Rorschach Test Research Articles

Degree of Unitary Self-Representation on the Rorschach (SRI): Diagnostic and Psychotherapeutic Value in Psychosis Clinics

The aim of this article is to present a new marker of the degree of self-representation unity, developed from the Rorschach test, to assess the strength or fragility of psychotic patients’ narcissistic foundations. The marker exhibited discriminative value when comparing a group of paranoid subjects (n = 25) to two other groups of schizophrenic (n = 26) and paranoid schizophrenic subjects (n = 30). This indicator also appears useful for assessing the positive effects on the narcissistic Ego in psychotherapy.

The Use of the Rorschach Test in Switzerland 100 Years After Its Publication

The Use of the Rorschach Test in Switzerland 100 Years After Its Publication

Inkblots, Psychotherapy and the Tavistock Clinic

AbstractThe purpose of this article is to recount the early history of the Rorschach's inkblots test in Europe and the USA; its subsequent application in highlighting the ill effects on children of bombing during the Second World War; its wartime use in selecting military personnel; its post‐war use in selecting patients for psychotherapy at the Tavistock Clinic in London and subsequent decline in this use of Rorschach's inkblots in favour of focus on the psychotherapy patient's transference experience of the psychotherapist treating them. The article ends with evidence of interest, beyond psychotherapy, in Rorschach's inkblots and with the implications of this for the author's principal conclusion regarding the value of these inkblots in evoking the free association and conversation crucial to psychotherapy.

The Legacy of Hermann Rorschach and His Inkblots: Portrait of a Man or Mental Disease?

Hermann Rorschach was a Swiss psychiatrist and psychoanalyst who experimented with inkblots for the purpose of diagnosing mental illness and personality temperaments. This paper highlights the legacy of Rorschach through discussion of the events that led to the inkblots' creation during Rorschach's life and after his death. The foundational elements of the inkblots were conceived in Rorschach's 1911 dissertation regarding reflex hallucinations, a form of synesthesia, that ultimately served as Rorschach's experimental focus and development of his iconic inkblots. After Rorschach's death in 1922, the inkblots were disseminated in America by Samuel Beck and Bruno Klopfer during the 1930s and 1940s while expanding on intelligence and personality metrics. Further research regarding the concept of a "group Rorschach'' was expanded by Molly Harrower and ultimately applied by Douglas Kelly and Gustav Gilbert to the Nazi Defendants at Nuremberg with the aim of conceptualizing the "Nazi personality." However, due to interpreter bias and conflicting interpretation, the results surrounding the Nazi Rorschachs remain controversial. Further controversy ensued after John Exner's attemptto standardize the Rorschach methodology while introducing new diagnostic metrics. Today, the Rorschach inkblots are criticized for their lack of validity and clinical relevance.

Exploring emotion dysregulation in adolescence and its association with social immaturity, self-representation, and thought process problems.

This study aimed to explore the complex phenomenon of emotional dysregulation, particularly in adolescence, which is associated with many mental health disorders and problems. Increasing the knowledge of clinicians and researchers in this area can be helpful in guiding future treatment plans. The aim of the study was to investigate, from an exploratory perspective, which structural aspects of adolescent functioning (assessed using the Rorschach test and administered and scored according to the Comprehensive System, CS, by Exner) were associated with different dimensions of emotional dysregulation (evaluated using the Difficulties in Emotion Dysregulation Scale, DERS). Secondary data were used for the study, which included 100 adolescents, with 50 in the clinical group (patients with complex trauma histories residing in therapeutic and socio-rehabilitative communities) and 50 in the nonclinical group (recruited from a scout group and middle and high schools). The two groups were compared on terms of the mean scores obtained in the DERS scales (one-tailed t-test) and the proportions of cases that obtained pathological values for selected Rorschach CS indicators (z-test). Partial correlations were calculated between the DERS scales and the Rorschach CS variables to explore which structural dimensions of functioning were associated with different characteristics of emotional dysregulation. The results indicated that the two groups differed in their outcomes on all DERS scales, except for Awareness and Goals, and on four Rorschach CS variables (EgoIndex, a:p, Wsum6, and MOR). Some significant positive and negative correlations between the Rorschach CS variables and the DERS scales also emerged. These results suggest that the dimensions of functioning associated with emotional dysregulation are related to self-representation, relational immaturity, and thought processes character and characterize membership in a therapeutic community. The correlations described in the article warrants further consideration. Finally, the study's limitations and future research prospects are presented.

