RORSCHACH INKBLOTS

 The Rorschach is a projective test consisting of a set of ten bilaterally symmetrical

inkblots in which subjects are requested to tell the examiner what the inkblots remind
them of.
 The objective of the technique is to assess a client’s structure of personality with
particular emphasis on understanding the unconscious manner in which he responds to
and organizes his or her environment. The central assumption of the Rorschach is that
stimuli for the environment are organized by the person’s needs, motives, conflicts and
certain perceptual sets.

History And Development

 Developed in 1921 by Herman Rorschach, a Swiss Psychoanalyst .
 Rorschach died at age 37 shortly after the 1921 publication of his major work,
Psychodiagnostik.
 The main approach used by Rorschach and the other early developers was to note the
characteristics of responses of different types of population .
 Norms were developed to help differentiate between various clinical and normal
populations.
 Early norms were developed for mental retardates, artists, and other specific groups.
After Rorschach’s death, strands of the Rorschach techniques were adopted by persons
with different backgrounds.
 By 1957, Five Rorschach systems were in use. These systems were developed by
Piotrowski, Hertz, Rapaport, Beck and Klopfer. The most popular approaches were that
of Beck and Klopfer.
 Beck closely adhered to Rorschach’s format of scoring and coding, whereas, Klopfer
emphasized the symbolical and experiential nature of a respondent’s Rorschach
contents.
 To settle the confusion brought about by the five Rorschach systems as to
administration, scoring, and interpretation, Exner (1974) published The Rorschach: A
comprehensive System , a book currently used by practitioners as a guide in
administering, scoring and interpreting the Rorschach Inkblots. A second edition of the
book was published in 1986.
Reliability and Validity

 The psychometric adequacy of the Rorschach has been the subject of debates among early
psychologists and has created one of the greatest controversies in the history of psychology.

 In an effort to establish validity, early studies were conducted to find out it could differentiate
people of different groups. However, many of the studies were poorly conducted. The studies
had no protection from experimental bias, poor validation criteria and inadequate statistical
models.
  In 1983, Parker conducted a meta-analysis of data concerning the Rorschach and concluded
that the reliabilities can be expected to in the low to mid.80s.

 Interrater reliability yielded a coefficient of .85 (Exner, 1974; 1986).

 Test-retest reliabilities ( non-patient group) produced coefficients ranging from
.26 to .91 (Exner, 1986)..
 The Rorschach yielded lower reliabilities with children as respondents.

ADMINISTRATION
A. PREPARATION
1. Examination Atmosphere
- examinee must feel at ease and must be made to understand that certain tasks are
required of him/her
2. Seating Arrangement and Equipment
- examiner must sit beside/next to the examinee
- materials needed are the following:
- cards
- location chart
- paper for recording responses, pencil or pen
- watch with a second hand
3. Initial Instructions to the Examinee
 Introduce the cards by saying “ People see all sorts of things in this inkblot; now
tell me what you see; what might this be?

Questions/Clarifications that might be asked by the Examinee

a. If turning the card is allowed
Examiner's Response: “That is entirely up to you”
b. if there are right or wrong answers
Examiner's Response: Reassure the examinee that there are no right or wrong
answers
c. If how many answers to give
Examiner's Response: “That is entirely up to you”. However, if the examinee gives
only one response to a card, the examiner may say” Some people may see more
than one thing in the card - - - if you do, just tell me”.
d. Purpose of the Rorschach
Examiner's Response: Say “ The cards were selected from a thousand of trial
blots – and that you are only interested on his/her personal way of handling the
task.
Avoid Saying: Look at the card as long as you like; be sure to tell me everything
that you can see in the card; what else?
B. THE EXAMINATION PERIOD
There are 4 phases of the examination period:
1. The Performance Proper
a. Presentation of the Cards – Cards should be placed on top of the examination table,
face down, in the proper sequence. Card 1 on top, followed by 2, 3, and so on.
- each card must be presented to the examinee in upright position.
- Examinee may hold the card when it is given to him and may continue holding the
card until he is finished with it.
b. Items to record
Responses- Record responses word for word. You may develop a personal
shorthand system
- number with Arabic numbers the responses given to each card
' Reaction Time- time between presentation of the card and the subject's first
response to it.
Total Response Time – Length of time taken to complete the performance proper.
Position of the Card - The position in which the card is held by the subject when he
gives the response must be noted.
2. The Inquiry – this phases is carried out simultaneously with the performance proper.
This phase provides the subject an opportunity to elaborate his responses- how he or
she arrived at the responses.
- Responses given during the inquiry (how the concept was seen) is
essential for accurate scoring.
- The inquiry provides the subject a chance to supplement and complete
his responses given in the performance proper.
a. Conducting the Inquiry
Two things to consider:
1. The subject must not think that his/her responses are being challenged.
2. The subject must not be aware of the information that examiner is
trying to elicit.
b. Inquiry for Location
Examiner: Where in the card did you see the...? or … Show me the …
Note : The subject may use his/her finger or end of the pencil to outline the
area on the blot where the concept was seen
c. Inquiry for Determinants
c.1. Form- major point to clarify in the case of the concept with a definite form
is
quality.
Example : Card 1 – the subject said that he saw a bat using the entire blot.
Inquiry : “ Can you describe the bat”.
c.2.Movement - If any figure, human or animal, or any mechanical object ( e.g.
spinning top) is seen, movement may be implied, even though not explicitly
indicated.
 Example : Card 3 – subject said that he/she saw men with legs .
Inquiry: How did you see the men? Or How did you see the legs?
c.3. Color – use of color must be clearly indicated in the concept seen if it is to
be scored. Responses such as flowers, landscapes, fire, and blood given to
brightly colored areas of the blots are usually scored for color without further
inquiry unless there is string indication to the contrary or if the examiner wants
to make certain.
Example : Card 10 – subject said he/she saw a pretty flower
Inquiry: You said that this is a pretty flower; what made you think it looked
pretty?
c.4. Shading - the use of shading must be clearly indicated if shading is to be
scored as a determinant. Shading is often merely implied in the response and
not directly expressed hence it requires careful and subtle inquiry.

