Pictorially displayed metaphors as an assessment instrument

The accuracy of a novel assessment instrument compared with conjoint family interview derived diagnoses is reported. The assessment instrument consisted of seven illustrations containing disguised depictions of family organizational styles and two distractors. When forty-seven families were requested to select by agreement a favourite among the nine illustrations, twenty-seven chose a pattern concordant with a family therapist's formulation of the family's organizational style (χ²= 16.91, P <0.001). These findings support the feasibility of developing a similar instrument for use in clinical practice. Comments address the rationale of the instrument, the study, and possible implications of the findings.