Bilateral Central serous chorioretinopathy in a case of surgically treated Optic Disc Pit maculopathy.

To report occurrence of central serous chorioretinopathy(CSCR) which mimicked recurrence of ODP maculopathy in a young adult in whom surgery for the same had been done. Clinical fundus examination and multimodal imaging which included optical coherence tomography(OCT) and fundus autofluorescence(FFA) was done. Patient had undergone surgery for ODP maculopathy. At 1 year follow up, there was recurrence of subretinal fluid at the macula. Fundus fluorescein angiography was done and the presence of ink blot pattern leakage clinched the diagnosis of CSCR, ruling out ODP maculopathy. CSCR is a great masquerade and correct diagnosis is very important to prevent permanent visual impairment. Subretinal fluid(SRF) associated with ODP must be examined carefully to rule out other pathologies like CSCR. Serous macular detachment after surgery for ODP maculopathy has been done, does not necessarily mean recurrence of the maculopathy. Other pathologies like CSCR should be ruled out. This case highlights the importance of multimodal imaging along with clinical signs in correct diagnosis and treatment of conditions with overlapping features like CSCR and ODP maculopathy.

Rorschach and resting state-fMRI: Personality Assessment and unique associations with resting-state brain networks activity

Background The Rorschach test is one of the most popular tests used in clinical settings for psychopathology and personality assessment; however, there is still little evidence regarding the functional correlates of test responses. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) allows for the investigation of biological correlates associated with different psychological functions. Among other applications, fMRI has been used to identify different networks that reflect brain activity in the resting state (rs-fMRI), that is, when an individual is not engaged in any specific task. Among these resting-state networks (RSN), the best-known and most studied are the Default Mode Network (DMN), along with other networks such as salience, frontoparietal, sensorimotor, temporo-parietal, visual, and cerebellar networks. Methods We used this type of analysis to obtain new evidence regarding Rorschach. This study aimed to analyze the functional brain architecture underlying Rorschach’s personality variables, administered according to Exner’s Comprehensive System (CS). In particular, the aims are: 1) to ascertain the existence of correlations between CS variables and activity of the RSN, and 2) to use these profiles of activity to develop a new data-driven clustering of the CS variables. Archival data from twenty-four non-clinical subjects were analyzed. Independent Component Analysis (ICA) and partial least squares regression (PLS) were used to analyze the fMRI data. Results The results showed specific associations with the given Rorschach variables (several of which could be grouped into higher-order latent factors) and activity of the main RSN. Moreover, the cluster analysis outlined important groupings of Rorschach variables, particularly regarding their clinical implications. Conclusions Our study could be comprised in the existing literature providing strong evidence about the neurobiological validity of the Rorschach test.

La méthode d’analyse phénoméno-structurale : approches psychopathologique, projective et créative

ContextAfter a period of low-key development, phenomenology is once again gaining ground in psychiatry, as well as in clinical psychology and psychopathology. It is becoming particularly relevant in these fields, where the observation of phenomena and the quest for structures to organize them are very appropriate clinical tools for understanding the subject. ObjectivesThe aims of this article are, on the one hand, to review the development of structural phenomenology in the human and medical sciences, and on the other hand, to explore its relationship to creative processes in order to support pragmatic reflection on patient care. MethodThis study is based on the clinical case of a 14-year-old adolescent with Williams & Beuren syndrome. After six years of institutional care, he participated in a program of eight sessions of art therapy designed to retrace his pathway for access to pre-professionalization. Our evaluation is based on a test/retest evaluative clinic using the Rorschach projective test and the Content Analysis Grids centered on the Phenomeno-structural Approach (GACAPS) developed by L. Schiltz. ResultsWe noted an improvement in the adolescent's attention and social skills, as well as an increase in his ability to mobilize his imagination and to access the elaboration of his thoughts. However, the phenomeno-structural analysis, aside from the increasing number of creative responses, enabled us to detect invasive anxieties, which make us fear that, with him, this existential stage of a rite of passage represents a risk that could lead to psychotic problems. DiscussionPhenomenology, given that it is a subtle method, only makes sense if practiced in the world of real life, where “being in the same landscape” becomes as much a diagnostic tool as it is a treatment process. The Rorschach Test with its GACAPS analysis grids, as well as the IPSE method (Processus inductif d’analyse de la structure de l’expérience vécue - Inductive Process for the Analysis of the Structure of Lived Experience), are pragmatic tools providing relevant results in a context of a clinic of modernity.

