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Rorschach Inkblot Test

Cognitive Psychology (Bangalore University)

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The Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS; Meyer, Viglione, Mihura, Erard, &
Erdberg, 2011) is a system for administering, scoring, and interpreting the Rorschach
Inkblot Test that has been under development for several years and is now being used in
active clinical and forensic practice across the United States and throughout the world. R-
PAS was developed with a view toward focusing on those variables that have the best
empirical support and psychological transparency (see Foster & Cone, 1995; McGrath, 2008;
Viglione & Rivera, 2003). It provides highly detailed administration and coding rules to
ensure that the data obtained are reliable and utilizes accurate and up-todate worldwide
reference norms and form quality ratings. A unique feature of R-PAS is an administration
approach that optimizes the number of responses to fall within a meaningfully interpretable
range. To further improve interpretation, the system uses contemporary psychometric
methods for computing scores and displaying results, taking into account the respondent’s
level of engagement and the complexity of the responses offered in interpretation. Finally, the
developers of this system are committed to maintaining an ongoing research program to
further evolve and refine the system based on the most current findings. The plan of the
present article is to offer a brief introduction to the use of the Rorschach in evaluations in
psychological injury cases, review the advantages and disadvantages of using the Rorschach
Comprehensive System in forensic cases describe some of the advantages of using the
Rorschach Performance Assessment System in such cases, and then to devote the balance of
the article to questions of the admissibility of Rorschach-based testimony, particularly with
R-PAS. Advantages of Using the Rorschach in Psychological Injury Evaluations The use of
the Rorschach in forensic practice generally and in psychological injury evaluations in
particular has a number of important advantages (see Gacono & Evans, 2008). It is
particularly strong in its ability to serve as a standardized, in vivo method for systematically
evaluating litigants’ capacity to perceive themselves and the events that they experience in
realistic, conventional ways, how well they are able to solve challenging problems and cope
with stressful situations and adversity, how effectively they are able to process and think
clearly about their experience, how they “size up” interpersonal situations and
characteristically understand themselves and their relationships with other people, and what
are their pressing concerns and preoccupations. Of particular importance in a litigation
context is the fact that the Rorschach offers an alternative to self-report methods. Interviews
(e.g., the Structured Clinical Interview for DSMIV-TR Axis I Disorders: First, Spitzer,
Gibbon, & Williams 2002), symptom inventories (e.g., the Beck Depression Inventory-II:
Beck, Steer, Ball, & Ranieri, 1996 and the Post-Traumatic Diagnostic Scale: Foa, Cashman,
Jaycox, & Perry 1997), quality of life inventories (e.g., the Quality of Life Inventory: Frisch,
1994), and broad-band self-report personality measures (e.g., the Minnesota Multiphasic
Personality Inventory-2: Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 2001, the
Personality Assessment Inventory: Morey, 1991, and the Millon Clinical Multiaxial
InventoryIII: Millon, 2009) all rely to some degree on a litigant’s selfawareness and
capacity for reflection, openness and candor, and capacity for linking behaviors and
experiences with verbal formulations. Plaintiffs in psychological injury cases are naturally
concerned that evaluators appreciate the full extent of their suffering and disability, on which
their prospective damage awards will primarily be based. Moreover, the litigation context
itself makes their suffering and symptoms more salient to them, because this distress is the
constant subject of pleadings and depositions. Even for those plaintiffs who do their best to
be scrupulously honest in their self-presentations in this legal context, it is difficult to avoid

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overemphasizing one’s emotional distress and underplaying one’s own personal faults.
Further, all self-report methods will be somewhat redundant with each other as a result of
shared mono-method variance (Meyer, 1999; Meyer, Riethmiller, Brooks, Benoit, & Handler,
2000). Because the Rorschach is a free-response method that asks participants to describe
what they see in inkblots rather than what they see in themselves, it does not depend on
litigant’s self-observations or verbal selfunderstanding and does not share method variance
with selfreport tests. It is a direct means of observing how people behave regardless of how
they describe themselves. It is thus more likely that Rorschach results will offer a relatively
independent means of confirming or disconfirming self-report findings and thus provide
incremental validity (Weiner, 1999). It is also far from obvious to most participants how to
present themselves to good or poor advantage in the way they interpret inkblots. Thus, for
example, when people who describe themselves as seriously cognitively disturbed or
emotionally distressed as a result of their injuries, but appear to be quite normal on the
Rorschach, if not paragons of mental health, one has a strong basis for questioning their
selfpresentations. Conversely, individuals who are defensively self-serving on self-report
measures may show unexpected psychopathology on the Rorschach (Ganellen, 1994, 2008;
Ganellen, Wasyliw, Haywood, & Grossman, 1996; Grossman, Wasyliw, Benn, & Gyoerkoe,
2002). In addition, as a free-response method, the Rorschach lends itself to particularly
idiographically rich and multi-faceted personality descriptions in a way that is often difficult
to achieve using the fixed items of a self-report instrument— somewhat analogous to the
advantages of an essay exam over a multiple choice test in an academic setting. Still another
advantage of using the Rorschach in litigation is that it serves primarily as a measure of
implicit (rather than explicit or self-attributed) traits, motives, and tendencies (Bornstein,
2002; McClelland, Koestner, & Weinberger, 1989; Shedler, Mayman, & Manis, 1993).
Implicit motives are useful in predicting how someone may function outside the spotlight of
conventional expectations or when in intimate or unstructured social interactions (Bornstein
2002; Finn, 2011; McGrath, 2008). As Hilsenroth & Stricker (2004) have commented:
Because the Rorschach does provide idiographic information about the implicit qualities of
an individual, such information is most responsibly utilized within an interpretive matrix
containing information about explicit attitudes and overt behavior. It is by using the
Rorschach in concert with methods evaluating conscious aspects of personality and observed
behavior that a more complex and differentiated psychological assessment may be
completed. (p

