1. Rorschach Interpretation Guide Pdf
2. Rorschach Interpretation Guide Pdf
3. Rorschach Interpretation Guide Pdf

Rorschach has been the second most investigated personality assessment instrument (following the MMPI), with about 7,000 citations in the literature as of the mid-1990s (Butcher & Rouse, 1996). Although the Rorschach is frequently taught in graduate programs, valued on internship and in clinical practice, and regularly researched, it also has. The Rorschach Inkblot Test. Book Description: In this highly readable interpretive guide to the Rorschach Inkblot Test, James P. Choca describes the uses to which it is best suited. Used appropriately, the Rorschach uniquely reveals a person's level of energy, control of emotions, and thought processes-something that other tests are unable to do.

• The Rorschach Assistance Program is a free Internet application designed to assist with scoring and interpretation of the Rorschach inkblot test. The program provides a browser-based, interactive interface to code Rorschach responses and produces reports in accordance to the Exner Comprehensive System.
• Rorschach Interpretation Assistance Program™ Client Report by Irving B. Weiner, PhD and PAR Staff Client Information Name: Mr. Test Date: The following report is based on the responses you gave to the Rorschach Inkblot Method and should be discussed with the clinician who examined you.

There’s an interesting article in the New York Times claiming that Wikipedia is de-valuing the Rorschach test by including the 10 ink blot images and their most common associated terms as part of its article.

The controversy started on June 29th when Dr. James Heilman decided to include all the images and research about common terms in the wikipedia page. The images still remain, but the terms were taken down later amid protest from those in the scientific community. Of course, due to how Wikipedia works, those terms are still available in the history page.

Just in case that somehow gets removed, here’s a screen shot:

click for larger image

Personally, I understand where the scientific community is coming from, but their anger is many years too late. My college psych class included most of this information in the textbook – and that was printed sometime in the 80s. Anybody could have walked into the store and purchased the book and gotten way more “potential bias” information from there than they could find on Wikipedia. Why wasn’t there outrage over textbooks?

My personal view as a computer scientist who only took the required 3 psychology classes in college is that the Rorschach test is pretty useless. It’s a good measure of how well somebody conforms to the status quo, but that’s about it.

One standard test that never changes questions is generally a bad idea in a lot of fields. Eye charts are one that comes to mind – with no doubt thousands of people having memorized “E FP TOZ LPED PECFD…” (That’s all I remember off the top of my head.) How many of you have cheated at the eye dr when they ask you to read the same line with your left eye that you just read with your right eye? It’s not a very valid test.

Rorschach is one of those tests. Anybody seriously trying to cheat the test is going to be able to do so whether or not the images and terms appear on Wikipedia. Once the data is out there anywhere (even textbooks!) it’s out there and will be found out by those wanting to abuse it.

On a side note though, if (and I doubt it) the publication of this data will really have an impact on the test, that means we can make it have the opposite impact too. It might be fun to alter the “normal terms” and see how many people confidently walk into their psychologist’s office and proudly proclaim that the butterfly image is really “a man hang gliding over the city with an ak47 raining a deadly hail of bullets onto those below him.”

ADMINISTRATION AND SCORING SYMBOL SYNOPSIS

As is the case with any test,Rorschach's test is more than a bundle of materials. It consistsof ten cards presented to a subject in the context of certain instructionsand procedures, as well as rules for scoring. The subject's perceptionsof the examiner's wishes and motives, as well as the goals and motivesof the subject helps form the content of the testing and will also helpdetermine what the subject says.

For these reasons, the variabilityin instructions among the common systems is unfortunate. Obviously, instructionsand procedures must be consistent with one's ethical and professional responsibilityto respect the patient's autonomy; beyond that the administrative proceduresshould be minimally intrusive in order to avoid establishing expectanciesbeyond the most complete possible reporting of the subject's thoughts.

For these reasons, the examinationshould begin by clarifying its purpose. When the testing is basedon a referral, the identity and role of the referring professional shouldbe explicitly clear, as should the nature of the report and the party orparties to whom it will be accessible.

When subjects are being testedfor training purposes within a service setting--a school, clinic, or hospital--itis important to clarify to what extent a report will become part of thesubject's record, and what access he or she will have to it. It isalso important to provide a means for such
subjects to have answered retrospective questions about themselvesor about the answered.

