The Rorschach Inkblot Test is a psychological assessment tool created by Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach in the early 20th century. It is designed to examine a person’s personality characteristics, emotional functioning, and thought processes based on their “projective” responses to ten standardized inkblot images. Projective refers to the idea that when we see an unclear stimulus that lacks recognizable form, we project our thoughts and feelings onto it.
We give the Rorschach Inkblot Test in our practice, but you need to understand more about it as you consider your options since it is quite different than some of the more objective tests we give.
How the Rorschach Inkblot Test Works
The Rorschach Inkblot Test falls under “projective testing,” a psychological assessment used to gain insight into your thoughts, feelings, and personality characteristics. Unlike more structured forms of assessment, Rorschach answers are typically open-ended and require the individual being assessed to respond to ambiguous stimuli. This approach is supposed to reveal aspects of your world that may not be accessible through direct questioning.
Your Projections on the Rorschach
You are asked to look at a series of ambiguous stimuli, the inkblots, intentionally designed to be open to multiple interpretations. There are no right or wrong answers, as the goal is to elicit your unique thoughts and feelings. We might ask follow-up questions if your answers are short or if we feel that we need a bit more information. Your answers are projections of your thoughts and feelings, so these measures are called “projectives”. The inkblots become a medium on which you express thoughts and feelings that might not come out on questionnaires or conscious exploration.
What Inkblot Pstch Test Results Mean
We do not tell you what we are looking for or how to answer, but your responses have meaning. The patterns we see, the comparisons and combinations or types of answers, and the emerging themes help us understand you. We can pull out information about how you react to stress, your underlying psychological issues, your emotional strengths, and what themes affect your daily life. We hesitate to say too much here about what different types of answers might mean because we need you to come in and let your answers on the inkblot psych test flow without you wondering too much about what they might mean.
How it is Combined
While the Rorschach Inkblot Test can be given alone, we prefer to give it with other psychological measures, such as the PAI test and MMPI measure, and even other projectives, such as the TAT Test. This adds power to any themes that emerge on more than one measure. This is particularly important with the Rorschach because it is more subjective than others. Also, the conclusions we derive from the Rorschach can be powerful and helpful, but they may not be specific enough to answer some of your questions.
Administration of the Rorschach Inkblot Test
The Rorschach inkblot test follows a specific and organized testing process, and while your part may only take an hour or so, the following scoring, interpretation, and write-up can take many hours. Scoring and interpretation are highly specific and standardized. The process is as follows:
Administration Overview
A trained psychologist administers the Rorschach. Unlike many other psychological tests, the Rorschach inkblot test requires extra training and expertise. The examiner presents you with ten inkblot images, one at a time, and asks you to describe what they see in each image. You often asked general questions, encouraging them to explain their answers in more detail. The administration usually takes around 60-90 minutes.
Scoring and Interpretation of the Rorschach
After completion, the examiner analyzes your responses using several comprehensive, objectively based scoring systems. The answers are categorized based on content, location, and determinants (what parts and aspects of the inkblots influenced the response). The scoring process is complex and quite detailed. Ultimately, you are compared to others who took the test and self-reported symptoms, aspects of their personalities, and underlying thoughts.
Inkblot Psych Test Interpretation and Report
The examiner interprets the results and creates a comprehensive report, including information about personality, emotion, cognition, and potential psychological issues. The Rorschach test is often used with other Personality evaluations to provide a complete understanding of an individual’s psychological profile. The report will include not only the results but also specific personalized recommendations. If you did not have a full psychological better, the report might suggest other psychological testing to add power to the inkblot results and fill in any gaps regarding what it found.
The Follow-up
Like many personality measures, we prefer a follow-up meeting with anyone who takes the Rorschach. This allows you to ask questions, get clarification, and ensure you understand the conclusions we drew and our recommendations. It also gives us a chance to explain everything without confusion or misunderstanding. If you have a current therapist or psychiatrist, we can send that person the report.
