passing over – to define the stage of mourning in which it is recognized that the object has indeed been definitively lost. Sepulcher work, for us, consists in a psychological movement in which the subject who has lost her/his object admits that this loss is final: the first recognition of the principle of reality prior to the work of mourning. ConclusionsThe risk-taking in sports reported in the case studied here illustrates unique clinical situations in which the process of mourning could not begin, leading to depression. These psychopathological configurations do not constitute a homogeneous clinical picture, but illustrate, in their own way, psychological strategies to avoid facing the suffering of loss.

Forest Manners Exchange: Forest as a Place to Remedy Risky Behaviour of Adolescents: Mixed Methods Approach.

This paper evaluates the impact of the forest environment on aggressive manifestations in adolescents. A remedial educative programme was performed with 68 teenagers from institutions with substitute social care with diagnoses F 30.0 (affective disorders) and F 91.0 (family-related behavioural disorders), aged 12–16 years. Adolescents observed patterns of prosocial behaviour in forest animals (wolves, wild boars, deer, bees, ants, squirrels and birds), based on the fact that processes and interactions in nature are analogous to proceedings and bonds in human society. The methodology is based on qualitative and quantitative research. Projective tests (Rorschach Test, Hand Test, Thematic Apperception Test) were used as a diagnostic tool for aggressive manifestations before and after forest therapies based on Shinrin-yoku, wilderness therapy, observational learning and forest pedagogy. Probands underwent 16 therapies lasting for two hours each. The experimental intervention has a statistically significant effect on the decreased final values relating to psychopathology, irritability, restlessness, emotional instability, egocentrism, relativity, and negativism. Forest animals demonstrated to these adolescents ways of communication, cooperation, adaptability, and care for others, i.e., characteristics without which no community can work.

Cryptic burrow traces in black shales – a petrographic Rorschach test or the real thing?

AbstractIn black shale studies, apparent lack of bioturbation is commonly taken as an indication of anoxic bottom waters. Yet, modern oxygen‐stressed environments show that even at suboxic levels (0.0 to 0.2 ml l−1 oxygen), microscopic eukaryotic benthic organisms live in the uppermost millimetres to centimetres of the substrate. Known as meiofauna, these organisms disturb the primary fabric as they move through the sediment. These modern examples inspired students of the rock record to report sub‐millimetre irregular–wiggly features in black shale thin sections as meiofaunal burrows. Preparation flaws in thin section manufacture can cause reduced light transmission that results in darkened regions when viewed in transmitted light, and one wonders whether micro‐burrows reported in the literature are indeed burrows, or alternatively artifact‐induced optical illusions. Examining shale thin sections of Archean to Tertiary age showed: (i) that burrow‐like features are common regardless of age; and (ii) that burrow identification varies significantly between observers. When transposing locations of presumed traces onto scanning electron microscope images of the same field of view (diamond polished surface), no evidence of fabric modification at locations of presumed burrows was observed. Microfabric within and outside ‘burrows’ was the same, and larger fabric elements traversed ‘burrows’ uninterrupted. Once both sides of the rock slice were polished, presumed burrows could no longer be observed, indicating that damage to the underside of the thin section caused the mistaken identification of micro‐burrows. Because burrows emplaced in water‐rich muds must undergo substantial compaction‐induced ‘flattening’ and deformation prior to lithification, geometries of presumed burrows that disagree with a plausible compaction regime provide an additional filter to separate potential burrows from artifact‐induced features. Recognizing meiofaunal disruption is an important aspect for accurate palaeoenvironmental interpretation of black shales. Yet, initial assessment via optical microscopy needs to be verified through scanning electron microscope‐based examination of shale fabrics.

