{"id":1184,"date":"2023-03-31T17:37:29","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T17:37:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/chapter\/11-4-2-learn-it-projective-tests\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T14:00:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T14:00:44","slug":"11-4-2-learn-it-projective-tests","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/chapter\/11-4-2-learn-it-projective-tests\/","title":{"raw":"Measuring Personality: Learn It 2\u2014Projective Tests","rendered":"Measuring Personality: Learn It 2\u2014Projective Tests"},"content":{"raw":"<h2>Projective Tests<\/h2>\r\n<section class=\"textbox keyTakeaway\">\r\n<h3>projective testing<\/h3>\r\n<p><strong>Projective testing<\/strong> relies on one of the defense mechanisms proposed by Freud\u2014projection\u2014as a way to assess unconscious processes.<br \/>\r\n<br \/>\r\n<\/p>\r\n<p>Some examples of projective tests are the Rorschach Inkblot Test, the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), the Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank (RISB), the Contemporized-Themes Concerning Blacks test, and the TEMAS (Tell-Me-A-Story).<\/p>\r\n<\/section>\r\n<p class=\"p1\">During projective testing, a clinician presents ambiguous material and asks the person to:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\">interpret what they see,<\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\">tell a story about what is happening,<\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\">or complete a sentence quickly.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p class=\"p1\">Clinicians then look for patterns (themes, emotional tone, relationships, problem-solving, impulse control, anxiety, unusual thinking).<\/p>\r\n<p>Projective tests are less subject to intentional distortion; it is hard to fake \u201cgood\" because it is not obvious what a \"good\u201d answer is. Projective tests are more time-consuming for the evaluator than self-report inventories. If an evaluator scores the Rorschach using the Exner scoring system, the test is considered a valid and reliable measure. However, the validity of the other projective tests is questionable, and the results are often not usable for court cases (Goldstein).<\/p>\r\n<h3>Rorschach Inkblot Test<\/h3>\r\n<p class=\"p1\">The <span class=\"s1\"><b>Rorschach<\/b><\/span> was developed by Hermann Rorschach in 1921. People view symmetrical inkblots and answer a question like: <i>\u201cWhat might this be?\u201d<\/i> Clinicians consider both the content of the response and the way the person organizes what they see.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\">Today, the quality of the Rorschach depends heavily on using a <span class=\"s1\"><b>standardized scoring system<\/b><\/span>. Historically, the best-known system was Exner\u2019s Comprehensive System. More recently, the <span class=\"s1\"><b>Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS)<\/b><\/span> was developed as an evidence-based revision intended to improve standardization and norms.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\">When the Rorschach is used carefully with standardized procedures, it is treated as a \u201cperformance-based\u201d measure of perception and thinking style\u2014not a magical window into the unconscious.<\/p>\r\n<h3><strong>The Thematic Apperception Test\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p class=\"p1\">The <span class=\"s1\"><b>TAT<\/b><\/span> was developed in the 1930s by Henry Murray and Christiana Morgan. People look at ambiguous pictures and tell a story (usually 8\u201312 stories), including:<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\">what led up to the scene,<\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\">what the characters are thinking and feeling,<\/li>\r\n\t<li class=\"p1\">what happens next.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p class=\"p1\">The goal is to identify themes related to relationships, motivation, conflict, and identity.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"p1\">The TAT has been widely used, but research debates its reliability and validity\u2014especially when it\u2019s interpreted in unstructured ways. Some scholars argue that certain TAT-based approaches (especially focused, well-defined scoring for specific constructs) can show meaningful validity, while others emphasize the risks of overinterpretation.<\/p>\r\n\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_6963\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"487\"]<a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/855\/2015\/02\/04191535\/3f2858e865222e180bbdfa47e37fbaa5155c7344.jpeg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-6963\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/855\/2015\/02\/04191535\/3f2858e865222e180bbdfa47e37fbaa5155c7344.jpeg\" alt=\"Illustration of two people sitting on a bench. One winds thread around her hands; the other holds the loose end and the ball of thread.