Practical 1

By- Anushtha Acharya

Prof.- Dr. Nikita Gaur

Projective Test
Thematic Apperception Test

Aim
To understand and explore the participant’s underlying personality dynamics, motivations,
and emotions driven by their subconscious by administering the Thematic Apperception Test.

Introduction

What are Projective Techniques?

Association for Qualitative Research (AQR, 2016) defines projective techniques as: "A
wide range of tasks ... designed to facilitate, extend or enhance the nature of the discussion ...
being loosely based on approaches originally taken in a psychotherapeutic setting. These rely on
the idea that someone will 'project' their own (perhaps unacceptable or shameful) feelings or
beliefs onto an imaginary other person or situation."
Freud's discovery of psychoanalysis became the basis of all projective methods, and
realization of the importance of studying the relationship between the therapist and the subject
ultimately led to the development of the Projective Techniques, which is a device for studying
the inner life of an individual through their behavioral manifestation. The projection of inner
perceptions to the outside is a primitive mechanism which, for instance, also influences our
sense-perceptions, so that it normally has the greatest share, in shaping our outer world.

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

Theoretical Rationale of TAT

 The TAT definition refers to a psychological personality test that focuses on the
subconscious dynamics of a person's personality. The TAT personality test is characterized by a
series of picture cards that a subject must tell a story about. Compared to other types of
personality tests, the TAT utilizes open-ended questions to reveal aspects of a person's
personality.
The Thematic Apperception Test is a projective psychological test developed during the
1930s by Henry A. Murray and Christiana D. Morgan at Harvard University. This test asserts
that the participant’s responses, in the narration they make about ambiguous pictures, reveal their
underlying motives, emotions, desires and feelings.

The Modified TAT: The Indian Adaptation

In the present adaptation, the special features of the Indian social situations and the
environmental needs which do not have counterparts in the original TAT were required to be
supplemented. New cards were introduced to meet the requirements of Indian cultural milieu,
keeping new drawings as close as possible to the original. A parallel situation was noticed in
case of the Abhor tribe in the North Eastern Frontiers of India, among whom the role of authority
in a group situation was found to be far more important than a single oedipus situation.

Theoretical Principles

Norms
The norms include the sample and the average scores of a representative sample of the test
takers. The sample was a group of 260 individuals. 14 cards were applied to the upper and the
lower sections of the Hindu community and to the Muslims. There were 95 upper caste Hindus.
Whereas, there were 57 lower caste Hindus. As for the Muslim community there were 108
Muslim test takers.

Reliability
Reliability refers to how consistent a test is in producing scores over time. A reliable test
will produce similar scores when given to the same group of people. There isn’t much that can be
said about the reliability since this test is highly subjective and lacks standard grading scales.
Validity
Validity refers to how well a test measures what it intends to measure. Taken as a whole,
the responses were formed to reveal quite satisfactorily the inner drives and repressed wishes of
the individuals as well as fear and anxiety which were moulding their behavior pattern and press
elements.

Procedure
Precautions
When administering a projective test, it's crucial to obtain informed consent, ensuring
participants understand the test's purpose and agree to participate voluntarily. The testing
environment should be private and free of distractions, while the administrator must be properly
trained to ensure accurate interpretation.
Ethical guidelines, including confidentiality, should be strictly followed, and results should
be shared only with authorized individuals. The test should not be over-interpreted and should be
used alongside other assessments. Cultural sensitivity is important, as responses may vary based
on cultural context, and leading questions should be avoided to prevent bias. Lastly, seeking
supervision or peer review ensures proper use and interpretation of the test.

Verbatim Instructions
The participant was made to sit on a chair facing the administrator and were given the
following instructions while presenting the cards: “What led up to the event shown in the
picture?”; “What is happening in each picture?”; “Who are the persons in the picture, their
relationship, what are they thinking and feeling?”; “What would be the outcome/end?”.

Testing Material Required

Thematic Apperception Test Booklet and Cards, Stopwatch, Stationery (Pen, Pencil,
Paper).

Participant Demographics
Name: XYZ
 Age: 23
Parental Information: The mother (43F) and father (52M) are married, with the father as
the sole financial earner.
Sibling/s: The participant has a younger brother (13M)
Marital Status: The participant is not married.

Rapport Formation
Initially, the participant seemed slightly nervous. However, when they were prompted with
some open-ended questions about their day, they visibly relaxed. They were also informed about
the confidentiality through anonymity of their test results as well as about their complete
voluntary participation being a requirement. Moreover, they were also made aware that they
could leave whenever they felt like they wanted to.