Ideational Slippage in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: A Preliminary Study.

Ideational slippage-characterized by incorrect word usage and strained logic during dialogue-is common in aging and, at greater frequency, is an indicator of pre-clinical cognitive decline. Performance-based assessment of ideational slippage may be useful in the study of cognitive aging and Alzheimer's-disease-related pathology. In this preliminary study, we examine the association between corpus callosum volume and a performance-based assessment of ideational slippage in middle-aged and older adults (age 61-79 years). Ideational slippage was indexed from cognitive special scores using the Rorschach Inkblot Method (RIM), which are validated indices of deviant verbalization and logical inaccuracy (Sum6, WSum6). Among middle-aged and older adults, smaller splenium volume was associated with greater ideational slippage (ηp2 = 0.48), independent of processing speed and fluid intelligence. The observed negative associations are consistent with visuospatial perception and cognitive functions of the splenium. The effect was strongest with the splenium, and volumes of the genu and total white matter had small effects that were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Results are discussed with future application of RIM special scores for the assessment of pre-clinical cognitive decline and, based on observed effect sizes, power analyses are reported to inform future study planning.

Personality and psychopathological characteristics in functional movement disorders.

Aim of the present study was to assess personality and psychopathological characteristics in patients with functional movement disorders (FMDs) compared to patients with other neurological disorders (OND). In this cross-sectional study, patients affected by clinically established FMDs and OND who attended the Neurologic Unit of the University-Hospital "Policlinico-San Marco" of Catania from the 1st of December 2021 to the 1st of June 2023 were enrolled. Personality characteristics were assessed with the Rorschach test coded according to Exner's comprehensive system and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 (SCID-II). Thirty-one patients with FMDs (27 women; age 40.2±15.5 years; education 11.7±3.2 years; disease duration 2.3±2.5 years) and 24 patients affected by OND (18 women; age 35.8±16.3 years; education 11.9±2.9 years; disease duration 3.4±2.8 years) were enrolled. At the Rorschach, FMDs presented a significantly higher frequency of Popular (P) and sum of all Human content codes (SumH>5) responses and avoidant coping than OND. FMDs presented "conformity behaviors", excessive interest in others than usual a maladaptive avoidant style of coping and a difficulty in verbalizing emotional distress. These psychopathological characteristics may favor the occurrence of FMDs.

Из истории использования теста Роршаха в 20-30-е годы в СССР

<p>The present article addresses and structures the history of the application of the Rorschach test during the period of 1923 to 1936 in the Soviet Union. Hermann Rorschach visited the Russian Empire three times and was familiar with Russian psychoanalysts. His test was published in 1921 in Switzerland. By 1923 was published I.N. Dyakov’s article with the description of the test. The Rorschach test was used with children with normal development, gifted children and those with various deviations in paedology, clinical psychology and psychiatry. It was used for studying the personality of a perpetrator and for examining individuals who had committed a crime. A.E. Petrova very well described the application of the test she used in studying a “primitive” psyche ofchildren and adult perpetrators, and of patients with schizophrenia and epilepsy. L.S. Vygotsky valued highly A.E. Petrova's works and cited them in his lectures. The Rorschach test was also included in the series of tests for studying a perpetrator's personality, it was employed in the psychiatric examination to study the personality of the offender and the crime, it was also used in Serbsky State Scientific Institute for Social and Forensic Psychiatry. In 1936, after the publication of the resolution of the Central Committee of the Soviet Union Communist Party on the paedological perversions in the system of the People's Commissariats for Education, the usage of the test discontinued.</p>