Many people ask whether they can take the Rorschach again. It is uncommon and often counterindicated to take it again since once you’ve been explained what your original answers might mean, the idea of projecting unconscious feelings and thoughts disappears. In a way, you’ll know how to answer the next time to produce different results. The exception to this is when it has been a long time since your last administration, and you agree not to re-read the report before you come in.
Uses of the Rorschach Inkblot Test
The Rorschach inkblot test is generally used as part of a comprehensive assessment of an individual. The exact reason may differ depending on what 
the individual wants to know, have clarified, or understand better. The most common reasons the Rorschach is given include:
- Psychological Assessment: The Rorschach inkblot test can help diagnose certain psychological disorders or identify areas of concern that may need further evaluation.
- Clinical and Therapeutic Applications: Psychologists and therapists may use the Rorschach test to aid in treatment planning and understanding a client’s deeper underlying psychological issues.
- Research: The Rorschach test has been used in research studies to investigate various aspects of human perception, cognition, and emotion. Researchers may use the test to explore specific psychological phenomena or compare responses among different populations.
- Forensic Evaluations: In some cases, the Rorschach inkblot test is used in forensic settings to assess an individual’s mental state and provide information relevant to legal proceedings.
What Can Inkblot Psych Test Show
An inkblot psychological test is based on the assumption that individuals will project their unconscious thoughts and feelings onto ambiguous stimuli, revealing aspects of their personality, emotions, and thought processes. Thus, here are some of the things that an inkblot psych test can potentially reveal:
- Personality Traits: We can look for patterns in how you perceive the inkblots. Certain responses may indicate specific personality traits such as introversion, extroversion, neuroticism, or openness to experience.
- Emotional Functioning: Responses to the inkblots can provide insight into your emotional state, including your level of anxiety, depression, or emotional stability. Your answers can be compared to people who self-reported those conditions to see if you have anything in common with them.
- Cognitive Style: The inkblot psych test can reveal aspects of your cognitive processes, such as how you perceive and interpret information, problem-solving abilities, and thought organization.
- Interpersonal Relationships: Some interpretations of the inkblot psych test focus on how individuals perceive human and social interactions, shedding light on their relationship dynamics and interpersonal skills.
- Defense Mechanisms: It can also provide insights into your defense mechanisms to cope with psychological stressors and conflicts.
- Creativity: Some interpretations of the Rorschach test suggest that responses to the inkblots can reflect an individual’s level of creativity and imagination.
It’s important to note that the Rorschach test is just one tool among many in psychological assessment. As you can see from the list above, the Rorschach can give valuable information, but it is often important to see whether other testing backs those conclusions.
Why We Rarely Use the Rorschach
While we are qualified and trained in administering the Rorschach Inkblot Test, we do not often choose to give it for the following reasons:
- The Rorschach inkblot test has been subject to controversy and criticism over the years; interpretation uses objective primarily and measurable factors derived from the person’s answers, but there is still much room for (sometimes unintentional) subjectivity.
- The Rorschach takes much longer to administer, score, and interpret than other tests that provide equally helpful information in most cases.
- The test focuses primarily on problems, challenges, and dysfunction, while many other tests give that information but are paired with opportunities, challenges, and strengths.
But We Still Do Inkblot Psych Testing Sometimes
Despite the caveats above, we occasionally administer the Rorschach in our practice. There are times when this is the best choice or when a client specifically requests it. We can also tell you about other projective measures that may be lower cost and just as effective in getting you the insights you seek. Some of these are more objective, though many feel that they do not match the power and depth of the Rorschach.
We can also provide consultation if you’ve ever taken the Rorschach Inkblot Test and want more information than the report you received or an explanation of how your answers led to the conclusions that were given. If you’ve taken it before and received a report with conclusions based on your answers, we may not be able to give it to you again.
Feel free to contact us to discuss the Rorschach Inkblot Test or any other aspect of our services.