Result

Thema

Card No. Need Press

7ADD Autonomy, Rejection, Independence, Anger

8 Sentience, Dejection, Counteraction, Ambition

4MB Aggression, Rejection

T(3) Autonomy, Aggression, Abasement

T(5) Aggression, Anger, Dominance, Guilt

Blank Card -
 Reaction Time

Card No. Time (seconds)

7ADD 422s

8 247s

4MB 357s

T(3) 342s

T(5) 450s

Blank Card 328s

Scoring
The conclusion for TAT is drawn based on the Inquiry regarding the compliance of the
participant with the four instructions mentioned earlier in the “verbatim instructions”. In addition
to this the inquiry is also made about the plot; the identification and empathy; about ambiguities;
omissions made; about peculiarities such as pauses and hesitations are also to be scrutinized as
well as the perceptual distortions, story interruptions, the best and least liked pictures and finally
about the emphasis on time.
The second method of scoring is Analysis of Form, wherein, the interpretations are made
based on the plot (whether it is structured or unstructured and if it is real, bizarre or appropriate).
Moreover, this analysis is done on the organization, the fantasies and/or imagination, the
language used and the observation of details.
The next method of further interpretation is the Analysis of Content which involves the
aspect of hero identification, its types and level. Furthermore, it includes the type of content as
well. Lastly, the Thema and Interpersonal Relations deals with the interplay between needs and
press. It can further represent the situation that led to the operation of particular needs as well as
the outcome of operation of these needs.

Interpretation
 The participant was in absolute compliance with all the four aspects of the instructions
provided. The plot of the stories for each card presented was negative without any exceptions.
However, some parts of the plot did have neutral undertones (2 cards). The plots were structured,
with the stories leaning towards bizarre. Moreover, the stories were fantastical as well as
extremely imaginative in several responses. The language used is metaphorical as well as
expressive. The participant has shown keen observation to details shown in the picture, such as,
the clothing, the nuanced expressions of the characters etc.
There were hints of identification and empathy with the characters shown. There were
some omissions in the responses provided. In addition to this they also presented some hesitation
at times whilst constructing the plot. The participant also shared that they felt the “blank card” to
be calming, and a positive conclusion to the test as well.
The participant took an average of 6 minutes to complete each card response. They were
also visibly invested and anxious during the test. Several behavioral cues also suggested that they
were agitated during certain aspects of the plot construction.
The hero identification was negative in almost all the cards except one card wherein it was
neutral in nature. In almost all the storylines the hero is either found to be in a tumultuous and
hostile situation or they were in an intricate life/death contemplation.

Discussion
The primary objective of this study was to understand the participant’s underlying
personality dynamics, motivations, and emotions driven by their subconscious. The analysis and
the interpretation help us conclude that the participant has constructed consistently negative
themed reponses, which were structured, expressive and imaginative, with bizarre and hostile
storylines. This further suggests the presence of turmoil and despair, and conclusively high levels
of anxiety and depression. The responses are furthermore highly fantastical with extremely
imaginative and ingenious imagery, suggesting a high cognitive flexibility as well.
Most of the plot themes revolve around familial disputes and interpersonal conflicts with
the primary caregivers/parental figures. Underlying tones of these conflicts are majorly violent
and hostile indicating some contention and friction in the participant’s interpersonal and close
relationships. There is also a mention of codependency on the parental figures and the desire for
autonomy as well as individuality from the same.
 During the presentation of the blank card the participant seemed to be relatively their most
stable and calm self. They were visibly contemplative and invested in writing about the blank
card as well.

Conclusion

Although Thematic Apperception Test is a revolutionary test, it has certain shortcomings

as well. For instance, the absence of a standard grading scale keeps it from being an absolute and
empirical assessment of the motives and desires of an individual. Furthermore, the result and
interpretation is extremely susceptible to the observer’s/researcher’s bias.
Moreover, for fair test results, there needs to be an adequate administration of several
preemptive tests focusing on highlighting the cultural, gender and contextual differences between
participants and its effect on their perception of visually ambiguous stimuli as well. But that
being said Thematic Apperception Test does provide us valuable insight into the unconscious
desires as well as needs of an individual

References
Ashworth, P. D., Giorgi, A. P., & De Koning, A. J. J. (1986). Qualitative research in psychology :
proceedings of the International Association for Qualitative Research in Social Science.
http://ci.nii.ac.jp/ncid/BA0053657X

Hasin, D. S., Sarvet, A. L., Meyers, J. L., Saha, T. D., Ruan, W. J., Stohl, M., & Grant, B. F.
(2018). Epidemiology of adult DSM-5 Major depressive Disorder and its specifiers in the
United States. JAMA Psychiatry, 75(4), 336.
https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.4602

Kirkpatrick, C., Anderson, G. L., & Anderson, H. H. (1952). An introduction to projective

techniques. Marriage and Family Living, 14(2), 188. https://doi.org/10.2307/346637
 Lilienfeld, S. O., Wood, J. M., & Garb, H. N. (2000). The scientific status of projective
techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 1(2), 27–66.
https://doi.org/10.1111/1529-1006.002

Mesías, F. J., & Escribano, M. (2018). Projective techniques. In Elsevier eBooks (pp. 79–102).
https://doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-08-102089-0.00004-2
Morgan, C., & Murray, H. (1936). Thematic Apperception Test [Dataset]. In PsycTESTS
Dataset. https://doi.org/10.1037/t02717-000

Pisani, S., Murphy, J., Conway, J., Millgate, E., Catmur, C., & Bird, G. (2021). The relationship
between alexithymia and theory of mind: A systematic review. Neuroscience &
Biobehavioral Reviews, 131, 497–524. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2021.09.036