The Research Use of Projective Techniques: A Seventeen Year Survey

The past 17 volumes (from 1947 to 1064) of the Journal of Projective Techniques and Personality Assessment were surveyed with regard to the degree of research usage of the various projective techniques. The most commonly used techniques in research have remained quite unchanged over the past 17 years, i.e., the Rorschach, the thematic tests, human figure drawings, and sentence completions. An analysis and comparison of the first five years covered by the survey with the last five years suggests that the Szondi, the Mosaic, Finger Painting Analysis, and the Make-A-Picture show relative decline in research usage; the Blacky, the Holtzman Inkblots, and the Hand Test appear to be increasing. The correlation between the degree of clinical usage reported by Sundberg (1961) and the degree of research usage found in this study was .60, suggesting a high relationship between the two measures. However, it was suggested that an increase or decline in the research usage of an instrument may precede a corresponding increase or decline in its clinical usage.     

Projective Techniques and Resistance to Change in Psychotherapy as Viewed Through a Communications Model

The intercorrelation matrix between the scales of the California Psychological Inventory, given in the manual, was factor analyzed. Three factors were extracted and rotated by varimax. The matrix was rescaled, first normalizing the rows, then standardizing the columns to a mean sum of squares of one. Unity was used as a cut-off point for determination of salient loadings. The first two factors were similar to the results reported in a previous Study by Nichols and Schnell. The third factor was interpreted as an independence-dependence dimension.     

The Scientific Status of Projective Techniques

Contents:
Introduction, p.27
Rorschach Inkblot Test, p.31
Thematic Apperception Test, p.39
Human Figure Drawing Methods, p.47
Meta-Analysis of Projective Techniques for Detecting Child Sexual Abuse, p.51
Conclusions Regarding Empirically Supported Projective Indexes, p.53
Recommendations for Research, Forensic and Clinical Practice, and Education and Training, p.55
References, p.59     

Projective Techniques in the Counseling Process

Projective techniques have a lengthy and vital history in personality assessment, but they have evoked a minimal degree of interest on the part of counselors. Psychometric limitations, lack of training opportunities, and the obscure qualities of the instruments have restricted their use among practitioners. The author proposes a method to stimulate the use of projectives as an integral part of the counseling process and provides justification for the expanded use of the technique as a counseling tool.     

Application of Projective Tests to Psychotherapy: A Case Study

Case study of a severely disturbed patient seen in psychotherapy in a university counseling center and tested at the beginning and after the termination of therapy. It is concluded that the projective tests proved useful in estimating the extent of pathology prior to therapy and in assessing the degree and direction of change following therapy. Discussion of this patient's projective responses with him during therapy was found to be beneficial, in accord with Richman's views on the reporting of test results to patients. It is suggested that clinical psychologists doing psychotherapy may similarly find projective tests of use to them.     

Direct Psychotherapy (Book)

Subjects were 24 male undergraduate students. False biofeedback was provided to give the impression of success or failure (helplessness) on a preliminary task. Authentic biofeedback was then provided for control of heart rate. Subjects were administered preand post-locus of control scales using Levenson's multidimensional scales. A significant relationship between locus of control and success or failure conditions added validity to Levenson's approach. Results and future research are discussed.     

Society for Projective Techniques,Inc

While in the Army, I read Freud and decided to become a psychologist. Opting to be close to my fiancée I entered graduate school at Indiana University. After a year in academia, I chose a clinical position that offered valuable experience. Then I returned to academia (University of Pittsburgh) in order to teach and do research full time. I have taught 2 generations of students and still teach. I am proud of former graduate students. My scholarly pursuits were typically not planned, but in hindsight there were paths taken as I wandered into areas of aggression, psychopathology, temperament, shyness, and several topics concerning the self.     

Symposium: Research In Projective Techniques

Psychotic and nonpsychotic psychiatric inpatients were tested on the Rorschach. "Reality-testing" was measured by four form-level scoring systems designed by Beck, Mayman, Becket, and Wilensky, The psychotic subjects were dichotomized on three diagnostic dimensions: schizophrenia, paranoia, and premorbid social adjustment. No significant differences were found for the Beck system. With the other systems, psychotics showed significantly poorer reality testing than nonpsychotics. No differenced were found for the schizophrenic and paranoid dimensions. The Phillips premorbid adjustment score was negatively correlated with all four measures of "reality-testing." The conclusion drawn was that Rorschach measures of "reality-testing" are associated with psychotic and poor premorbid functioning, but do not differentiate schizophrenic from nonschizophrenic psychotics or paranoid schizophrenics from nonparanoid schizophrenics.     

Projective Techniques and the Development of Personality

Two studies were conducted to clarify the relationship between locus of control and depression. In the first study, 157 students rated the mood level of Rotter's I-E items. As predicted, the external responses were rated as significantly, more depressive in tone than the internal responses. This result suggested that the frequently found relationship between depression and external locus of control might be artifactual, resulting from the mood level rather than the content of the external responses, In the second study, 108 students completed the Beck Depression Inventory and the I-E; as predicted, the scales were significantly positively correlated. However, also as predicted, the correlation was no longer significant once the mood level was partialed out from the I-E items.