What is a Rorschach test?
The Rorschach test is a psychological examination in which the subject is asked to view a series of ten inkblots and to discuss the images he or she perceives. The Rorschach test was developed by Hermann Rorschach in 1921, but methods of evaluation were later refined by other psychologists. The Rorschach test is used to assess personality characteristics, thought patterns, and emotional function and to detect possibly psychotic thinking. The Rorschach test consists of ten standard inkblots on white paper. Five are made with black ink only, two are black and red, and three are multi-colored. The test subject is shown each inkblot and asked what he or she sees in it. Then, the test subject is given each inkblot in turn to examine in greater depth and asked to explain why and how the image looks like what he or she saw. Evaluation methods are more focused on this explanation and on the subject’s thought processes than on the content of his or her interpretation of the image. The Exener sy
