Instrument Review
Introduction
Hermann Rorschach first introduced the general public to his self-named test in his monograph Psychodiagnostik in 1921 (Exner, 2003). It was the rage of the 40s and 50s, at least as far as anything in psychology can be ‘the rage’, but began losing popularity as the field of counseling and clinical psychology changed. Some of this is no doubt due to the nature of the introduction of the test: Rorschach died at only 37 of “appendicitis complicated by peritonitis” (Rorschach, Lemkau, Kronenberg, 1921 [1942 English translation], pg. 9), not seven months after his first published work concerning his Inkblot test. Therefore, all that the field had of Rorschach’s work was the 183 pages of Psychodiagnostik, and his
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al, 1941, pg. 15). Although there is some evidence that Rorschach was not the first to utilize inkblots in his field, it is unlikely that he actually drew inspiration from these unsuccessful attempts (Exner, 2003). Perhaps, instead, he drew inspiration from a popular Swiss childhood game called Blotto, or instead from his father, who was an artist and taught Rorschach how to paint and draw (a passion with which he apparently was possessed of great skill)(Exner, 2003). Regardless of the origin of this idea, Rorschach notes several specifications that the inkblots must adhere to, which he developed through empirical testing (Rorschach, et. al., 1942). The forms should be symmetrical and random, but also suggestive, and the client should hold them; they may turn the cards and keep them at their preferred distance from the eyes, but the clinician should take care that the cards are always seen close up, as too large a distance skews the answers (Rorschach, et. al., 1942). The clinician must avoid any and all suggestion and let the client take their time, all the while attempting to get at least one answer per card - which must be written down verbatim (Rorschach, et. al., 1942). The examiner should seat himself or herself next to, never in front of, the client, and explain the procedure (Exner, 2003). Exner provides a series of instruction as to how …show more content…
Assessment and diagnosis is a complicated field for which highly technical and sophisticated tools are available – the writer would much rather use a test that could better assure me of its validity. Perhaps, if Hermann Rorschach had lived to carry his experiments to fruition, his Inkblot system would be at a completely different level than it is today; however, with its complicated developmental history and the debate over its validity, it is apparent to this writer that other forms of assessment will prove far more
The final test that I administer is called the Faux-Rorschach test. This test is constructed of three inkblot pictures and it intends to analyze a person’s emotional functioning. As I handed Steven each inkblot picture I asked him, “What may this be? His response for the first inkblot picture was, “This is two aliens doing the Nae Nae and they are both having babies at the same time while doing the Nae Nae.” I added, “What is the Nae Nae?” and he responded, “The NaeNae is a dance.” I then asked him to show me where he saw that. This was a really interesting response because it seem like Steven incorporated movement that doesn’t really exist. This is a sign of creativity because I was able to see his perspective after he pointed the picture out to me.When I handed him the next inkblot his response was, “This is an alien jumping towards me because he wants to attack me. I then asked him if he could show me where he saw that. He pointed at the picture and said, “These are his legs and his pulling his feet up because he is jumping towards me and the arms are out because he wants to grab me and take me down. And these are his foot prints from when he jumped.” I noticed Steven seemed to have a theme and that was unrealistic creatures. This makes me believe that he may be misunderstood and feels attacked by others. His final response to the last inkblot picture was, Steve: “These are two devils that are
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The Situational Stress domain evaluates whether or not an individuals’ responses on the Rorschach are caused by situational factors. Ms. M’s results suggested that
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Adlerian, rational emotive behavior, and reality therapy assessments that can help guide the therapist in meeting the client’s needs. In Adlerian, therapy assessments are done through building a relationship with the client while making observations. Therapist can use several forms of assessments that include informal assessment, projective techniques, lifestyle questionnaires, standardized or detailed interview to collect information in regards to lifestyle through protocols and questionnaires about family dynamics and constellations, early recollections, dreams, basic mistakes, and assets. These are used to develop an insight into the client and their actions. According to Dreikurs interpretations, are made in regards to goals and
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The clinical and statistical approaches have both proven to be successful methods in clinical psychology. Each approach has its pros and cons depending on the type of situation that is being dealt with. Clinical judgment can be a complex process because it requires a patient’s data which are composed of samples, observations, signs of underlying states and the clinician’s responses. According to Sundberg, Tyler and Taplin (1973) clinical interpretation may consist of 3 different levels: Level 1 deals with clinicians being familiar with certain experiences, and therefore, making a prediction based off of that. An example of this would be the SAT or GRE assessments. Level 2 is comprised of clinicians carefully observing a patient’s behaviors and coming up with a conclusion based off of the behavior characteristics that the patient displays. In level 3, based off of the individual’s determinants in a specific situation, the clinician seeks a consistent understanding. For example, blood responses on the Rorschach test can be a determinant of hidden aggression, which would then lead to future impulsive outbursts or losing control of oneself (Sundverg, Tyler and Taplin 1973). Although both the clinical and statistical approaches have proven to be beneficial, I believe that clinical psychologists should not rely more on statistical predictions and prepackaged treatments than clinical judgment and individual patients.
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Jhon B Watson, a behaviorist, conducted an experiment inspired by the Russian psychologist Ivan Pavlov to determinate the classical condition in humans. Little Albert experiment was conducted in a 9 month old baby whom a rat is showed to see his r...
The development of personality has long been an area of extreme interest to psychologists and psychoanalysts alike and many different theories of personality have developed over the years. From Sigmund Freud to B.F. Skinner, everyone seems to have not only an opinion of what personality is and how it develops but also an idea as to what is the best way to measure and report their findings. In order to test their theories, it was necessary to formulate methods of research that were effective, ethical and would provide a solid foundation for future personality research.Although both the clinical and experimental methods of personality research have lent themselves to our present day understanding of the human psyche and personality, each has done so in vastly different ways. Freud and his colleagues, who pioneered the clinical research method, chose to observe their clients in an up close and personal fashion.
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