Rorschach test with exner cs in assessing damage and trauma in suspected cases of abuse. Traumatic intrusions in thinking: Ptsd and adaptation disorder

IntroductionThis study wants to identify elements that could be informative in diagnosis and prognosis process of all those subjects who, following traumatic experiences, may develop PTSD, or even show signs of a more general and pervasive adaptation disorder, allowing a more precise damage assessment.ObjectivesIn this perspective, the analysis of the Rorschach test according to the comprehensive system of Exner, reading Structural Summary and the analysis of the constellations, allows to make interesting inferences, in all the descriptive areas associated with the key variables as regards not only the cognitive area (Processing >> Mediation >> Ideation) but also the affective and relational area (Interpersonal Perception >> Self-Perception >> Controll >> Affect), so as to have a picture of the functioning of these subjects and, to be able to plan a more functional therapeutic plan.MethodsIt is based on a sample of 29 subjects, 20 women and 9 men with an average age of about 35 years (54-14 years), who came to the attention of the clinic, at the request of the reference psychiatrist for diagnostic personality assessment. All subjects complained of various kinds of discomfort, affective-relational difficulties and anxious-depressive symptoms.ResultsThe results that emerged, in line with the initial hypotheses, converge in describing a personality style, not very resilient that could suffer in overcoming difficulties and in the search for new equilibrium.ConclusionsIt’s emphasized how the weight of a traumatic event like abuse can evolve into an adaptation disorder,strongly affecting the functionality of the subjects and their social integration.

Decision making and implicit suicidality in schizophrenia spectrum disorders

IntroductionResearch shows that mental illnesses increase suicidal risk. Studies have found that suicidal risk is associated with impaired decision-making.ObjectivesTo analyze decision making based on emotional learning in implicit suicidality.Methods56 male patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorder (F20) and denied presence of suicidal ideation were involved into the study (mean age 23±2.7),. Methods: Iowa gambling task (IGT) - integral indicators were used: the prevalence of “good” choices over “bad” ones, total score; and an indicator reflecting the ignorance of consequences of one’s choice - the subject remains on a “bad deck” after a loss. The Rorschach test (Rorschach Comprehensive system) was administered: Suicide Constellation «S-CON» and its components were used.ResultsAccording to the analysis, prevalence of “good” choices (IGT) negatively correlates with «S-CON» (Spearman’s correlation -0.328*, hereinafter significance level: ~ - p<0.1; * - p<0.05). A decrease in the total IGT score is associated with the following cognitive indicators: disregard for social conventions, non-conformism («P») (Spearman’s, 0.337*); a tendency to react defensively to a problem situation, blocking activity in terms of making decisions («R») (0.308*). Ignoring the consequences of one’s choice (IGT) correlates with such emotional factors as emotional incontinence, superficiality of emotions, emotional lability («FC:CF+C») (-.0382*), ambivalence of emotions («Blcol-shd») (statistical tendency, 0.277~), expressed dissatisfaction with the existing situation, internal tension and dysphoria («S») (0.291~).ConclusionsThe relationship of implicit suicidality with decision-making was found to be similar to the relationship of pronounced suicidality with decision-making. Suicidality is associated with impaired ability to make decisions based on emotional learning.DisclosureNo significant relationships.

Improvement of conventional perception in stable patients with schizophrenia by add-on treatment with ipidacrine

IntroductionImpairment of conventional perception is one of the key dysfunction in patients with schizophrenia even in absence of psychotic symptoms.ObjectivesPossibility of improvement of conventional perception by add-on treatment with ipidacrine in patients with schizophrenia in long-term remission.Methods26 (13 females) patients, mean age 40.4 (SD 11.7) with episodic schizophrenia in remission more than one year, receiving stable antipsychotic therapy were included into the open label study. As add-on treatment ipidacrine was administered once per day in dosage 20 mg for two months. Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) was used to assess clinical symptoms and projective psychological method (Rorschach Test) was used to assess conventional perception.ResultsThe study showed that ipidacrine in a low dosage, added to standard antipsychotic treatment, was effective in relation to negative symptoms (PANSS negative subscale score before 22,4 (SD4,7) and after beginning of the study 19,7 (4,5), p=0, 001). Of all the indicators of the Rorschach test, there was significant improvement in the index X+%, which is responsible for the degree of conventionality in reality recognition. The decrease in conventionality was associated with both high individualism and perceptual disorders. The value of of X+ % did not reach the standard one (70%) to the end of the study, but the improvement showed the switching from severe (52,4 (SD 12,2) to moderate (60,6 (SD10,4) impairment level (p=0,039).ConclusionsIpidacrine in a low dosage as add-on treatment has positive effect on conventional perception of stable patients with schizophrenia even in short-term trial.

