Dear frankieaandbob-ga;
Thank you for allowing me an opportunity to answer your interesting question.
The Rorschach (pronounced 'roar-shock') inkblot test is not really ?a
test? in the conventional sense at all but a METHOD of psychological
evaluation. Contrary to what you (and many other people) might think,
the Rorschach test isn?t used exclusively and independently to
determine one?s mental health, but to give the examiner ?some? insight
into how and what the patient?s mind is occupied with and what
abnormal idiosyncrasies the patient might exhibit during the procedure
that are known indicators of a greater underlying problem.
The process only resembles ?a test? in that the patient is ?asked?
questions about what he sees. His ?answers?, of which there are no
?right? or ?wrong? choices (but there are some responses that are
considered normal and abnormal), can, in some psychologists? opinion,
give rise to the thought processes of the person being examined. This
is known as a ?projective test? (again, not a conventional test at
all) designed to let a person respond to ambiguous stimuli, presumably
revealing hidden emotions and internal conflicts. Unlike an ?objective
test?, where results such as percentile scores, standard scores, and
norms are compared the scores of a larger control group, a projective
test is absent this control and is subject to a great deal of
individual interpretation.
??the response is then analyzed in various ways, noting not only what
the patient said, but the time taken to respond, what aspect of the
drawing was focused on, and how the response compared to other
responses for the same drawing. If someone consistently sees the
images as threatening and frightening, the psychiatrist may infer that
he or she may suffer from paranoia.?
PROJECTIVE TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Projective_test
According to those who have faith in this type of examination, the
verbal responses are not nearly the only thing elicited, noted and
considered valuable revealing data by the examiner. Body language,
voice inflection, emotional fluctuation and physical reaction are also
of interest in making the final interpretation of the test.
Many psychologists say they no longer hold these Freudian principles
as reliable and view the tests as outdated, unscientific and fraught
with potential error and misinterpretation. Some of the results are
disputable for blatantly obvious reasons such as the idea that a
patient who turns the cards or views them from odd angles is
indicative of brain damage, or that certain images which project
undeniably sexual images which might prompt a patient to mention a
relative is indicate of incest, abuse or unhealthy obsessions with
one?s family members. These are the types of things that make some of
today?s psychologists view the examination as utter quackery ? an
unresolved debate that is ongoing still in the profession. Ironically
other psychologists, though they may not consider the tests
scientifically revealing, still use the tests to some degree because
their patients have come to expect them from what they know of
psychologists from the media and word-of-mouth.
Below you will find that I have carefully defined my search strategy
for you in the event that you need to search for more information. By
following the same type of searches that I did you may be able to
enhance the research I have provided even further. I hope you find
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the answer. Otherwise, I welcome your rating and your final comments
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you for bringing your question to us.
Best regards;
Tutuzdad ? Google Answers Researcher
INFORMATION SOURCES
RORSCHACH INKBLOT TEST
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorschach_inkblot_test
RECOMMENDED READING
Rorschach's test : scoring and interpretation
By: Alvin G Burstein; Sandra Loucks
Type: English : Book : Non-fiction
Publisher: New York : Hemisphere Pub. Corp., ©1989.
ISBN: 0891167714 : 0891167803
http://www.worldcatlibraries.org/wcpa/ow/0af904a7c3fc5591a19afeb4da09e526.html
SEARCH STRATEGY
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SEARCH TERMS USED:
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INKBLOT
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