the analytic character of the rorschach ink blot test

THE ANALYTIC CHARACTER OF THE RORSCHACH INK BLOT TEST*

JAMES VAUGHN AND OTHILDA KRUG’ The Uniuersiry of Cincinnati

PURPOSE HE studies which form the content of this report were made for the general T purpose of ascertaining the analytic character of the Rorschach Ink Blot

Test. Responses to the Ink Blots were secured from 43 psychotics of diagnosed paranoid trend and 5 2 college students. The college students were also given the Bernreuter Personality Schedule and their answers scored according to “neurotic tendency” and “introversion-extraversion.” These personality traits were correlated with the Rorschach indices of similar traits. For one study the responses to the Rorschach Ink Blots were scored and analyzed for the specific purpose of discovering a trait or series of traits commonly characteristic of the psychotics and not characteristic of the college students. The second study was made for the purpose of establishing directions of interpretation for the Rorschach indices of emotional stability and introversion-extraversion.

SUBJECTS Psychotics: The psychotic group consisted of 43 subjects, 31 women and 12

men. The group ranged in age from 19 to 68 years; over half of them fell between 20 and 5 0 years of age. They were for the most part patients a t the Longview State Hospital, but a few were obtained a t the Cincinnati General Hospital. The majority of the group had been diagnosed as a psychosis of a paranoid condition and as schizophrenia with a paranoid trend. The group also included a few cases of the manic-depressive psychosis and of the organic psychoses. The patients in these latter categories were definitely diagnosed as possessing paranoid tendencies.

College Sjudents: The college students included 38 women and 14 men, a total of 5 2 people. They were students in the University of Cincinnati. Most of them were undergraduates, a few were graduate students. They ranged in age from 19 to 27 years.

METHOD The method of administering and scoring the Bernreuter Persohality Schedule

The method of administering the Rorschach Test was to seat the subject in a is well known and needs no description.

* Read before American Association for the Advancement of Science, December, 1937, Indian- apolis.

* The writers are greatly indebted to Dr. Emerson A. North, Director of the Department of Psychiatry, for suggesting the problem; and to the staff of the Longview State Hospital for their co- operation during the study.

220

RORSCHACH COMPARISONS: VAUGHN & KRUG 221

good light so that he could easily see the design. The experimenter was seated behind and to the side of the subject in order that the Ink Blot in the subject’s hand could be readily seen and so that the subject was not distracted by the recording of responses. No time limit was placed on the test. Responses were recorded for each design as long as the subject was disposed to respond.

The responses were recorded verbatim on mimeographed copies of the Ink Blots. Each response was recorded in the appropriate spot on the mimeographed copy of the particular Ink Blot. When the experimenter was in doubt concerning the location of the response, the subject was questioned. The time taken for the whole test was recorded.

SCORING OF R E S P O N S E S ~ Each response was evaluated and scored along three lines: first, the mode of

apperception, i.e., according to whether the subject reacted to the whole or parts of the designs; secondly, the quality of apperception, according as the response was a reaction to form, color, or movement; and finally, according to the content of the response. Animal responses were included in the content categories. Com- mon and original responses were determined on the basis of frequency of occur- rence. Responses were regarded as common i f they occurred in 33 cases out of 100. Responses were accepted as original if they occurred in one case out of 100. The form responses were regarded as being either sharply perceived F+ or poorly perceived F-, on the basis of the apparent resemblance between the form of the object perceived and the character of the ink blot. Percentage of

sharply perceived form was obtained by the formula: F+ . The color re- F- + F + sponses were observed and analyzed in terms of 4 categories, pure color (C), color-form (CF), form-color (FC) and chiaroscuro (F(c)). These responses were, respectively, assigned the values 15, I, I and 3, in computing the color score for each person. Pure color responses were those determined for the subject by the character of color alone; such as red, blood etc. Color-form responses were those in which form was involved but in an unimportant way. Responses classified as form-color were determined mainly on the basis of form but color was involved. The chiaroscuro responses were those apparently determined by the shading of the figure. The color score, as suggested by Rorschach, was taken as the measure of affective stability. The movement score divided by the color score was used as a measure of introversion-extraversion.

