The Rorschach

Maggie Selander, Julia Martin, Marie Ware, Caroline Lopez, Lynn

Introduction

Central Assumption: Stimuli from the environment are organized by a person’s

specific needs, motives, conflicts, & by certain perceptual “sets”

exaggerated when faced with ambiguous stimuli like ink-blots!

Person must draw from their own personal internal images, ideas, and relationships to create a response.

Purpose: To asses the structure of personality, with particular

emphasis on how individuals construct their experience & the meanings assigned to their own perceptual experiences

Provides information on variables such as: motivations, response tendencies, cognitive operations, affectivity, & personal/interpersonal perceptions

History

Many inkblot-type tests had existed long before The Rorschach Da Vinci & Botticelli were interested in determining how a person’s

interpretation of ambiguous designs reflected their personality A popular game in the late 1800’s required players to make

creative responses to inkblots Hermann Rorschach published first 10 cards in 1921

1st extensive empirically based system to score & interpret responses to a standardized set of cards

Originally intended to use the test to note the characteristic responses of different types of populations▪ Initial norms were used to help differentiate between clinical and normal

populations▪ Rorschach was only minimally concerned with the symbolic interpretation

of contents.▪ Many of his original concepts & scoring categories still used

History

• Unfortunately Rorschach died shortly after publishing his work, Psychodiagnostic, at age 37

• Without the guidance & research of “the founding father” the test’s continued development was taken up by person’s with different backgrounds than Rorschach & each other

• By 1957, 5 Rorschach systems were in use, the most popular being those developed by Beck & Klopfer▪ Represented polarized schools of though & were often

in conflict.

History

S. J. Beck (1937) adhered closely to original format for coding & scoring Emphasized the perceptual-cognitive process in which

respondents structure & organize their perceptions into meaningful responses▪ Likely to reflect how they respond to their world in general

B. Klopfer (1937) closely aligned to theories of personality developed by Freud & Jung Emphasized the symbolic content & experiential nature of

the respondent’s Rorschach contents Responses are fantasy products triggered by the inkblots

and reflect perceived aspects of their world• Piotrowski, Hertz, & Rapaport’s versions represented “middle-

ground” between the Klopfer and Beck but were not as popular

History

Exner (1969) provided a comparative analysis of the 5 different systems Concluded “the notion of the Rorschach was more

myth than reality”▪ The 5 systems used the same verbal instructions▪ Only 2 required identical seating arrangements▪ Each had developed their own format for scoring resulting in

different interpretations▪ The wide range of approaches resulted in numerous

detrimental practices▪ Lacked consistency in the administration, scoring, and interpretation of

contents▪ Difficulty recruiting subjects, experimenter bias, statistical complexities

of data analysis, inadequate control groups, insufficient normative data Research on & the clinical use of the Rorschach was seriously flawed

History

Exner & his colleagues began the collection of a broad normative database and the development of an integrated system of scoring/interpretation Established clear guidelines for seating, verbal instructions,

recording, & inquiry by the examiner regarding the examinee responses

Scoring category based on both empirical validation (min. of .85 level for inter-scorer reliability) & commonality across the 5 different systems

Final product 1st published in 1974, The Rorschach: A Comprehensive System▪ 2nd ed (1986), 3rd ed (1993), and 4th ed (2003)▪ A 2nd volume relating to current research & interpretation has been

released in two editions (Exner, 1978, 1991)▪ Additionally, two editions on the assessment of children/adolescents

have been published

The Rorschach: A Comprehensive System

The most recent publication has included 450 contemporary protocols from persons, 18 to 65+, split evenly between males and females, with a wide range of education & ethnicities

Most research studies from the past 20 years use this system & is the most frequently taught version in graduate schools

Exner’s work to empirically validate the Rorschach with a comprehensive system has increased its acceptance & status

The Rorschach: A Comprehensive System

Exner has been responsible for much of the leadership and advances regarding the Rorschach His death in 2006 opens up the possibility for

significant changes in his system However, the merits of nearly all aspects of

the test continue to be challenged including: Inter-scorer reliability Norms Temporal stability Accuracy of meta-analysis that have previously

found support for the test

Reliability: The Comprehensive System

Exner only included scoring categories that had an inter-rater reliability of .85 or higher Some controversy has resulted concerning these

values, other researchers found greater variability A (2000) study found that nearly half of the

categories for the comprehensive system had excellent reliability ratings (>.81) 1/3 had substantial reliability (>.61) 1/4 had less than adequate (<.61) Sample sizes were small, greater variability would

be expected

Reliability: The Comprehensive System

The most recent & rigorous study, G. Meyer et all (2002) concluded that overall the Comprehensive System has excellent inter-scorer reliability ranging from .82 to .97 If scorers are appropriately trained

Interpretive agreement among experienced clinicians ranged between .76 to .89

Test-retest reliabilities somewhat variable Of 41 (out of 125) variables over a 1yr interval found

reliability ranging from .26 to .92 (most between .81 & .89)▪ Exner - low reliabilities were due to the variables being affected by

the changeable state (not trait) characteristics of the person▪ Study supported that some variables or valid indicators for change following

psychotherapy

▪ Many of the Rorschach’s variables are untested for reliability

Validity: The Comprehensive System

Administration

Interpretation

Multicultural implications

Legal and Ethical Issues