Projections of Who You Are Inkblot Test In 1922, a Swiss psychoanalyst Hermann Rorschach developed a form interpretation test today better known as the inkblot test. Rorschach believed that by using a random inkblot a person’s psychological defenses were lowered as it is not easily identified and this allowed their interpretation to show hidden aspects of a persons psyche, he also believed that it could reveal certain types of behavioral dysfunction such as schizophrenia.
Method Rorschach made the inkblots by dropping some small ink dots onto a paper then folding it in half to create a symmetrical image. Rorschach believed that the images had to be slightly suggestive of objects and relatively simple in design. The initial test consisted of ten inkblots with five being black on white, two were black and red, and three were multicolored. To run the test a subject is handed a card and asked, “What might this be?” The subject is allowed to move the image around and take as much time as needed to answer. Rorschach
characterized the responses based on guidelines such as, was the figure seen as parts or a whole? Was the color or movement of the inkblot part of the subjects answer? What did the subject see?
Results To see the differences in certain groups Rorschach and his assistants gave the test to people of various psychological groups such as normal individuals, schizophrenic patients, and individuals with manic depression. Rorschach found that there were up to 30 different answers were given over the course of a subject looking at the ten inkblots. He found that depressed patients gave fewer answers, and the happier subjects gave more answers. The whole test usually ran between 20 to 30 minutes. Rorschach noticed that the normal subjects would usually respond to an image but the schizophrenic patients would regularly refuse to answer. Rorschach found that certain answers would reflect different parts of a person’s personality such as the continued use of white space showing someone was more rebellious or an answer
indicating humans in motion reflected imagination. The final piece that Rorschach discovered was that the most common category of responses were animals at between 25-50% of answers.
Discussion This test initially had the potential to interpret a person’s personality. It was mistakenly labeled as being able to identify mental disorders such as schizophrenia or a potential for depression. It has been argued that the test does not measure what Rorschach initially explained and its validity over showing someone’s personality is highly questioned. It is still commonly used by clinical psychologists not as a formal test but more of a chance for a psychologist to gain insight into what their patient is like. While not officially used the inkblot test is still relevant.