SCORING
Scoring Categories
 Responses of the subjects to the Rorschach are scored according to three general
categories:
1. Location – the area of the inkblot on which they focused;
2. Determinant- the specific properties of the blot they used in making their
response ( color, shape, etc..);
3. Content- general class of objects to which the response belongs ( human,
architecture, Anatomy, etc…)

I. Location

Symbol Definition Criterion

W Whole Response Where the entire blot is used in the response

D Common detail response A frequently identified area of the blot
Dd Unusual detail Response An infrequently identified area of the blot
S Space Response A white space area in the response ( scored only with
another location symbol, as in WS, DS, DdS
 II. Determinant

Category Symbol Criteria

Form F Form answers. To be used separately for responses

based exclusively on form features of the blot, or in
combination with other determinate symbols (except
M & m) when the form features have contributed to
the formulation of the answer.

Movement M Human movement response. To be used for responses

involving the kinesthetic activity of a human, or of an
animal of fictional character in human-like activity.

Animal movement response. To be used for

FM responses involving a kinesthetic activity of an animal.
The movement perceived must be congruent to the
species identified in the content. Animals reported in
movement not common to their species should be
coded as M.

Inanimate movement response. To be used for

M responses involving the movement of inanimate,
inorganic, or insensate objects.

Chromatic Color C Pure color response. To be used for answers based

exclusively on the chromatic color features of the
blot. No form is involved.

Color-form response. To be used for answers that are

CF formulated primarily because of the chromatic color
features of the blot. Form features are used, but are
of secondary importance.

FC Form-color response. To be used for answers that is

created mainly because of form features. Chromatic
color is also used but is of secondary importance.
 Cn Color naming response. To be used when the colors of
the blot or blot areas are identified by name, and with
the intention of giving a response.

Achromatic Color C’ Pure achromatic color response. To be used when the

response is based exclusively on the gray, black, or
white features of the blot, when they are clearly used
as color. No form is involved.

C’F Achromatic color-form response. To be used for

responses that are formulated mainly because of the
black, white or gray features clearly used as colors.
Form features are used, but are of secondary
importance.
FC’
Form-achromatic color response. To be used for
answers that is based mainly on the form features.
The achromatic features used clearly as color are also
included, but are of secondary importance.

Shading Texture T Pure texture response. To be used for answers in

which the shading components of the blot are
translated to represent tactual phenomenon with no
consideration to the form feature.

TF Texture-form response. To be used for responses in

which the shading features of the blot are interpreted
tactual, and form used secondarily, for purposes of
elaboration and/or clarification.

Form-texture response. To be used for responses that

FT
is based mainly on the form features. Shading
features of the blot are translated as tactual, but are
of secondary importance.
Shading Dimension V Pure vista response. To be used for answers in which
the shading features are interpreted as depth or
dimensionality. No form is involved.

Vista-form response. To be used for responses in

VF which the shading features are interpreted depth or
dimensionality. Form features are included, but are of
secondary importance.

FV Form-vista response. To be used for answers that is

based mainly on the form features of the blot.
Shading features are also interpreted to note depth
and/or dimensionality, but are of secondary
importance to the formulation of the answer.

