Suicide and the Rorschach: A Rueful Postscript

A review of the Rorschach suicide literature written 10 years ago called for cross validation studies and the use of refined methodology in order to enhance the usefulness of the test as a device for the identification, prediction, and understanding of suicidal ideation and behavior. The present followup review was undertaken and it was concluded that careful and refined research methodology can somewhat enhance sensitivity of the Rorschach to suicidal activity. It was also concluded the replicative research has not supported previously promising Rorschach suicide indicators, suggesting that the Rorschach may be an inappropriate technique for assessing suicidal activity.     

What a person thinks upon learning he has chosen differently from others: Nice evidence for the persuasive-arguments explanation of choice shifts

Small shifts in choice occur even without discussion, when individuals merely know each other's preference. This appears to support an interpersonal comparison explanation of group induced shifts in choice and to refute explanations based on persuasive argumentation. The present study demonstrates the contrary, that such effects are consistent with the persuasive-arguments formulation and are obtained under particular conditions specified only by the latter theory, to wit: Knowledge of other's choices is assumed to lead a person to think of reasons (arguments) others might have had for their choices-reasons which ordinarily would not come to mind without this knowledge. Such reasoning functions in the same way as persuasive argumentation during group discussion; it causes the person to persuade himself that an alternative course of action now has greater merit than the one he initially preferred. To test this analysis, an experiment was performed in which subjects responded to choice-dilemma items under three different conditions: Following their own choice (I) they learned what several others had chosen and then wrote arguments in support of alternatives given in that same item; (II) they learned what several others had chosen and then wrote arguments in support of alternatives given in a different item; and (III) they received no information about others' choices but merely wrote arguments on that item. As predicted, shifts in choice occurred only if the person knew what others chose and had an opportunity to think about the latter (condition I); they did not occur if an opportunity to think of others' choices was denied (condition II), nor if knowledge of others' choices was withheld (condition III). Content analysis of the arguments subjects produced in conditions I and II completely supported the hypothesis, as did analyses of responses to postexperimental questionnaire which directly asked the subjects about their feelings and thoughts upon learning what others had chosen.     

Topsy--living and dying: a footnote to history

This paper explores the significance of Marie Bonaparte's book, Topsy: The Story of a Golden Haired Chow. The manifest importance of Topsy has been attached to the fact that the Freuds translated it out of gratitude to Bonaparte and because of their love for dogs. Another level of significance emerges when the book is placed in historical context. Topsy elucidates the relationships between Marie Bonaparte, Sigmund Freud, and Anna Freud. It reflects Bonaparte's feelings about Freud's illness and is part of an ongoing dialogue with him. The persistent misplaced emphasis on the "dog story" has obscured the more profound issues. The author suggests that the conflicting needs to appreciate transience and to avoid mourning may account for both the importance of the book and for its obscurity.     

Physicians at the bedside: Practitioners' thoughts and actions regarding bedside allocation of resources

In the past, the study of the allocation of scarce medical resources centered around high-technology forms of health care such as the artificial heart, haemodialysis, et cetera. A major controversy considered in this study concerns the use of non-biomedical criteria (i.e., whether the social worth or financial status of a particular patient should dictate preferential medical treatment over another patient in times of shortage) in the allocation decision-making process. This article suggests that the study of allocation need not only focus on the dramatic realm of the high-tech, but should also concern itself with less dramatic everyday situations. Decisions concerning treatment based upon social worth and financial status are made almost daily by most practitioners; a thorough awareness of this phenomenon is prerequisite to the proper practice of medicine. Interviews with physicians disclose that most of these everyday allocation decisions are made tacitly, with non-biomedical criteria playing a role even in decisions that appear to have been prompted only by benign (even-guided) intentions.     

The architect as person: a Rorschach image

Analysis of the Rorschachs of 40 eminent male architects collected in 1959 revealed a highly consistent personality profile. The picture that emerges is of a person who appears to be ambitious, highly sensitive, intellectually and emotionally energetic, and reasonably well adjusted socially. His thinking is well oriented in reality. He prefers large scale conceptualizing to mundane 'concerns. There is evidence of conflict, tension, and a concern with emotional control. Feminine and exhibitionistic interests are exceptionally high and sources of inspiration appear to reside in unresolved sexual conflicts. The attitude toward the world is positive. The eminent male American architect at the turn of the Sixties believed in his own ability to create a truly superior environment. His conscious concerns were with creation rather than with self-confrontation.