Describe projective method as a

measurement of personality

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In psychology, a projective test is a personality test designed to let a person
respond to ambiguous stimuli, presumably revealing hidden emotions and
internal conflicts projected by the person into the test. This is sometimes
contrasted with a so-called "objective test" / "self-report test", which adopt a
"structured" approach as responses are analysed according to a presumed
universal standard (for example, a multiple-choice exam), and are limited to the
content of the test. The responses to projective tests are content analysed for
meaning rather than being based on presuppositions about meaning, as is the
case with objective tests. Projective tests have their origins in psychoanalysis,
which argues that humans have conscious and unconscious attitudes and
motivations that are beyond or hidden from conscious awareness

Because of their relatively unstructured nature, projective tests measure

personality functioning in subtle and indirect ways and tap underlying
psychological characteristics at a less conscious level than relatively structured
measures. Projective test data consequently provide valuable information about
how people are likely to think, feel, and act that is difficult to obtain from
objective assessment procedures, and they are also less susceptible than
objective test data to the influence of test-taking attitudes. Use of a particular
projective test in children and adolescents depends on the purpose of the
projective test, therapist's expertise on the particular projective technique, time
available as well as availability of the tool. The projective tests can explore a
range of psychopathologies with variable specificity. Selection of a particular
projective test for a particular individual depends on the clinical discretion of
the therapist.

Projective methods can be used to good effect with children and adolescents as
well as adults. The basic interpretive conclusions and hypothesis that attach to
projective test variables apply regardless of the age of the subject, provided
that examiners determine the implications of their data in the light of normative
developmental expectations. Surveys of clinical and school settings indicate
that the projective instruments most frequently administered in evaluating
young people are the Rorschach inkblot method, the thematic apperception test
(TAT), the children's apperception test, the Roberts apperception test for
children (RATC), the tell-me-a-story (TEMAS) test, the draw-a-person, the
house-tree-person, the kinetic family drawing, and alternate forms of the
sentence completion test.

The RATC and TEMAS have shown through the development of standardized
administration and scoring procedures that story-telling methods have the
potential to achieve psychometric respectability. However, further research on
the RATC and TEMAS is needed with regard to multicultural and adolescent
norms, respectively. With regard to the TAT, emerging psychometrically sound
schemes for coding specific personality characteristics reflected in thematic
content, such as SCORS, appear to provide a basis for empirical decision
making.

In many projective tests, people are shown an ambiguous image and then asked
to give the first response that comes to mind. The key to projective tests is the
ambiguity of the stimuli. In many projective tests, people are shown an
ambiguous image and then asked to give the first response that comes to mind.
The key to projective tests is the ambiguity of the stimuli. According to the
theory behind such tests, using clearly defined questions can result in answers
that are carefully crafted by the conscious mind. When you are asked a
straightforward question about a particular topic, you have to spend time
consciously creating an answer. This can introduce biases and even untruths,
whether or not you're trying to deceive the test provider. For example, a
respondent might give answers that are perceived as more socially acceptable
or desirable but are perhaps not the most accurate reflection of their true
feelings or behavior to the theory behind such tests, using clearly defined
questions can result in answers that are carefully crafted by the conscious
mind. When you are asked a straightforward question about a particular topic,
you have to spend time consciously creating an answer. This can introduce
biases and even untruths, whether or not you're trying to deceive the test
provider. For example, a respondent might give answers that are perceived as
more socially acceptable or desirable but are perhaps not the most accurate
reflection of their true feelings or behavior.
The other measures reviewed have in various ways also shown potential to be
codified and refined on the basis of empirical data, and there is reason to be
hopeful that advances in research methodology will eventually close a currently
regrettable gap between what is known for sure about these projective methods
and what is frequently assumed to be true about them in clinical practice. Until
this gap is narrowed, and especially until such time as more extensive
normative and multicultural data become available, most clinical inferences
from projective data should be regarded as hypotheses to be confirmed rather
than as facts on which to base conclusions and recommendations.

SUBMITTED BY:

MD RAKIBUL AL FAHIM

202032011

Level 2, term 1

ARCHITECTURE DEPT, MIST