RESULTS The results of the first study are presented in Tables I to VI. These tables

Table I presents the scores for the two groups in terms of total numbers of contain directly comparable data for the two groups of subjects.

responses. * Procedures suggested by Rorschach, Beck, and Vernon were followed in scoring the responses.

222 THE AM ERIC Ah’ JOURNAL OF OR’I’HOI’SY CH I A’I‘KY

TABLE I Total Number of Responses by College Students and Psychotics

- _ _ _ _ _ ~ ~ _ _ _ _ _ ~ ______ - Scale College Students Psychotics

200-220 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 180-200 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 16@180 14e160 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

120-140 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I 1-120 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 .+ So-roo . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 60- 80 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 40- 60 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 2 20- 40 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . I . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

0- 20 I

Average 8 1 . 3 0 57.32

S. D. 36 .CQ 26.90

Reliability I 0 0

______________

The average number of responses by the college students is 81.30, while the average number of responses by the psychotics is 57.32. The difference between these two averages is perfectly reliable. Psychotics of the character studied, as a group, give fewer responses to the Rorschach Test than college students. I t is important to observe, however, that considerable overlapping is present.

If the total number of responses could be taken as a rough index of “manifest” intelligence, then we would be entirely justified in saying that as a group the college students are more intelligent than the psychotics, but that some of the psychotics are as intelligent as some college students. Evidently, factors other than intelligence are of greater analytic and eticlogic significance in psychosis than intelligence, and one of inquiring mind is not only concerned with the nature of these other factors, but also with the effect they might exert on “manifest’’ intelligence. Too many people are inclined to pass judgment on native endowment, without pausing to consider seriously the effect of a variety of forces on the manifestation of native endowment.

Tables I1 and 111 should be considered together, since Table I1 deals with raw scores and Table I11 with percentage scores. They are constructed similarly and should be read alike. The distribution for the various types of response are pre-

means and standard deviations of the distributions are, respectively, presented in rows (c) and (d). Reliabilities of the differences between the means for the students and psychotics are shown in rcw (e). Percentage distributions for the color score have not been calculated because of the method of weighting followed in computing the color score.

sented in columns (21, (3) , (41, (5 ) , (61, (71, (81, (g), (101, (11) and (12) . The

TABLE I1 Distribution .f Raw Scores for the College Students (Cs) and Psychotics ( P ) over Rorschach Categories

Categories of Response

Whole (2)

Detail (3)

Rare Detail

(4)

Space Detail

( 5 )

Move- ment

(6)

Sharp Form

(7)

Pure Color

(8)

Color Score

(9 )

Scale

Scores (A) of

Popular (11)

Groups Groups Groups Groups Groups Groups Groups Groups Groups Groups Groups - 0 -A P

-

P -

I

I

I

I I

I

I

4 9

I 1 I 2 -

2.81 _- 4.61 -

-

P -

3 I I

2

8 7 9

5 3 I

-

7 .O( - 0 . 6 ~ -

- P -

1

I

I

I

I

4 5 3 5 7 8 5 I _-

:3.8 -

3.1 -

-

P -

I

9 24 9 -

'.O -

; . 6 -

-

cs -

I

I 2 6 6

16 I7 3

3 . 0 ;

7 . 6 ~

-

-

-

- c s -

I

I

2

3 4 3 6 3 8 9 5 5 I

I

- .I .O' -

6.61 -

- c s -

I

I I I

I

I

I

3

8 7 6 9

10

2 - 3.1:

8.3' -

-

-

cs -

I

2

7 I 0 20 I 2 - 0.7 '

5 . 9

-

-

-

cs -

I

I

I

4

6 16 I 2

9

- 7 ' 4'