theoretical framework:
1. Psychoanalytic Foundations:
• Unconscious Mind: Like many projective tests, the Rorschach is built on the
assumption that individuals have unconscious thoughts and feelings that
influence their behavior. The inkblots are designed to tap into these
unconscious processes, allowing for the expression of hidden aspects of the
person's psyche.
• Projection: The Rorschach relies on the concept of projection, where
individuals project their own unconscious thoughts and emotions onto the
ambiguous stimuli. Responses to the inkblots are believed to reveal aspects of

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the individual's personality, conflicts, and perceptions that may be otherwise

difficult to access.
2. Freudian Influences:
• Free Association: The Rorschach incorporates elements of Freudian free
association. Test-takers are encouraged to freely associate and describe what
comes to mind when presented with each inkblot. This is believed to allow the
unconscious mind to reveal itself through spontaneous responses.
• Symbolism: Freudian symbolism is another key aspect. The test assumes that
certain symbols or images in the inkblots may trigger personal associations
that are symbolic of deeper psychological content.
3. Object Relations Theory:
• Relationships with Symbols: Object relations theory is often applied to the
Rorschach, suggesting that the ways individuals perceive and relate to the
inkblots may reflect their interpersonal relationships and object relations. The
test may provide insights into the individual's capacity for forming and
maintaining relationships.
4. Cognitive-Perceptual Processes:
• Perception and Cognition: Beyond psychodynamic perspectives, modern
interpretations of the Rorschach also consider cognitive-perceptual processes.
The test is seen as tapping into an individual's perceptual and cognitive style,
exploring how they organize and make sense of ambiguous stimuli.
5. Personality Dynamics:
• Ego Functioning: The Rorschach is used to assess various aspects of ego
functioning, such as reality testing, cognitive control, and affect regulation.
The way a person responds to the inkblots is thought to reflect their cognitive
and emotional coping strategies.

1. Thematic Apperception Test (TAT):

• Author & Year: Henry A. Murray and Christiana D. Morgan (1935)
• Description: The TAT involves presenting individuals with ambiguous
pictures and asking them to create stories based on those images. It aims to
reveal underlying thoughts, emotions, and motivations through the narrative
content.
2. Sentence Completion Tests:
• Author & Year: Various versions by different authors.
• Description: Sentence completion tests provide respondents with sentence
stems, and they are asked to complete the sentences. The responses are

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analyzed to gain insights into personality dynamics, motivations, and

interpersonal relationships.
3. Rotter Incomplete Sentences Blank (RISB):
• Author & Year: Julian B. Rotter (1950)
• Description: The RISB presents individuals with incomplete sentences, and
they are asked to complete them. The responses are analyzed to assess
personality traits, motives, and potential conflicts.
4. Picture Frustration Study (PFS):
• Author & Year: Saul Rosenzweig (1951)
• Description: The PFS involves presenting individuals with pictures depicting
frustrating situations. Respondents are then asked to create stories about these
situations, revealing their coping strategies and emotional responses to
frustration.
5. Draw-A-Person Test (DAP):
• Author & Year: Florence Goodenough (1926)
• Description: In the DAP, individuals are asked to draw a person, and the
drawings are analyzed to assess various aspects of personality, cognitive
development, and emotional well-being.
6. House-Tree-Person (HTP) Test:
• Author & Year: John N. Buck (1948)
• Description: The HTP test involves asking individuals to draw a house, a tree,
and a person. The drawings are then analyzed to provide insights into the
person's personality, emotions, and interpersonal relationships.
7. Children's Apperception Test (CAT):
• Author & Year: Leopold Bellak and Sonya Sorel Bellak (1949)
• Description: The CAT is designed for use with children and involves
presenting them with a series of pictures depicting various social and
interpersonal situations. Children are then asked to tell stories about the
characters in the pictures.
8. Affect Adjective Check List (AACL):
• Author & Year: Albert Mehrabian (1967)
• Description: The AACL is a self-report measure that assesses emotional
experiences and expression. Respondents rate the extent to which various
adjectives describe their current emotional state.