Shading Diffuse Y Pure shading response. To be used for responses that

are based exclusively on the light-dark features of the
blot that are completely formless and do not involve
reference to either texture dimension.

YF Shading-form response. To be used for responses that

are primarily on the light-dark features of the blot.
Form features are included, but are of secondary
importance.

Form-shading response. To be used for responses that

FY
is mainly on the form features of the blot. The light-
dark features of the blot are included as elaboration
and/or clarification are secondary to the use of form.

Symbols and Criteria to be used in Scoring for Content

Category Symbol Criterion

Whole animal (A) Involving or implying the percept of a whole animal

(fictional/mythological) form of a fictional or mythological basis, that is,
unicorn, flying red horse, black beauty, Jonathan
Livingston Seagull, and a magic frog.
Animal Detail Ad Involving or implying the percept of an incomplete
animal form, that is the hoof of the horse, the claw of
a lobster, the head of a fish, the head of a rabbit.

Animal Detail (Ad) Involving or implying the percept of an incomplete

(fictional/mythological) animal form of a fictional or mythological basis, that
is, the wing of the bird of prey, Peter Rabbit’s head,
the head of Pooh Bear, the head of Bambi, and the
wings of Pegasus.

Abstraction Ab Involving the percept which is clearly an abstract

concept, that is, fear, depression, elation, anger,
abstract art, or any form of symbolism.

Alphabet Al Involving percepts of Arabic numerals, such as, 2, 4,

and 7, or the letters of the alphabet, such as, A, M,
and X.

Anatomy An Involving the percept of anatomy (internal organs) of

either human or animal content, that is, a heart,
lungs, stomach, a bleached skull of a cow, a brain of a
dog, and the insides of a person’s stomach.

Art Art Involving percepts of paintings, plus other art objects,

that is, a family crest, the seal of the president, and a
sculpture of a bird.

Anthropology Ay Involving percepts which have a specific cultural

relationship, that is, a totem pole, a helmet like those
used by Romans, a Viking ship, or Lindberg’s airplane.

Blood Bl Involving the percept of blood, either human or

animal.

Botany Bt Involving the percept of any plant life, that is, flowers,
trees, bushes, and seaweed.

Clothing Cg Involving the percept of any clothing ordinarily

associated with the human, that is, hat, boots, jacket,
trousers and tie.

Clouds Cl Involving the percept of clouds. Variations of this

category, such as frog, mist and so on, should be
scored as Na.
Explosion Ex Involving percepts of an actual explosion, occurring
most commonly to Card IX, as an atomic explosion or
blast. The determinate for inanimate movement (m)
should always accompany this concept. Percepts of an
explosion “aftermath” such as. “A blast has just
occurred and things are lying all over the place”,
should be coded for other content, or written out in
complete form.

Fire Fi Involving percepts of actual fire, smoke, burning

candles, flame given off by a torch, and such. This
percepts will ordinarily invoke the determinate
scoring of m to denote the inanimate movement of
the “fire” association.

Food Fd Involving the percept of any edible, such as ice cream,

fried shrimp, chicken legs, a piece of steak, etc. the
intent or meaning of the association must be clearly
associated with “everyday” consumer produce, as in
the instance of lettuce, cabbage, carrots, fried foods,
etc., or must be presented in such a manner as to
suggest that the object perceived is identified as a
food substance, that is, “looks like a chicken like we
used to have for Sunday dinner.

Geography Ge Involving percepts of any map, specified or

unspecified, that is, a map of Sicity, or a map of an
island, peninsula and a continent. The percepts of Ge
do not include the actual percept of definite or
indefinite land masses which are “real” rather than
representations. These types of percepts are scored
as Ls (landscape) or written out in rare cases.

Household Hh Involving percepts of interior household items, that is,

chairs, beds, bedposts, plates, silver ware and rugs.

Landscape Ls Involving percepts of landscape or seascapes, neither

of which would be scored as Bt or Ge. A tree or a bush
might legitimately be scored as Bt, whereas “trees” or
“a bunch of shrubs” are more ordinarily scored Ls.
This category includes some underwater scenes
where specific animals are not identified or in some
instances as a secondary score as in Card X where a
 few specific animals may be cited but the bulk of the
percept if left vague.

Nature Na Involving percepts of a wider natural scope than are

included in Bt, Ge, or Ls, usually including sky, snow,
water, racing sea, a storm night, ice, rainbow, sun, etc.

Science Sc Involving percepts that are ordinarily associated with

science or science fiction such as bacteria, germs,
science fiction monsters,, ray guns, rockets, rocket
ships, space ships, etc. in some instances the symbol
Sc will be used as the primary content but in other
responses, especially those involving science fiction
objects, the symbol (A) or (H) may be assigned as
primary and Sc secondary.