2.31 -

-

-

cs -

I

I I

I

I

4 8 6

3

5

I 0

I 1

-

0 . 0 - 6.11 -

P cs cs 95-100 90- 95 85- 90 So- 85 7s- 80 70- 75 65- 70

(B) 60- 65 5 5 - 60 5 0 - 5 5 45- 5 0 40- 45 35- 40 30- 35 25- 30 20- 25 15- 20

10- 1 5 5- 10

0 - 5

I

I I - I

4 3 5

8 4 5 2

2

3 4

'5 30

I

5

26 20

(C) Mean

(D) S. D. --

l 0 . 5 1 4.7: 4.94 8 . 6

4.3: 4.3C I .05

N (E) Relia-

bility 77 I 0 0 I00 I00 I00 I 0 0 5 0 I 0 0 I00 N I00 b I 0 0

Cs=college student P=psychotic

TABLE 111 Distributions of Percentage Scoresfor Go f fege Students (Cs) and Psychotics ( P ) over Rorschach Categories

Categories of Response

Whole (2)

Detail (3)

Rare Detail

(4)

Move- ment

( 6 )

Pure Color

(8)

Animal (9)

Space Detail

( 5 )

Groups

Sharp Form (7)

Groups

Scale

Scores (A) of

Popular (10)

Groups

Originality (1 I )

1 z Groups m Groups Groups Groups Groups Groups Groups

- P -

I 2

I

2 2

5 5 4 4 8 6 3

23.:

' 5 .

-

-

-

- P -

1 I

I

3

4 5 8 5 7 7

18.'

'3.

I

-

-

-

- c s -

2

2

3 8

'4

8 I 2

2 - 5.92 - 8 .o -

__ cs - P -

I

I

3 3 3

5 7 5 3

3 3

2

2

I

I -

. 2 .0 - - 7 . 6 -

- cs -

I

I 2 I 8 9 7

I 0 6 3 2 2 - 27.c - 12. -

__ cs

- c s

2 2

I 1

7 8 9 8

3 2

- 52 - I 0 -

- P

2

4 5 3 7 6 3

6

3

2

2

58

14 -

-

cs __

I

4 6

19 21

I

c s c s -

I

I I I

2 I 2 I 2

I 1

5 2 2 I

I

__ 5 2 . : - 1 2 . -

95-1m 90- 95 85- 90 80- 8 5 7 5 - 80 70- 7 5 65- 70

(B) 60- 65 55- 60 50- 5 5 45- 50

40- 45 35- 40 30- 35 25- 30 20- 25 15- 20 10- ' 5

5- I 0

0- 5

I

I

4 4 9 8 8 9 7 I

I

I

3 9 8

I 1

7 6 5 2

9 43

(C) Mean 2.46 11.8

6 .2 __

-

22.P

I .8. 10.' 9 . 8 (D) S. D.

(E) Reliability -

I00 'I00 I00 96 96 89 I00 I00 I 0 0

Cs=college student P=psychoric


An important preliminary observation to be made of the results of this study is one to the effect that the data quantitatively considered do not allow a dis- tinction to be made between those who are evidently psychotic and those who are normal. It is apparent that such traits as are indicated by the various Ror- schach categories are to be found in different degrees among normal people. The psychotic must be distinguished from the normal person in terms of his reaction toward reality, and this characteristic must be observed in the qualitative character of his behavior, not only toward the Rorschach Ink Blots, but also in respect to life’s situations generally.

In view of the fact that the college students gave on the average many more responses than the psychotics, one might expect the raw score means displayed in Table I1 for the different types of response, to show reliable differences. This is precisely what one finds in all cases but two, namely, whole responses and pure color responses. In connection with these two types of response, the distributions for which are shown in columns ( 2 ) and ( 3 ) , the psychotics are equal to the college students.

Pure color responses were regarded by Rorschach to be indicative of two characteristics, namely ( I ) affect-laden complexes, and (2) the type of adjustment being achieved by the individual. Affect-laden complexes were observed to be associated with the reaction time to colors. Highly variable reaction times were taken to indicate the presence of complexes. The symptomatic value of the quantity of pure color response may be indicated more precisely by the relative proportions of pure color and chiaroscuro responses. A predominance of color response may be taken to indicate disassociation, a predominance of chiaroscuro response may be regarded as pointing to repression.

Table IV displays these proportions for the two groups. The chiaroscuro responses were subtracted from the color responses for each person. The scale is shown on the left, the distributions in the second and third columns.