1. Psychological Assessment:

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• Clinical Diagnosis: The Rorschach is frequently used in clinical psychology

to assist in the diagnosis and treatment planning for various mental health
conditions. It provides insights into the individual's thought processes,
emotions, and interpersonal functioning.
• Personality Assessment: Clinicians use the Rorschach to assess personality
characteristics, coping mechanisms, and overall personality structure. It can
help identify underlying conflicts and areas of psychological distress.
2. Psychotherapy and Counseling:
• Treatment Planning: Therapists may use the Rorschach to better understand
a client's internal world, cognitive processes, and emotional experiences. The
information gained from the test can inform treatment planning and
interventions.
• Exploration of Unconscious Processes: The Rorschach is considered a
projective test, and therapists often use it to explore unconscious processes,
such as defense mechanisms, that may impact an individual's mental health.
3. Forensic Assessments:
• Legal Contexts: The Rorschach can be utilized in forensic assessments to
provide information about a person's psychological functioning in legal cases.
It may be used in assessments related to competence, criminal responsibility,
or child custody.
4. Personality Research:
• Study of Personality Traits: Researchers may use the Rorschach in studies
exploring personality traits, dynamics, and the relationship between
personality and various life outcomes. It can be a valuable tool in
understanding individual differences.
5. Child and Adolescent Assessments:
• Developmental Evaluation: The Rorschach is adapted for use with children
and adolescents to assess their cognitive and emotional development. It helps
in understanding their perceptions, emotions, and interpersonal dynamics.
6. Organizational Psychology:
• Personnel Selection: In organizational settings, the Rorschach has been used
in personnel selection to gain insights into an individual's suitability for certain
roles based on their personality characteristics.
7. Research on Perception and Cognition:
• Cognitive-Perceptual Processes: Researchers may use the Rorschach to
study cognitive and perceptual processes. It provides a unique way to explore
how individuals organize and interpret ambiguous stimuli.
8. Educational Settings:

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• Learning and Behavioral Assessments: The Rorschach may be used in

educational settings to gain insights into a student's emotional and cognitive
functioning. It can help in understanding factors that may affect learning and
behavior.

Rol
Wongvorachan, T. (2023). Review of Rorschach Ink-Blot Test: Performance Assessment
System (R-PAS®). Preprint. https://doi.org/10.31234/osf.io/jts4z
This review provides an examination of the Rorschach Ink-Blot Test, specifically focusing on
the Performance Assessment System (R-PAS®). Authored by Tarid Wongvorachan, a
graduate student in the Educational Psychology Department at Washington State University,
the review outlines the historical evolution of the Rorschach test, from its inception by
Hermann Rorschach in 1921 to the latest protocol, R-PAS®.
The Rorschach is described as a performance-based personality test that assesses
psychological characteristics such as motivation, affectivity, interpersonal inclination, and
potential psychosis based on individuals' responses to 10 symmetrical ink-blots stimuli. Its
application is widespread in the field of Psychology and Psychiatry, utilized by practitioners,
especially within the Society for Personality Assessment (SPA), and catering to individuals
above 5 years old. The decisions drawn from the test scores extend beyond understanding
psychological features, serving purposes such as clinical diagnosis, forensic evaluations, and
trauma assessments.
Despite facing criticisms, the Rorschach remains one of the most widely used psychological
tests in clinical practice. The latest protocol, R-PAS®, is introduced as the focus of this
review. The necessary test materials and administration protocol are detailed, highlighting the
R-Optimized Administration, which includes Response Phase (RP) and Clarification Phase
(CP). The review emphasizes the test's qualification level (C), requiring users to possess a
high level of expertise in test interpretation, such as a doctorate degree in psychology or
education, or a practice license.
Scoring or coding in the Rorschach involves translating information obtained from both RP
and CP into codes, with examples provided, and subsequently scoring through manual forms
or online platforms via the R-PAS website. Interpretation relies on deviations from the norm,
with international norms collected (Average age 37.3, SD=13.4, 55.3% Female). R-PAS
converts raw scores into standard scores, with the mean of 100 and SD of 15, indicating the
degree of deviation from the norm in various psychological features.
The review concludes by acknowledging the enduring significance of the Rorschach Ink-Blot
Test in psychological assessments, particularly with the advancements introduced by R-
PAS®.

Mondal, A., & Kumar, M. (2020). Rorschach Inkblot Test: An Overview on Current Status.
International Journal of Indian Psychology, 8(4), 75. DOI: 10.25215/0804.075

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Abstract: The Rorschach Inkblot Test, while simultaneously cherished and criticized in the
realm of psychological assessment, remains a tool of great esteem for accessing intrapsychic
material. Despite debates regarding its scientific validity, the test is widely utilized for
unearthing deep-rooted emotional conflicts. This paper provides an overview of the current
status of the Rorschach Inkblot Test, acknowledging its extensive use in various clinical
settings. Despite limitations and drawbacks, the test continues to demonstrate considerable
potential for contributing to the field of psychology in the future. This review aims to shed
light on the enduring significance of the Rorschach Inkblot Test in contemporary
psychological assessments.

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