Saturday, August 1, 2009

Rorschach inkblot tests


The Rorschach inkblot tests have been put up on Wikipedia to the fury of the British psychiatric establishment.

The idea is that the psychiatrist puts the shapes in front of the subject one at a time and evalutaes the response by various criteria ranging from time to reply to whether the subect sees shapes, what shape (an animal, something human, an abstract etc), colour and so on as a measure of serious personality disorders such as bipolarism, schizophrenia, and milder disorders.

There is a correlation between 'intelligence' (which I suspect they mean academic ability) and personality disorder as indicated by the test, possibly because creative people give more, and more varied, responses, or possibly because creative people really are barmy.

I suspect that severe problems may well show up, just as they would in a conversation of any length, but am deeply sceptical about the detectionminor personality disorders. Papers are accepted in medical journals that would never get past the peer-review system used in science journals.

As an aside, my employer put me though a personality assessment test and announced I was a shaper - with the same personality as Margaret Thatcher.

Anyway, the pic at the top is a Rorschach inkblot test.

I looked at it and immediately thought: bioengineered aerospace fighter.

I am not sure what that says about me (but see John's Toy Soldiers for a possible explanation).


What do you see?


8 comments:

Anonymous said...

An Owl.

I just watched Watchmen. I wasn't a huge fan when it came out but I was a 90s fan of the graphic novel. It's okay. That Owl in your "picture" would just make it more awesome.

John Lambshead said...

I have never seen Watchmen - I should rectify that.

John

Anonymous said...

I saw two flying pigs standing on connected (and identical) plots of land, i.e. yes, we're all barmy.

Rowena Cory Daniells said...

John, is there a correlation between ink blot assessments and witch doctors?

I saw misshapen female pelvic bones. Now that is scary.

Anonymous said...

I kept changing my mind for a while but my final conclusion is that the picture represents an angel that needs 6 helium filled balloons to stay aloft.

John Lambshead said...

Dear Rowenna
Apparently, pelvic bones are not uncommonly seen.
John

John Lambshead said...

Hm, flying pigs and helium fuelled angels. And I thought I was a wierdo/ :)
J.

Sebastien said...

anyone else see 3 people standing with their backs to each other in robes summoning something?