The Meaning of Rorschach Inkblots,Responses and Determinants as Perceived by Children

Fifteen semantic-differential scales were applied to the Rorschach inkblots, to nine common Rorschach responses representing various Rorschach determinants, and to two determinants not embodied in responses. Ss consisted of third, sixth, and ninth grade public school children separated by sex within each group. Children significantly differentiated the inkblots on the semantic scales, with older children differentiating the blots more sharply. Girls differentiated the blots at an earlier age than did boys. Individual cards differed widely in regard to their strongest connotations. Children significantly differentiated the majority of responses and determinants on the semantic scales for all age groups. The connotations of the cards, responses and determinants tended to be consistent with commonly held Rorschach interpretations. In general, the findings for children were consistent with the results previously reported for adults. The connotations of chromatic inkblots were found to differ significantly from those of achromatic blots for the third and ninth grades, but not for sixth grade children. Statistically significant clusters of meaning for three age groups of children were found to exist, based on the presence of movement determinants and on a combination of movement, shading and chromatic color. Only for the sixth and ninth grade girls did the semantic scales have a single hierarchy of importance for ordering or differentiating both inkblots and responses of determinants. A communality of connotative meaning between inkblots on the one hand, and responses and determinants commonly associated with the blots on the other, is found only for ninth grade children. Low intergroup agreement was found across grades in mean scale ranking for the inkblots, but high agreement in mean scale ranking of responses and determinants.     

Rorschach Administration: A Comparison of the Effect of Two Instructions

Ratings of affect words are the most commonly used method to assess pleasant affect (PA) and unpleasant affect (UA). The reliance on self-reports would be problematic if affect ratings were heavily influenced by response styles. Several recent publications have indeed suggested (a) that the influence of response styles on affect ratings is pervasive, (b) that this influence can be controlled by variations of the response format using multitrait-multimethod models, and (c) the discriminant validity of PA and UA is spurious. In this article, we examined the evidence for these claims. We demonstrate that (a) response styles have a negligible effect on affect ratings, (b) multiple response formats produce the same results as a single response format, and (c) the discriminant validity of PA and UA is not a method artifact. Rather, evidence against discriminant validity is due to the use of inappropriate response formats that respondents interpreted as bipolar scales.     

A Preliminary Analysis of the Rorschach Records of Fifty Prison Inmates

An attempt was made to test the hypothesis that the Egocentricity Index (Exner, 1974), a ratio which incorporates pair and reflection responses, is related to self-esteem. Sixty criminal defendants referred for psychiatric evaluation were routinely administered the Rorschach. After all other testing was Completed the subjects were asked to complete the Coopersmith Self-esteem Inventory. Results found no significant relationships between the Egocentricity Index and self-esteem as measured by the Coopersmith. It was recommended that the Egocentricity Index not be used as a measure of self-esteem, until research evidence to support its use in this manner is provided.     

A Comparison of Rorschach Records of Three Multiple Personalities

Inter- and intra-protocol comparisons among the Rorschachs of three authenticated cases of multiple personality were presented. The original or primary personalities seemed reasonably complex but, as successive personalities emerged, a definite tendency toward simplification was noted. A theoretical explanation for this phenomenon was advanced.     

A Comparison of Clinical Manifestations of Hostility with Rorschach and MAPS Test Performances

Abstract

De Martino, Manfred F., (Ed.) Dreams and personality dynamics. Springfield, III.: Charles C. Thomas. 1959, pp. 377, $10.00. Reviewed by Sohan Lal Sharma

Ledwith, Nettie H. A Rorschach Study of Child Development. Pittsburgh, Pa: Univ. of Pittsburgh Press 1960 pp. lx-336. Reviewed by Mortimer M. Meyer

Nel, B. F., and Pelser, A. J. K. The South African Picture Analysis Test (SAPAT). Amsterdam: Swets &; Zeitlinger, 1960; pp. 74. Paper bound. Price with plates ca. $6.50. Reviewed by Wilson H. Guertin

Orr, Miriam Le Test De Rorschach et L'Imago Maternelle. (The Rorschach and maternal imago.) Paris: Groupement Francais du Rorschach, 1958, pp. 104, paper bound, 500 fr. Reviewed by Mary Engel

Zulliger, H. The Behn-Rorschach Test. Hans Huber, Bern: 1956, 200 pp. Reviewed by Murray Levine     

A Comparison of the Original and Revised Stanford-Binet Scales

Empirical evidence has abundantly demonstrated that people report an intermediate level of tension for triadic interpersonal relations of the classical Heiderian P-O-X type, when the P/O link is negative. Low tension is found in balanced triads and high tension in imbalanced ones when the P/O bond is positive. This paper postulates that the opposing forces of balance and of agreement found in all four P-O-X triads in which the P/O bond is negative, in addition to Newcomb's lack of engagement hypothesis, may also account for the intermediate level of tension found in practically all experiments in this area. Subjects were grouped as Hi and Lo Conformists according to the C Scale of the Comrey Personality Scales, and later asked to rate hypothetical triads with a negative P/O bond. The results confirmed the hypotheses that Hi Conformists, who supposedly value agreement with others more than Lo Conformists (or are less bothered by disagreement than the latter), report significantly less tension and less willingness to change P-O-X triads with agreement than those with disagreement, when such triads have a negative P/O bond.     

The Susceptibility of the Rorschach to Malingering: A Critical Review

Empirical studies of malingering on the Rorschach are reviewed. Results from these studies are to this point inconsistent and inconclusive. Although several indices are related to malingering in individual studies, no specific malingering pattern has been found that replicates across studies. A methodological problem specific to this literature is discussed and future research designs are recommended.     

The Rorschach and Intelligence: A Note of Caution

Abstract

(Goldstein, K. Human Nature. Cambridge: Harvard Univ. Press, 1940. Pp. 258.): Reviewed By Peter Hampton     

A Comparison of the Occurrence of Oral and Anal Content on the Rorschach

The Rorschachs of 102 male psychiatric patients were scored by the Holt system for manifestations of anal and oral psychosexual content. The frequency of occurrence of the two types of content was contrasted. Oral content occurred nearly twice as frequently as that of anal content (t test significant at less than .001 level). There was some suggestion that this difference decreases when the content expressed is of a very primitive nature.     

Usefulness of Structural Rorschach Data in Identifying Inpatients With Depressive Symptoms: A Preliminary Study

To explore the usefulness of various structural Rorschach data in identifying psychiatric inpatients with symptoms of depression, 54 adult inpatients were administered a Rorschach. Results indicated that the Comprehensive System, Rorschach Depression Index did not identify many of these individuals as depressed, but did identify most of the extratensive depressed individuals. Each variable included in the Depression Index and other potential, Rorschach correlations of depression were also investigated. Most of them were found to occur more often among these depressed patients than among nonpatients. Furthermore, adding other variables and using more liberal cutoffs may result in more accurate identification of patients with depressive symptoms.     

The Ethical Ideologies of Psychologists and Physicians: A Preliminary Comparison

The ethical ideologies of psychologists (who provide health services) and physicians were compared using the Ethics Position Questionnaire. The findings reveal that psychologists tend to be less relativistic than physicians. Further, we explored the degree to which physicians and psychologists report being influenced by a variety of factors (e.g., family views) in their ethical decision making. Psychologists were more influenced by their code of ethics and less influenced by family views, religious background, and peer attitudes than were physicians. We argue that these differences reflect the varied professional cultures in which practitioners are trained and socialized.