Can an artist be mature? Rorschach studies of prominent Polish actors

Introduction: The peculiarities of being a prominent actor - the unity of the person and the work, recognition and significance - have made possible new and relevant from the point of view of personality and creativity psychology to analyze using the Rorschach method. Objective: The purpose of the study was to assess the personality maturity, type of experiencing, social contacts of prominent Polish actors by means of a qualitative method. Method: The Rorschach Test according to the American signing system of Z. Piotrowski. The study group consisted of 120 Polish actors: 40 outstanding Polish actors, also known in the world from international films or received awards (group A), 40 actors working in theaters in large cities (B), 40 actors employed in theaters in small cities(C). The groups were matched for age (M= 44.7 years, SD 9.31). Results: Analysis of the level of differences in maturity proved statistically significant. The study showed indicators of rivalry, which can stimulate aggressive behavior, for example, but the overall profile indicates good adaptation and control of emotions. The psychogram was dominated by signatures indicating an ambidextrous, differentiated type of experiencing,signifying creative imagination, a tendency to reflect, which is at the same time balanced by external activity,good adaptation. Discussion: The respondents' life activity is characterized by decisiveness, with a tinge of aggression. This attitude can be a cause conflicts with people who may be perceived as rivals, the results of other researchers also indicate. Conclusions: The study of prominent actors using the Rorschach test was conducted for the first time on such a scale, providing many valuable findings. Keywords: Rorschach Test, type of experiencing, emotional sphere, interpersonal relations

Becoming a first-time father during the COVID-19 pandemic in France.

The role of fathers in Western societies has undergone significant change over time. However, their psychopathology remains largely misunderstood and difficult to identify. This study aims to explore the lived experiences of first-time fathers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty-seven first-time French fathers were recruited for the study, which involved a narrative interview, the Rorschach projective test, the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), and a semi-structured interview. Narrative interviews revealed several challenges faced by these fathers, including the pressure of paternal responsibility, the need to be actively involved in the prenatal activities and caregiving (haptonomy, skin-to-skin contact), and concerns about the future of their couple and family as a triad. The Rorschach tests showed numerous perinatal responses and difficulties in identifying phallic representations among the fathers. Additionally, the EPDS scores indicated that 15% of fathers showed signs of depression, while 52% exhibited signs of anxiety. This study also examines the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated health context on creating the initial triad. Lastly, the case of one father is presented to illustrate the need for diagnostic tools to address the psychopathology of fathers, as narrative or semi-structured interviews have often fallen short of addressing this issue.

From Painting – to Picture

The article proposes a model for visual activities in the seventh grade, which is based on H. Rorschach's test. Part of the tasks are designed to be implemented in a digital environment through photography and digital retouching of bitmap images.

Mechanisms of Understanding: Nikolay A. Rubakin’s Mnema Theory

The study provides a brief overview of the Mnema Theory, a bibliopsychological theory based on the achievements in physiology and evolutionary biology formulated by Russian bibliographer, book critic, popularizer of science and writer Nikolai Alexandrovich Rubakin (Nicholas Rubakin), and the one which allows consistently and vividly reveal the structure of the human psyche, and show the mechanisms associated with understanding in general and understanding words and text, in particular. The Theory of Mnema, although presented to the scientific community at the beginning of the 20th century, is nevertheless highly relevant after a hundred years, and there continues to be more and more evidence pointing to the veracity and credibility of its provisions from modern humanitarian and natural sciences. Nikolay A. Rubakin’s Theory of Mnema is formulated on the basis of three laws of bibliopsychology: Zemon’s Law, Humboldt-Potebnya’s Law and Teng’s Law, and shows the structure of the human psyche in the form of mnema, which is a system of records received from external stimuli. According to Nikolay A. Rubakin’s theory, the mnema are a complex open system that is in a state of permanent development, and is always being added to and is continually changing. The complex composition of the reader’s mnema determines the perception and interpretation of a text, which is also understood as the external stimulus that generates a set of engrams and their activation leading to their subsequent ecphorias, as well as the projections that a reader receives when understanding texts. The validity of Nikolay A. Rubakin’s Theory of Mnema is confirmed by psychophysiological experiments aimed at measuring the semantic proximity of words (experiments of A.R. Luria and O.S. Vinogradova), psychological and psycholinguistic experiments (for example, Rorschach tests and various kinds of associative experiments), as well as the achievements of the philological science itself with regard to the study of the space of artistic and non-artistic text, the actual images of the author and the characteristics of the interpretations of the text by readers and researchers.

