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The Dynamic Perception and The Symbolism

percepción dinámica y simbolismo en el test de Rorschach

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Agustin Costa Shaw
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24 views1 page

The Dynamic Perception and The Symbolism

percepción dinámica y simbolismo en el test de Rorschach

Uploaded by

Agustin Costa Shaw
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© © All Rights Reserved
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The D ynamic Perception and the Symbolism

of Form
With Special Reference to the Rorschach Test
Ernest Schachtel*

T HE process or visual perception • has been the subject or much attention and
study on the part or experimental psychologists. It has received much less, in
fact very scant, attention from psychiatrists, clinical psychologists a nd other students
of human behavior. It is probably due to this fact that perception is better known
and understood in !ts general properties than in its individual qualities, more as an
isolated function than as part of the total personality.• Most persons would be quite
astonished if told that their perception, what they see, wi ll be different from what
other persons see in the same thing. The average psychiatrist would, perhaps, think
or visual hallucinations, not. as a rule, or the possibility that visual perception Is
closely related to a nd embedded in the individual structure or personality and varies
individually in proportion with personality-differences, though we may not be aware
of this and have great di.fficulties to overcome in orde.r to become aware of it. Yet, if
we think or two painters painting the same landscape and if we assume that both are
technically able to express and convey adequately in U1eir painting what they per•
ceive, nevertheless, their paintings will be quite different. and this difference will be
the more remarkable and distinct, 1he more outspoken their personalities are, the less
hampered their seeing by conventional cliches which, in seeing as well as in thinking,
talking, behaving, tend to eliminate or cover up individuality. It is possible for an
appreciative person to see and tell something of the differences in personality of these
two painters from the difference in their paintings which ultimately means: from the
d ifferent ways in which they perceive things.•
• LL.D. Helffi!lbtrg 24.; Soc1i0~ InternatJonale de Recherchea Soclale!l 32-; Re!k!11rtJ1 Anoe. lrulUtut de
Re-ehtrche:s Soclaies Cenevn 34-35: JntenmU01m1 lntUtute Social Re.11cmn;:h Now \'ork ~3$; CoruuJuuu
Rorgch3Ch Test.$ Glueck Criminological J'te$e:1rch Harv~.rd Law School 39-. For bl.bUography, s,ce nercrericu
Llttl aectlon of thla S..ue.
• Tb.is pr00l'fi will 00 ttlc.rrcd to u.s "'peroopUon" tn thts paper.
1 Thero have bt'en some attempts, reoenlly, to demon.nr:n.e exJ)<l"rlmentalJ,y that ,,1sua1 perception Is
lnffuanced by O(H'1.atn 1oc.1.111 ractor:t. Th\13, SherU bu shown how the lnJluence of an a,1thorU.oth·o penon.
and the a\ut11orU.y of a maJorU;y or per&011$ , O\'Cr a atngle person atrects the pel"Oeptlon of th.18 pen;on-SherJf,
>ii, A. P., A Stud11 o/ Som.o Socf.al Poctora fn 1',:1•u1mo1t; New York, Archlv~• of Psychology, Monogrn1lh
No. 187, 1036 (60 pp.)-Ansbacher bas shown u,at u: veri.on's knowledge of monetary value affect• bJa
J~rttptlon or qu11nUty: more ,·:ilunble po11t..-ige 11.ltml)j u111>1:ure<I more numerous than they octw\lly were-.
AN;bachcr. H .. PtrcwUo,n. o/ Nvmt,,,,-., a.1 A/Jtcted bl/ the A.fo"eta"'II Valu• o/ the ObJect.t; New York,
ArcbJvNi of Pllycbologle, Monogr.tph No. 215, U)37 (88 pp.). There cmi ~ no doubt that human pereepLk>n
dlR'en profoundly In dltre.r ent h.1,-torlc:il epoch$. The pc~JJtlon of nature and Jandslcapc, ror l_1U11t.an~ Is
dependent on the total relationship between man ~md nature In a given M>Ciety at a definite srnge ot h.la:torkal
nnd cultural de\•Clo1,mcnt, The "IHthetlc" J>Crttl,R lon or mou.malnw UI n rcl11tl\'ely roo,ent dC\'-0101,ment In
Western clvllhaiUon. oft.C'n dated by the anecdote that Petr.1rch one da.)' dJ.isQo,•crcd the beauty of mounui1ns..
Nlctuche remarke<I onoo on the derlvntlon or some phUOdlophlcol conOOJ)l.t rrom perceptJons and or t.hcte
peroepuons from the need for security : "'The &t"mblru,c;c of the void <and ruU), of U1e t!Olld (a.nd loose), or
1he equal (and unequal). The absolute sp.aot, The tubetance. , . . . The oldett ph:rnUttm has been turned
Into motuphysics. Tbc human and animal standardt of ff('urlt;y are in this. Our oonoopta arc lntpl_red by
our needs."-Trans.latcd from Nictvich..-. Frederlek, Nnc.hoeLM,cn• lVerke (Vol. 141: Leipzig, 1904; A1.1h. oo.
• Wocltllln. J-htlnrlt'\h, 1-W-Cln.t hb bo<>k Prln.ofplct, u/ An llt&toru; Luw.tuu, o. Dell, U,g'l (XVJ on (! 237 Vt>,)
w1lh :in anecdote taken from the memoln; ot the 10th century Gennan painter L\ldw.i,c Rlcb.te.r. t... n. and
three other young ~Inter, set out one day, ln Th•oll. t0 p:1lnt the B4me lon<bcapc, wtlh the ftrm decision
not to deviate a ba.ir"a breadth trom what they aclu3.IJ;y AW before them. 8ut altho,igh e.&cb of them. with
good talent and abll.llY, had at.rle1Jy adhe~ to whl'lt his e)•es were seeing, rour quite dlffen!nt pictures
rttulte(I, b.$ dlff'erem, a.s th¢ per$0un.11Uea or the rour J~ h'lttrt..
I 79 J

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