\" width=\"487\" height=\"354\" \/><\/a> <strong>Figure 1<\/strong>. This image from the Thematic Apperception Tests (TAT) can be used in counseling settings.[\/caption]\r\n\r\n<h3>The Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank<\/h3>\r\n<p>A third projective test is the <strong>Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank (RISB)<\/strong> developed by Julian Rotter in 1950 (recall his theory of locus of control, covered earlier in this chapter). There are three forms of this test for use with different age groups: the school form, the college form, and the adult form. The tests include 40 incomplete sentences that people are asked to complete as quickly as possible. The average time for completing the test is approximately 20 minutes, as responses are only 1\u20132 words in length. This test is similar to a word association test, and like other types of projective tests, it is presumed that responses will reveal desires, fears, and struggles. The RISB is used in screening college students for adjustment problems and in career counseling (Holaday, Smith, &amp; Sherry, 2010; Rotter &amp; Rafferty 1950).<\/p>\r\n<figure>\r\n[caption id=\"\" align=\"aligncenter\" width=\"649\"]<img src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/902\/2015\/02\/23225030\/CNX_Psych_11_09_ISB.jpg\" alt=\"Five incomplete sentences are stacked vertically with empty space to the right of each sentence in which to complete it. The sentence starters are : \u201c1. I feel,\u201d \u201c2. I regret,\u201d \u201c3. At home,\u201d \u201c4. My mother,\u201d and \u201c5. My greatest worry.\u201d\" width=\"649\" height=\"273\" data-media-type=\"image\/jpeg\" \/> <strong>Figure 2<\/strong>. These incomplete sentences resemble the types of questions on the RISB. How would you complete these sentences?[\/caption]\r\n<\/figure>\r\n<h2><b>Culture and projective testing<\/b><\/h2>\r\n<p class=\"p3\">Traditional projective tests were largely developed and normed within limited cultural contexts. When tests do not reflect a person\u2019s lived experiences, language use, or cultural norms, results can be misleading. That concern helped motivate the development of culturally responsive projective measures.<\/p>\r\n<h3><strong>Contemporized-Themes Concerning Blacks Test<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p>To address this need, Robert Williams developed the first culturally specific projective test designed to reflect the everyday life experiences of African Americans (Hoy-Watkins &amp; Jenkins-Moore, 2008). The updated version of the instrument is the <strong>Contemporized-Themes Concerning Blacks Test (C-TCB)<\/strong> (Williams, 1972). The C-TCB contains 20 color images that show scenes of African-American lifestyles. When the C-TCB was compared with the TAT for African Americans, it was found that use of the C-TCB led to increased story length, higher degrees of positive feelings, and stronger identification with the C-TCB (Hoy, 1997; Hoy-Watkins &amp; Jenkins-Moore, 2008).<\/p>\r\n<h3><strong>TEMAS Multicultural Thematic Apperception Test<\/strong><\/h3>\r\n<p>The <strong>TEMAS Multicultural Thematic Apperception Test<\/strong> is another tool designed to be culturally relevant to historically marginalized groups, especially Hispanic youths. TEMAS\u2014standing for \u201cTell Me a Story\u201d but also a play on the Spanish word <em data-effect=\"italics\">temas <\/em>(themes)\u2014uses images and storytelling cues that relate to their unique cultural experiences (Constantino, 1982).<\/p>\r\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\">[ohm2_question height=\"350\"]4394[\/ohm2_question]<\/section>","rendered":"<h2>Projective Tests<\/h2>\n<section class=\"textbox keyTakeaway\">\n<h3>projective testing<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Projective testing<\/strong> relies on one of the defense mechanisms proposed by Freud\u2014projection\u2014as a way to assess unconscious processes.<\/p>\n<p>Some examples of projective tests are the Rorschach Inkblot Test, the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), the Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank (RISB), the Contemporized-Themes Concerning Blacks test, and the TEMAS (Tell-Me-A-Story).<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"p1\">During projective testing, a clinician presents ambiguous material and asks the person to:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\">interpret what they see,<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">tell a story about what is happening,<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">or complete a sentence quickly.