The Processometric Consensus Rorschach Test (pCRT-II) – An Improved Evaluation System

Abstract: The processometric Consensus Rorschach Test is a method for analyzing the dynamics of couple communication in negotiation-based interactions. We present the development and first psychometric evaluation of the processometric Consensus Rorschach Test II (pCRT-II), which introduces several innovations to previous coding systems. Using the pCRT-II, couple communication can be assessed on dimensions of dominance, constructiveness, and emotional closeness. Intercoder reliability was demonstrated using intraclass correlations in three coders’ 15 pCRT-II protocols. Results showed that trained coders can code the three pCRT-II dimensions reliably. Moreover, we assessed the interactions of 155 heterosexual couples using the pCRT-II. Internal consistency tests of the scores of the three dimensions of the pCRT-II on the 10 Rorschach cards separately aggregated by gender indicated that the reliability of the scales is adequate. We also administered the Dyadic Coping Inventory (DCI) and the Relationship Assessment Scale (RAS) to a subsample of 134 couples and tested the associations of the scales with the pCRT-II dimensions using the actor–partner interdependence model (APIM). Results demonstrated that pCRT-II has adequate concurrent validity. Based on the findings, the coding system is promising in that it can be used to gain new insights into the functioning of couples by examining their communication processes in detail.

Singularity in Rorschach’s Test: 12 Years of Research in Spanish-speaking Countries – A Secondary Publication

To describe the place of singularity in scientific research with the Rorschach test, 85 studies from Spanish-speaking countries published between 2010-2021 are compiled, analyzed, and classified with the “subject approach mode” described by Meneses, and identified for longitudinal trends. The results indicate a growing number of studies using Rorschach in the region with the systematic and stable presence of subject approach considering their singularity. This paper discusses whether the trends represent significance in research with Rorschach in the Spanish-speaking world, compared to studies in the English-speaking world, giving subjects the possibility of being considered in their complexity. It also proposes that the region presents an opportunity to produce research and theoretical models that take advantage of the comprehensive possibilities granted by the Rorschach test as a projective method.

Processus de maternité et fonctionnement limite : une approche longitudinale à l’aide du Rorschach

ObjectivesThis article aims to study the psychic changes during maternity in primiparous women without psychic and organic disorders and to put into perspective the reorganizations during the maternity process in patients with a borderline psychic functioning. MethodThis paper is based on longitudinal data collected with the Rorschach test. Two clinical cases revealing this processual dynamic will be analyzed and discussed. ResultsThe analysis of Rorschach protocols of two women with different psychic elaboration capacities reveals an experience of boundary invasions linked to the precariousness of psychic envelopes between the end of pregnancy and the beginning of postpartum, followed by a reinforcement of certain defensive mechanisms post-delivery in order to compensate for the state of disorganization linked to the processes of motherhood. DiscussionThe analysis of these data will allow us to observe modalities of psychic arrangements specific to the maternity process as well as reorganizations, close to a “symbolization catastrophe”. ConclusionThe psychic dispositions of women during maternity allow us to detect borderline arrangements of psychic functioning during this period.

Intellectual control as integral part in the system of person's mental resources

The article deals with basic approaches in the theoretical research of such unexplored topic as intellectual control. The sources of explored topic and basic theoretical approaches to the named phenomenology are examined. On the base of author's methodic is held the research of the intellectual control and in particular the interrelation between the intellectual control scale and the psychological regulation index by the Rorschach test. The role of intellectual control is defined as an important psychological characteristic, which determines the efficacy of the psychological regulation in the situation of social interaction.

The Parallel Series – The Behn–Rorschach Inkblot Test

Abstract: This article examines the historical background of the Behn-Rorschach Test based on new document translations, including the dissertation ( Psychische Schüleruntersuchngen mit dem Formdeutversuch) conducted by H. Behn-Eschenburg under Hermann Rorschach’s direct supervision and published in 1921. The Behn-Eschenburg dissertation was published at the same time and is a companion piece to Psychodiagnostics. The dissertation project applied Rorschach’s clinical theory and coding scheme to a duplicate set of inkblots (“the parallel series”) in a sample of 209 13–15-year-olds. The article reviews the newly translated correspondence between Rorschach, Behn-Eschenburg, and other colleagues in the development of the parallel series that was not published until 1940. Psychodiagnostics describes Hermann Rorschach’s rationale and prerequisites for development of the parallel series, and the dissertation is an early extension into new territory beyond Psychodiagnostics. Various investigators in the 1950s and 1960s critically examined Rorschach’s claims that the parallel series is equivalent to the original inkblots. The Behn-Eschenburg dissertation, published concurrently with Psychodiagnostics, illuminates the earliest development of Rorschach’s psychology on the eve of his untimely demise.