Reality–fantasy collapse in schizophrenia vs. neurocognitive impairment during Rorschach’s III card responding

IntroductionAdaptive thinking demands a balance between manifestations of intrapsychic activity and reliance on requirements of the outer reality. Features of responses to Rorschach’s III card could provide information about subject’s ability to preserve the dialectical tension between the two poles of external and internal realities during solving tasks related to interpersonal relationships.ObjectivesTo compare reality-fantasy relations during Rorschach’s III card responding in patients with schizophrenia, neurocognitive impairment and normal subjects.MethodsParticipants were 12 young adult inpatients with schizophrenia, 14 students without mental disorders and 12 inpatients with neurodegenerative diseases of old age. Reality-Fantasy Scale (RFS) was applied to assess responses to Rorschach’s III card. RFS scale ranges from –5 (reality collapse into fantasy) to 5 (fantasy collapse into reality) (Tibon-Czopp et al., 2015).ResultsPatients with schizophrenia (M= –3,38, SD= 1,9) demonstrated tendency to fantasy domination (and reality collapse) if compared with the students (M= –1,47, SD= 2,0, p<0,05). Patients with neurodegenerative diseases (M= 0,75, SD= 2,1), conversely, had difficulties to apply fantasy during solving Rorschach task (p<0,01).ConclusionsExpress Rorschach testing using III card could be useful to provide screening data of thinking tendencies related to situations of social interaction. Also it provides a mental pabulum regarding role of cognitive impairment in schizophrenia in relation to significance of affective dependence of their thinking process.Conflict of interestThe reported study was funded by RFBR, project number 20-013-00772

Motherhood Specificities With the Rorschach Method

Abstract. Motherhood, listed by the World Health Organization as a period of fragility and vulnerability, involves significant changes at the individual, family and social level. Becoming a mother entails a number of risk factors to take into account. It is therefore necessary to carry out studies on general populations not suffering from psychopathological disorders to better understand these risk factors linked to motherhood. This study was carried out in France with a nonconsulting population in the postnatal phase ( N = 30) using the Rorschach test, as it presents numerous advantages to appreciate the psychic and corporeal transformations linked to birth. The quantitative results of the test were compared with recently updated norms ( De Tychey et al., 2012 ). Eight values of the psychogram remained normative (F%, F+%, W%, Dd%, M, C, H%, P) reflecting the characteristics of a general population; conversely, eight other values of the psychogram (R, D%, S%, A%, RC%, m, E, Anguish Index%) differed significantly from general population norms. These results increase knowledge to help appreciate the complexity of the psychic processes at work during the postnatal period, and to prevent psychopathological disorders. It is thus possible to distinguish these disorders from those that are transitory and classically linked to the upheaval caused by the onset of motherhood.

The Development of the Rorschach Test in China

Abstract. This article summarizes the development and research status of the Rorschach Test in China as comprehensively as possible. The development of the Rorschach Test in China can be divided into two stages: the initial stage and the developing stage. At the initial stage the research mainly includes: introduction and localization of the Rorschach Test, studies on schizophrenia, and the measurement of intelligence and personality. In the developing stage the research mainly includes: spreading and localization of the Rorschach Test, the variables, indices, and derivative scales, clinical psychology, talent assessment, combination with eye movement techniques, the Group Rorschach Inkblot Test, and reviews. Based on the domestic development and research status of the Rorschach Test, the article also summarizes the achievements and issues present in existing studies and puts forward the prospect of researching the Rorschach Test in China.