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\">Clinicians then look for patterns (themes, emotional tone, relationships, problem-solving, impulse control, anxiety, unusual thinking).<\/p>\n<p>Projective tests are less subject to intentional distortion; it is hard to fake \u201cgood&#8221; because it is not obvious what a &#8220;good\u201d answer is. Projective tests are more time-consuming for the evaluator than self-report inventories. If an evaluator scores the Rorschach using the Exner scoring system, the test is considered a valid and reliable measure. However, the validity of the other projective tests is questionable, and the results are often not usable for court cases (Goldstein).<\/p>\n<h3>Rorschach Inkblot Test<\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\">The <span class=\"s1\"><b>Rorschach<\/b><\/span> was developed by Hermann Rorschach in 1921. People view symmetrical inkblots and answer a question like: <i>\u201cWhat might this be?\u201d<\/i> Clinicians consider both the content of the response and the way the person organizes what they see.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Today, the quality of the Rorschach depends heavily on using a <span class=\"s1\"><b>standardized scoring system<\/b><\/span>. Historically, the best-known system was Exner\u2019s Comprehensive System. More recently, the <span class=\"s1\"><b>Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS)<\/b><\/span> was developed as an evidence-based revision intended to improve standardization and norms.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">When the Rorschach is used carefully with standardized procedures, it is treated as a \u201cperformance-based\u201d measure of perception and thinking style\u2014not a magical window into the unconscious.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>The Thematic Apperception Test\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p class=\"p1\">The <span class=\"s1\"><b>TAT<\/b><\/span> was developed in the 1930s by Henry Murray and Christiana Morgan. People look at ambiguous pictures and tell a story (usually 8\u201312 stories), including:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li class=\"p1\">what led up to the scene,<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">what the characters are thinking and feeling,<\/li>\n<li class=\"p1\">what happens next.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p1\">The goal is to identify themes related to relationships, motivation, conflict, and identity.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">The TAT has been widely used, but research debates its reliability and validity\u2014especially when it\u2019s interpreted in unstructured ways. Some scholars argue that certain TAT-based approaches (especially focused, well-defined scoring for specific constructs) can show meaningful validity, while others emphasize the risks of overinterpretation.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_6963\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-6963\" style=\"width: 487px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/855\/2015\/02\/04191535\/3f2858e865222e180bbdfa47e37fbaa5155c7344.jpeg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-6963\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/855\/2015\/02\/04191535\/3f2858e865222e180bbdfa47e37fbaa5155c7344.jpeg\" alt=\"Illustration of two people sitting on a bench. One winds thread around her hands; the other holds the loose end and the ball of thread.\" width=\"487\" height=\"354\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-6963\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Figure 1<\/strong>. This image from the Thematic Apperception Tests (TAT) can be used in counseling settings.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h3>The Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank<\/h3>\n<p>A third projective test is the <strong>Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank (RISB)<\/strong> developed by Julian Rotter in 1950 (recall his theory of locus of control, covered earlier in this chapter). There are three forms of this test for use with different age groups: the school form, the college form, and the adult form. The tests include 40 incomplete sentences that people are asked to complete as quickly as possible. The average time for completing the test is approximately 20 minutes, as responses are only 1\u20132 words in length. This test is similar to a word association test, and like other types of projective tests, it is presumed that responses will reveal desires, fears, and struggles. The RISB is used in screening college students for adjustment problems and in career counseling (Holaday, Smith, &amp; Sherry, 2010; Rotter &amp; Rafferty 1950).