Both groups may be observed to display tendencies toward disassociation and repression. The college group as a whole, is apparently adjusting mainly by the method of repression, although four persons display noticeable disassociative tendencies. The psychotic group displays greater disassociation, and possibly more significant repression. Incidentally, the heterogeneous character of the psychotic group is clearly indicated.

The color scores (not pure color responses), were regarded by Rcrschach to be important indices of the degree of adjustment attained. Pure color responses were taken to indicate complexes and disassociative adjustment. These have been dealt with. Responses in which form was involved, along with color, were regarded as indicative of egocentric adjustment. Form responses, in which color played a part in determining the character of the responses, were accepted as indicating the highest degree of rapport with the environment. The distributions for these responses are shown in Table V.

226 THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY

Scale

8 -___

TABLE IV Pure Color Responses Minus Chiaroscuro Responses

College Student

s 7 od c, 6 .- s 7 od c, 6 .-

0 UY

m m

5 4 3

.-

a 2

0 UY

m m

5 4 3

.-

a 2

7% 7%

-2

- 4 -6 - 8 - I 0 - I 2

E:

'f - I 4

5 - 16 -18 - 20 - 22

p!

- 24 - 26 - 28 -30

7 7

7 4 I 2

I 1

1 81%

I

I

Number of Responses

I 0

9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 I

0

Average

Psychotic

TABLE V Color-Form and Form-Color Responses

Color-form (CF)

I

23% 3

6

9 8 2 2 I I

2 45% I

I

I

cs P

I

2 I

5 I 7 I 5 6

I 8 I 0 I

'4 24 -_____ ____

I .67 .78

5

Form-color (FC) cs P

3 4 6 2

7 3 11 5 16 I 2

5 21

2.33 .90


The table shows very clearly that college students have achieved higher degrees of both sorts of adjustment than the psychotics. The difference between the two groups is especially pronounced in the case of form-color, indicating rapport with the environment. The amount of maladjustment among the college students, however, is worth nothing, and it is evident that some are in very serious predicaments.

The whole responses probably indicate behavioral attitudes and they may be related to level or type of intelligence. Levy-Bruhl has suggested several times that primitive people pay attention to the whole and grosser details of objects or perceptual situations. Kohler has also shown quite clearly, in his studies of chimpanzees, that they have great difficulty in the optical analysis of objects. They found i t quite impossible to deal with the components of perceptual situations separately. This analytic characteristic is an important aspect of intelligence. The distributions of scores may be taken to indicate that the psychotics in general were concerned, in an important sense, with whole situations.

The results displayed in Table 111 present additional data concerning the characteristics of the two groups. The table contains percentage scores.

When considered in terms of percentage, the college student is shown to display more rare detail, space detail, movement, sharply perceived form, and original responses than the psychotics. Here again wide variability is in evidence and the factors appear to be of an analytical character for both groups. There is good reason for believing, however, that they may provide valuable informa- tion concerning the associative processes of adjustment. The original form responses may prove to be important inter-group measures.

The movement responses are of unique importance when considered in relation to color score. ‘4 predominance of movement over color may be taken to indicate introversiveness; whereas a predominance of color over movement indicates extraversiveness. Table VI displays the relationships for the two groups. The higher scores indicate extraversion-the lower ones introversion.

Seventy percent of the college students may be observed to belong to the extraverted category. Twenty-eight percent are introverted. The psychotics present a definitely extraverted picture. This picture, however, is misleading. Disassociation tends to increase the number of color responses without increasing the amount of movement. There is little connection between affective demands and associative processes. The extraversion is thus of a pseudo-kind.

The psychotic may be observed to exceed the college student in percentages of pure color, animal, and popular responses. But here, again, wide variation and overlapping are in evidence. One can hardly characterize the psychotic without a t the same time characterizing the college student.

Popular, common or vulgar responses may a t once be taken to indicate the degree of “commonness” or stereotypy exhibited by the personality. In this respect both groups exhibit wide variation. Some are stereotyped while others are original.