Sex Sx Involving percepts of sex organs or activities related

to sex function, that is intercourse, penis erect,
menstruation, vagina, testes, and breasts.

X-ray Xr Involving percepts of x-ray, most of which pertain to

bone structure, that is, the x-ray of a pelvis, the x-ray
of some bones, but may also involve x-ray of organs
like structures, that is, an x-ray of the stomach, and an
x-ray of the intestines. Shading is always involved in
these percepts.

Vocational (Vo) Involving percepts which may be interpreted as

(supplementary) related to the occupation of the subject. This scoring
is never used as the primary or main content score
but may be included as secondary or additional so as
to alert the interpreter of a vocational or occupational
percept.
 Popular responses selected for the comprehensive system based on the frequency of occurrence of at
least one in every three protocols given by non patient adult subjects and nonschizophrenic adult
patients.

Card Location Criterion %+ %+

I W Bat. The response always involves the whole blot 48 38

I W Butterfly. The response always involves the whole blot 40 36

II D1 Animal forms, usually the heads of dogs, bears, elephants, 34 35

or lambs; however the frequency of the whole animal to this
area is sufficient to warrant the scoring of P.

III D1 or D9 The human figures, or representation thereof, such as dolls 89 70

and caricatures. The scoring of P is also applicable to the
percent of a single human figure to area D9.

IV W or D7 A human or human-like figure such as giant monster, science 53 41

fiction creature, etc.

V W Butterfly, the apex of the card upright or inverted. The whole 46 43

blot must be used.

V W Bat, the apex of the card upright or inverted, and involving 36 38

the whole blot.

VI W or D1 Animal skin, hide, rug, or pelt. 87 35

VII D1 or D9 Human head or face, specifically identified as female, child, 59 47

Indian, or with gender not identified. If D1 is used the upper
segment (D5) is usually identified as hair, feather, etc. if the
response includes D2 area, P is coded if the head or face is
restricted to the D9 area. If Dd23 is included as part of the
human form, the response is not coded as P.

VIII D1 Whole animal figure. This is the most frequently perceived 94 91

answer, the content varying considerably, such as, bear, dog,
rodent, fox, wolf, and coyote. All are P. the P is also coded
when the animal figure is reported as part of the W percept
as in a family crest, seal and emblem.
IX D3 Human or human-like figures such as witches, giants, science 54 24
fiction creatures, monsters, etc.

X D1 Spider with all appendages restricted to the D1 area. 42 34

X D1 Crab with all appendages restricted to the D1 area. Other 37 38

variations of the animals are not P.
 Rorschach Inkblots

- Developed by Hermann Rorschach in 1921

- Indicates how clients perceive their environment, process information and cope with
problem solving situations. It also provides clues to current and characteristic ways of
dealing with experiences or psychological states and traits.
- It is composed of 10 inkblots that appear on a white 7 ½ “X 9” cards or plates. Five (5)
plates are printed in black and white, two (2) plates are printed in black and red inks
and three (3) cards are printed in multi-colored inks.
- Psychologists believe that the Rorschach Test is one of psychology’s most powerful
diagnostic test.
- The test is remarkably useful in identifying abnormal personality syndromes and
deviant personality symptoms.

Administering the Rorschach Inkblots

1. Materials Needed
- The 10 Cards arranged in order facing downward on the table
- The Location Chart
- Paper for Recording Responses
- Pen or Pencil
- Stop Watch or clock with Second hand
2. Initial Instructions - There is no standard way for introducing the Rorschach cars.
Acceptable introductions are:
 a. “ People see all sorts of things in this picture; now tell me what you see.”
b. “ What do you see in the picture?
c. “What might this be to you?
3. The Examination Period – The examination period is composed of 4 phases:
a. The Performance Proper- (Response Phase)
1. Presentation of the Cards
2. Recording the Responses
b. The Inquiry Phase- the examiner attempts to elicit information from the client
regarding the way in which he or she sees the concept or object in the card. The
inquiry should focus on:
b.1. Location – what part in the card did the client see the concept .
“ Where in the card did you see the ______?
Or “Show me the ______?
b.2. Determinants (Form, Movement, Color, Shading)
Form - major point to clarify is the form quality
“ Can you describe the ______?
Movement- How do you see the ______?
Color – What about this part that made you see a ______?
Shading - questions are similar to those asked about color, movement, or
form.
Scoring the Rorschach Protocol
 The five major scoring categories are:
1. Location- part of the card where the concept was seen.
2. Determinant- how was the concept seen.
3. Content- subject matter of the concept seen.
4. Popularity- determining if it is a usual or unusual response.
5. Form Level- accuracy of the concept seen; how closely does it fit the blot area used.