For example, a graduate student might say,

'Hello Ms. Smith, I'm JohnJay, a graduate student in clinical psychology. As part of my trainingI have to learn to give certain psychological tests, and I appreciate yourvolunteering your time in this way. Because this is a training exercise,there won't be any report of the results in your school/clinic/hospitalrecords. Before we start, are there any questions you have? If questions occur to you later you can call Dr. Jones at 977-7777.'

Because we believe in keepingthe various sources of clinical inferences as separate as possible, wedo not begin testing sessions with a clinical interview. Such interviewscan be very informative, but are best done by someone other than the testerwhenever possible.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ADMINISTRATION

Seating Arrangement

It is recommended that the examinerposition him or herself so that the subject's handling of the card canbe observed and so that the examiner may comfortably write down the subject'sresponses and note behaviors. The position we generally use is onein which the examiner and subject are approximately side by side, at anangle of approximately 45 degrees. We feel this allows the examinerto observe accurately while affording some privacy in recording.

Instructions

The purpose of the instructionsis to establish a consistent set in the minds of the subjects being tested. The basic points to be covered are that the patient will be shown ten non-representationalstimuli and asked to report all associations to them. The form weuse is approximately as follows:

'I'm going to show you tencards, each containing a picture of an inkblot. I'll give them to you oneat a time. I'll ask you to look at each card and tell me what it lookslike. Spend as much time as you like on each card but be sure to tell meeverything that occurs to you.'

If the subject fails to givean association and tries to return the first card in less than two minutes,the examiner is to say, 'Give yourself plenty of time. Most peoplesee several things on each card.'

If the subject gives onlyone response to the first card and spends less than two minutes searchingfor additional responses, the examiner is to say:

'Give yourself plenty oftime. Most people see more than one thing on each card.'

This urging procedure isto be repeated, if necessary, on the second card, but not subsequently.

Response to Questions

Requests by the subject forpermission to turn the card or to respond to only a part of the blot areacceded to as simply as possible. A 'yes' will usually suffice. Theprinciple of minimal intrusion by the tester holds true for most questionssubjects pose about administrative procedure.

Inquiry

The purpose of the inquiry isto obtain any necessary further information about the subject's responsesfor the purpose of scoring the record after associations have been obtainedto all ten cards. We choose to defer the inquiry until after thefree association phase is complete because to introduce it after the firstcard tends to make subjects more cautious.

It is usually best for thetester to minimize any defensiveness or anxiety the patient might feelby taking the responsibility on himself for needing additional informationand by carefully avoiding the implication that the patient's performancehas been inadequate or faulty. A second principle is to obtain anynecessary additional information with a minimum of biasing structure beingintroduced; avoid suggesting or encouraging the use of specific justifications. At the same time, do be sure to inquire about each element of the percept.

In general, we begin theinquiry as follows:

'Okay. Now that we're done,I'd like to go back over the cards with you to make sure I got your responsesstraight. Let's see. The first thing you saw on this card was _________________.'

The tester then looks upexpectantly, providing an opportunity for the patient to talk further aboutthe response. This opportunity will usually elicit sufficient additionalinformation. If the patient does not respond at all, the tester shouldsay, 'Tell me more about that.'

If sufficient informationstill is not elicited at this point, the tester should say, 'What aboutthe blot brought that to mind?'

If sufficient informationstill is not available, we conclude that it will be not forthcoming withoutthe introduction of biasing structure.

Be sure to inquire aboutevery salient aspect of the response, indicating in your notes in parentheseswhat you asked about. For example, Free Association: 'A scary bat';Inquiry: 'Why a bat?'...'Why scary?'

The tester should specificallyavoid asking the patient to trace the outline of the percept (biasing towardform), and asking about the importance of specific variables (e.g., 'Wasthe color important?').

Testing Children

Modifications in testing procedureare used in testing children five and six years old. Because thisage group usually has not been well socialized into structured task performanceand because social expectations are less clear, it is necessary to be moreexplicit in informing these subjects of what is desired from them duringthe Inquiry phase. Therefore, if sufficient scoring information isnot forthcoming following the standard inquiry procedure, the examinershould ask directly for location and should repeat instructions such 'But,what about this inkblot makes it seem like a bat? Exactly where didyou see the bat?' Very young children will often have difficultyjustifying their responses by objective criteria and may have only a vaguenotion of where the response is located. Further pushing is, therefore,not fruitful and runs the risk of suggesting 'correct answers.'

Materials for Noting Rorschach Responses

The final test protocol willconsist of three parts: the response sheets, the scoring sheet(s), andthe summary sheet(s).