<\/p>\n<figure>\n<figure style=\"width: 649px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com\/courses-images-archive-read-only\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/902\/2015\/02\/23225030\/CNX_Psych_11_09_ISB.jpg\" alt=\"Five incomplete sentences are stacked vertically with empty space to the right of each sentence in which to complete it. The sentence starters are : \u201c1. I feel,\u201d \u201c2. I regret,\u201d \u201c3. At home,\u201d \u201c4. My mother,\u201d and \u201c5. My greatest worry.\u201d\" width=\"649\" height=\"273\" data-media-type=\"image\/jpeg\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><strong>Figure 2<\/strong>. These incomplete sentences resemble the types of questions on the RISB. How would you complete these sentences?<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n<h2><b>Culture and projective testing<\/b><\/h2>\n<p class=\"p3\">Traditional projective tests were largely developed and normed within limited cultural contexts. When tests do not reflect a person\u2019s lived experiences, language use, or cultural norms, results can be misleading. That concern helped motivate the development of culturally responsive projective measures.<\/p>\n<h3><strong>Contemporized-Themes Concerning Blacks Test<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>To address this need, Robert Williams developed the first culturally specific projective test designed to reflect the everyday life experiences of African Americans (Hoy-Watkins &amp; Jenkins-Moore, 2008). The updated version of the instrument is the <strong>Contemporized-Themes Concerning Blacks Test (C-TCB)<\/strong> (Williams, 1972). The C-TCB contains 20 color images that show scenes of African-American lifestyles. When the C-TCB was compared with the TAT for African Americans, it was found that use of the C-TCB led to increased story length, higher degrees of positive feelings, and stronger identification with the C-TCB (Hoy, 1997; Hoy-Watkins &amp; Jenkins-Moore, 2008).<\/p>\n<h3><strong>TEMAS Multicultural Thematic Apperception Test<\/strong><\/h3>\n<p>The <strong>TEMAS Multicultural Thematic Apperception Test<\/strong> is another tool designed to be culturally relevant to historically marginalized groups, especially Hispanic youths. TEMAS\u2014standing for \u201cTell Me a Story\u201d but also a play on the Spanish word <em data-effect=\"italics\">temas <\/em>(themes)\u2014uses images and storytelling cues that relate to their unique cultural experiences (Constantino, 1982).<\/p>\n<section class=\"textbox tryIt\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"ohm4394\" class=\"resizable\" src=\"https:\/\/ohm.one.lumenlearning.com\/multiembedq.php?id=4394&theme=lumen&iframe_resize_id=ohm4394&source=tnh&show_question_numbers\" width=\"100%\" height=\"350\"><\/iframe><\/section>\n","protected":false},"author":20,"menu_order":27,"template":"","meta":{"_candela_citation":"[{\"type\":\"cc\",\"description\":\"Personality Assessment\",\"author\":\"\",\"organization\":\"OpenStax\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/openstax.org\/books\/psychology-2e\/pages\/11-9-personality-assessment\",\"project\":\"\",\"license\":\"cc-by\",\"license_terms\":\"Access for free at https:\/\/openstax.org\/books\/psychology-2e\/pages\/1-introduction\"}]","pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":""},"chapter-type":[],"contributor":[],"license":[],"part":1158,"module-header":"learn_it","content_attributions":[{"type":"cc","description":"Personality Assessment","author":"","organization":"OpenStax","url":"https:\/\/openstax.org\/books\/psychology-2e\/pages\/11-9-personality-assessment","project":"","license":"cc-by","license_terms":"Access for free at https:\/\/openstax.org\/books\/psychology-2e\/pages\/1-introduction"}],"internal_book_links":[],"video_content":null,"cc_video_embed_content":{"cc_scripts":"","media_targets":[]},"try_it_collection":null,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1184"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/20"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1184\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7460,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1184\/revisions\/7460"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/1158"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/1184\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=1184"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=1184"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/content.one.lumenlearning.com\/introductiontopsychology\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=1184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}