«Հայրենիքի պաշտպանի» և «մարդասպանի» անհատական հոգեբանական առանձնահատկությունները զինծառայողի ընկալման մեջ

The purpose of this article is to differentiate servicemen according to the character accentuation and to study the impact of war on their mental features. The objectives stemming from the purpose of the article is to study the age groups of the servicemen who took part in the hostilities, to identify the risk groups, to analyze the psychological tendencies of the «murderer» and the serviceman. The investigation uses a number of research methods: observation, qualitative and quantitative analysis of data and presentation, Rorschach test. In the course of the research, the following conclusions were made: war participants do not always pursue the same goal, war can be a means to satisfy their killing instinct or it can bring out a previous trauma and cause a killing pleasure. It is not necessary for the servicemen to have obvious mental problems to be considered murderers and not take part in hostilities. During the hostilities, people with different personality types are involved, which can leadto different traumas that can arise in different military situations.

Color Projection in the Rorschach Test

Abstract. The purpose of this study was to examine the basic features of Color Projection (CP). This study examined how CP appeared in relation to card, position, location, development quality, form quality, determinants, contents, special scores, and projected colors. Japanese adult psychiatric patients participated in the study. A total of 68 CP responses in 37 protocols were collected from over 1,500 Rorschach protocols. The results indicated that almost 60% of CP were in response to Card I or VI, which suggests that CP may be an initial shock reaction to achromatic colors and shading. Moreover, almost all CP were shown with the card in the original position, and more than half of CP were shown with W and DQo. This suggests that coping strategies when using CP may consist of changing recognitions rather than changing behaviors. On the other hand, these results also show that almost 30% of CP responses were scored MOR, and some CP responses were changed to colors that are generally considered to be less beautiful or undesirable in Japan. Therefore, in conclusion, it is possible that the current interpretive hypothesis of denial of unpleasant feelings may not be characteristic of all CP responses.

Teaching the Rorschach Comprehensive System

Abstract. The administration process of the Rorschach test is of utmost importance as it influences both the coding and the interpretative procedures. Performing it appropriately requires complex skills, knowledge, and solid training. The aim of the study is to describe students’ interests in and difficulties with administering the Rorschach (Comprehensive System) for the first time. A two-phase methodology, including an analysis of questionnaire responses followed by a study of students’ written narratives, using Iramuteq textual analysis software, was implemented with two different samples of third-year undergraduates (including 63 and 253 participants, respectively), recruited from a French psychology school. Our results show that students have a strong interest in understanding the test and wish to use it in their future practice. When administering the Rorschach for the first time, students find it difficult to cope with the complexity of the procedures at a technical, emotional, and relational level.

Diagnostics of an anomalous personality

It is necessary for a clinical psychologist to determine adequately whether a person is structurally normal or abnormal. Such a diagnosis prejudges work with the person either in the penal system or in the health care one. Several hundred professional tests are successfully used in professional psychology and clinical medicine. It should be noted that most of them have been developed in clinical medicine and foreign psychiatric clinics. The article analyzes in detail the projective tests as a clinical method of psychodiagnostics. Rorschach test, Shondi test, M. Luscher color test, TAT method, and others are the most popular among the specialists. Their distinctive feature from questionnaires is that the obtained result processing is not quantitative, but qualitative. Patient diagnosis depends on the experience and value orientations of a clinical psychologist and psychiatrist. Scientific schools and the culture of various countries play a significant role in this. Although there are certain international criteria for the diagnosis of personality. They are based on DSM–IV diagnostic table. Its indicators are more intended for a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. The authors raise a very unequivocal problem of using personal questionnaires from a legal point of view. Foreign studies reveal the impact of clinicians on the criminal law system, as well as the impact of legislation on the psychiatric clinics system. In the late XX century, a complex forensic psychological and psychiatric examination (CSTI) appeared at the junction of the expert application of psychiatry and psychology. It is important to note that the objects of its research are persons with borderline neuropsychiatric disorders and character anomalies. A key aspect in the activities of professional psychologists and psychiatrists is studying the validity in diagnosis using a case of the «Picture of a Man»(RFC) test. The results of foreign studies have shown that the decisions that clinical psychologists make about their patients are nothing more than a projection of their preconceived opinions. Thus, when making a fateful decision for each individual person, in no case should one make mistakes.