Response Sheets

Use plain white 8-1/2' by 11'paper turned sideways with three columns marked off one each sheet. Thefirst column should be about 3/4' wide to record the card numbers and thelatency. Latency is the time that elapses between receiving the cardand the first response to that card. Count with seconds in your head; donot use a watch. The notations need not be exact.

The second column shouldbe about four inches wide to record the free-association. Record only threeor four responses per sheet, leaving space between them. Number eachresponse in succession. Be prepared with 10 or 12 sheets for each administration. For each response, note in which position the card was held when the responsewas given. Use 'carats' with the point of the carat in the same positionas the top of the card. For example, would indicate the card washeld in the normal position, would indicate it was held upside down, and< and > would indicate it was rotated a quarter turn. All cardturning should also be indicated. A circular arrow is usually used forthis purpose, e.g., .

The third column should alsobe about 4' wide to record the inquiry. Put each response directlyacross from the free-association response to which it corresponds,labeling it with the same number.

It is suggested that inkbe used in recording the free-association and inquiry. The responsesheets must be written so that others can read them. The subject'sname should be written on each sheet. It is helpful to train oneselfto write legibly during the administration so that one need not use timerecopying.

Scoring Sheets and Summary Sheets

A sample of each of these forms is included on page___. All scoring may be done in pencil. After the scores are completedon the scoring sheets, they are tallied and are then recorded on the summarysheet. Section (K) gives instructions for using the summary sheet.

Rorschach Interpretation Guide Pdf

PRECIS OF SCORING, CATEGORIES, SYMBOLS AND CRITERIA

Because of the complexity ofRorschach scoring, the precis below may be helpful:

The scoring system is dividedinto the following categories:

Location: Blot Area and Frequency (p. ___).

Cognitive Complexity: Perceptual Approach and Organization (p.___).

Justifications: Blot Attributes alluded to (p. ___).

Imaginal Aspects: Imaginary Attributes (p. ___).

Social Appropriateness: The degree to which the response is characteristicallyfound in grossly disturbed individuals (p. ___).

Conceptual Content: Type of Percept: animal, vegetable, mineral(p. ___).

Interpersonal Expectations: Complexity and Quality of ConsciousHuman-related Fantasies and Less Conscious General Expectations (p. ___).

Psychosexual Drive and Defense Effectiveness: Psychoanalytically-Derived(p. ___).

Perceptual-Cognitive Characteristic: Thinking Style not scoredelsewhere (p. ___).

These nine areas form theBurstein-Loucks Scoring System. These are the areas important to the assessmentof the psychological functioning of the subject. The various scores whichfall under each of these headings are simply elaborations of these concepts.An overview of all categories and scores is provided on pages _____.

PREFACE TO SCORING

The following section will present the criteria forall possible Rorschach scores, category by category and score by scorewithin each category. Whenever possible, criteria have been listed. In some cases all criteria must be met for a response to receive a score;in other cases, only one or two criteria must be met. When all criteriamust be met, the word 'ALL' is placed above the criteria list.

In giving sample responses,a number of common abbreviations are used: l.l. or ll = looks like; b.f.or bf = butterfly; a.e. or ae = anything else; ? or Q = question asked;I or Inq. = inquiry.

Scoring Exceptions

Scoring exceptions consist of those cases where thesubject gives a response, but it is not scored in the usual way. Exceptions are listed below.

1. Precision Alternatives are second responses to exactly thesame area, utilizing exactly the same justification, imaginal aspects,content, psychosexual drive, and motivational valuation with no interveningresponses and no card turning. These precision alternatives are designatedPA under the Perception-Cognitive Characteristics column of the previousresponse and not scored otherwise.

2. Responses which are elicited for the first time in the inquiry arecalled 'additional responses.' They are scored in brackets and notincluded in computing ratios and totals on the summary sheet.

3. Occasionally in the inquiry phase, a subject will be unable to rememberhaving given a response or where it was seen. This 'lost response'is not counted as a response but is scored LR in the Perceptual-CognitiveCharacteristics Category column of the previous response.

Rorschach Interpretation Guide Pdf

4. One exception consists of a free association process in which responsesare given by the subject but then later combined into a global, largerresponse. In this case, the larger, global response is scored rather thanthe separate scorings of separate response elements.

Rorschach Interpretation Guide Pdf

Scoring Examples: 'a tree,' 'a flower,' 'a waterfall,'a girl,' 'Oh, it's a forest scene with a native girl bathing.' Inthis case the overall synthesized response is the one scored.