T H E AMERICAN JOURNAL OF ORTHOPSYCHIATRY

TABLE VI Color Score Minus Movement Score

(The larger magnitudes indicate extraversion)

Score College Student Psychotic --

24 23 22 21 20

19

17 16 ‘ 5 14 13

18

I2 I 1

I 0

9

7 6 5 4 3 2 I

a

I

I

I I

I

I I

I

4 2 I

3 3 3 3 4 4 2

70%

I I

2 1

84%

0 2 6

--I 3 I -2 3 -3 5 28% -4 2 -5 -6 -7

_I_______ -

The predominance of animal responses in the paranoid psychotics is interesting and probably of analytic value. We are reminded of cases “16” and “17” de- scribed by Ror~chach .~ The responses point a t once to type of intelligence, and to a characteristic of paranoids which is important in their classification. As indicated, we are not of the opinion that all animal responses may be interpreted in the same way; some may mean nothing more than stereotypy, regression, or occupation. But where one finds unusually large percentages of such responses, he is inclined to wonder if some of them might not be indicative of the parancidal tendencies toward persecutory ideas and .delusions of grandeur. It is evident, however, that such tendencies, as may be indicated by the responses, are characteristic not only of psychotics but also of normal people-including neurotics.

3 Rorschach, Hermann. Psychodiagnostik, pp. 168-170.


The qualitative study of the animal responses failed to give any important characteristics for either group. Both groups referred to the same animals.

For two final studies, we have taken the Rorschach indices of affective stability and intraversiveness and correlated them with Bernreuter's measures of similar traits. These comparisons were made for college students only. The correlation between color score, Rorschach's index of affective stability, and Bern- reuter's measure of neurotic tendency was found to be - .52 + .08. The high color scores were found to point toward affective stability. The relationship between the two variables, however, appears to be non-linear. The correlation between the two measures of intraversion was found to be +.78 f .04.

SUMMARY The conclusions to be drawn from the quantitative consideration of the Ror-

schach categories are evident. Apparently, normal people, not the Rorschach theoretical normal, and psychotics resemble one another in many respects. They present similarities in ( I ) the degree and kind of adjustment, associative, disassociative and repressive; ( 2 ) intelligence, analytical ability and originality; ( 3 ) stereotypy; (4) ideas of persecution and grandeur and (s), intraversion and extraversion. The psychotics present evidence of greater disassociation and less rapport with the environment, but it is surprising to f i n d so many apparently normal people presenting similar tendencies. The unusual character of the original form responses has been taken as an indication of mental derangement, but it is interesting to observe that here and there normal people present original form responses which are probably as indicative of pathology as the original form responses of the psychotics. In any case it would be necessary to distinguish between the two forms of responses in terms of their symbolic significance. One can hardly escape the conclusion that psychosis is a difference in degree and not in kind. The degree seems important.

BIBLIOGRAPHY BECK, SAMUEL, J. The Rorschach Test and Personality Diagnosis: I. The Feebleminded.

BECK, SAMUEL, J. The Rorschach Test as Applied t o a Feebleminded Group. Arch.

BECK, SAMUEL, J. Conjigurational Tendencies in Rorschach Responses. Psychol. Bull.

BECK, SAMUEL, J. Introduction to the Rorschach Method. Research Monograph #I,

RORSCHACH, HERMANN. Psychodiagnostik. Verlag Hans Huber, Bern und Berlin, I 932. RORSCHACH, HERMANN. The Application of the Interpretation of Form to Psychoanalysis.

Published posthumously by E. Oberholzer. J. Nerv. and Ment. Dis., LX, 1924,225-248; 3 5 9 -3 79.

VERNON, PHILIP, E. The Rorschach Ink-Blot Test. I . Brit. J. Med. Psychol. 1933, Part

VERNON, PHILIP, E. The Rorschach Ink-Blot Test. I I . Brit. J. Med. Psychol. 1933,

VERNON, PHILIP, E. The Rorschach Ink-Blot Test. ZII. Brit. J. Med. Psychol. 1933,

Am. J. Psychiat. 1930, X, 19-52.

Psychol. No. 136, 1932.

XXIX, 1932, 632. Am. J. Psychol. XLV, 1933.

Am. Orthopsych. assn., 1937.

11, 89-118.

Part 111, 179-205.

Part IT', 271-295.

the analytic character of the rorschach ink blot test

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