Thematic Apperception Test Personality Assessment free essay sample

The history of the Thematic Apperception Test is controversial. This test was published in 1943 and is still widely used today. Being able to look at a photo card as a stimulus for storytelling was a breakthrough for personality testing. This test has its share of controversy as far as reliability, validity and cultural implications. Key words; thematic, validity, reliability, personality. Thematic Apperception Test for Personality Assessment Personality test has been around for over a century and new ones are still being produced. Two of the most frequently used personality test is the Rorschach Inkblot Test, and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT). We will look at the TAT’s origin, content, purpose, structure, administration and scoring guidelines. We will also look at the validity, strengths and weakness, and multicultural aspects of the test. The Thematic Apperception Test evolved after over decade of work and was finally â€Å"published by Henry A. Murray and the Staff of Harvard Psychological Clinic in 1943† (Morgan, 1995). We will write a custom essay sample on Thematic Apperception Test Personality Assessment or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page There was a lot of controversy over who the author really was. Christina Morgan was originally cited as the senior author when the Series B cards came out but later removed Morgan, 2002). The test had been through three revisions and had a rough start. The goal of this test is to get a person to respond to indistinct stimuli so their personality could be better understood (Frey). By using this method, the therapist hope one would divulge and emotions that they are not showing and any internal conflicts (Frey). When the test first was published, it consists of a set of cards with pictures glued to them, mostly of people. Later more cards were created with pictures drawn in preparation for more use. The Series of cards were labeled â€Å"A-D’. â€Å"Series A† was the original set of cards and were in flux throughout development. â€Å"Series B† consist of thirty cards ten for men, ten for women and ten for both sexes. â€Å"Series C† have twenty eight cards that were used in 1942. â€Å"Series D† was issued in 1943 with thirty one cards and they are still in use today. These cards were modified over time to decrease the complexity and details in order to increase ambiguity (Morgan, 1995). The authors were probably trying to raise the likelihood of projective identification (Morgan, 1995). The purpose of the test is to evaluate personality in conjunction with other test. The TAT is extensively used to research certain subjects â€Å"in psychology, such as dreams and fantasies, mate selection, the factors that motivate peoples choice of occupations, and similar subjects† (Frey). It is occasionally â€Å"used in psychiatric evaluations to assess disordered thinking and in forensic examinations to evaluate crime suspects, even though it is not a diagnostic test† (Frey). The TAT can also be helpful to individuals when it comes to understanding their own personality in with greater intensity and adding to that information in making significant life decisions. â€Å"Lastly, it is sometimes used as screener psychological evaluations of candidates for high-stress occupations (law enforcement, the military, religious ministry, for example)† (Frey). There is not a standardize set of rules for the TAT. The set of cards that are used are up to the clinician and the test is not timed. The administrator should explain the purpose of the test and clarify anything that’s confusing. Also they should make sure the room is quiet, and free of distractions. Murray intends for each person to be given twenty cards but due to time constraints, most people give ten to fourteen cards. Individuals are given cards and are told to tell a story about the cards. They have to tell what led them to their conclusion about the card. They have to express what the characters is feeling, thinking and what’s happening at the moment. The stories have to have three parts, beginning, middle and end. The final card they are given is a blank card and they are told to make up their own story with the same information as the previous cards. Examples of the cards are a girl standing alone looking as if she had been frightened, and a young man and older man standing together with the older man pointing as if making a point or arguing with the younger man. The directions can be modified for children and adults with limited intelligence. The cards are kept faced down until needed. The examiner must record all the responses by hand or machine. In order to get all the nonverbal, you may have to take hand notes. This test is not scored like other test. Keep in mind that there are no right and wrong answers; there is no normative scoring system. Experts who use the test recommend that clinicians obtain background history including personal and medical information from the individuals in order to have a base to go on when evaluating the test. The original scoring system by Murray is deemed time-consuming and cumbersome and not used as much today. New scoring systems have been developed that use fewer variables â€Å"for examples, hostility or depression†. These new systems lack comprehensiveness but are good for clinical use. Two of the scoring systems are The Defense Mechanisms Manual (DMM) was developed to use with the TAT. It assesses three defenses: denial (least mature), projection (intermediate), and identification (most mature) as shown in the stories from the cards (The Defense Mechanism Manual). The second system is Social Cognition and Object Relations SCOR scale. â€Å"This assesses four different dimensions of object relations and social cognition as measured from the TAT: Complexity of Representations of People , Affect-Tone of Relationship Paradigms, and Capacity for Emotional Investment in Relationships and Moral Standards, and Understanding of Social Causality† (Gold, Kerber, Lohr, Silk, amp; Westen, 1990). Clinicians frequently report that the TAT’s reliability for test-retest is poor. A research was done to show that standard estimates may not be appropriate when looking at reliability in TAT. The study was conducted over a two year period and the results they were expected were in the rage of . 40-. 50. The present results were. 48-. 56 slightly higher than predicted. The results show that classical psychometrics may not be compatible and alpha is not an appropriate measure. Reliability is not as easily determine for this test since each response is based on how or if the subject answers the question. Some researchers would say that TAT is not a valid test while others disagree. Those who don’t believe the test are misused in clinical settings and there is no correlation between storytelling and self-report. Those who disagree say that TAT uses implicit/explicit difference â€Å"found in other cognitive domains, the two types of motives reflect different levels of awareness and are related to different modes of information processing† (McAdams amp; A. , 2001)). The big three implicit motives achievement, power, and ntimacy/affiliation have been validated for over forty years and are part of extremely successful research programs, and TAT have all of these elements. Criticisms about the TAT are it is not administered the same way each time, and because it is difficult to standardize explanations the stories produce. Psychologist David McClelland created a scoring system to help to introduce more strictness. Research that was conducted show that three factors (race, sex, and social class) influence what stories are told and how they are translated. The cards that are used have been criticized for having a gloomy and negative tone consequently limiting the degree of personality characteristics that can be explored using the TAT. Finally the TAT which follows the Freudian theory of repression has lost some of its pull in Western psychology which may cause its use to decline. Multicultural differences have to be taken in to account when scoring or interpreting the results. Different cultures may see the cards differently because of their background. Their story could be considered normal in their culture. In addition, the 1992 Code of Ethics of the American Psychological Association requires examiners to be knowledgeable about cultural and social differences, and to be responsible in interpreting test results with regard to these differences† (Frey). When the cards were first created, all of the figures were white so the cards now have more variety just in case it was an issue. Cards are created for each culture that is using them to keep the photos relevant to them. Personality tests have evolved over the years but the Thematic Apperception Test is still in use. It started with a controversial beginning as far as authorship and contributors. Some would say that this test is reliable and a valid way to help assess someone’s personality type in conjunction with other test. Every test has weakness and precautions need to be taken to help avoid any validation issues.