Projective personality measures

Projective tests
Projective tests allow for a much freer type of response. An example of this would be the Rorschach test, in which a person states what each of ten ink blots might be. The terms "objective test" and "projective test" have recently come under criticism in the Journal of Personality Assessment. The more descriptive "rating scale or self-report measures" and "free response measures" are suggested, rather than the terms "objective tests" and "projective tests," respectively. There remains some controversy regarding the utility and validity of projective testing which is based on Freud's concept of projecting one's own personality attributes onto a neutral stimulus. However, many practitioners continue to rely on projective testing, and some testing experts (e.g., Cohen, Anastasi) suggest that these measures can be useful in developing therapeutic rapport. The most widely used scoring system for the Rorschach is Exner's Comprehensive System. Another common projective test is the Thematic Apperception Test (Murray, 1943, which is often scored with Drew Westen's (1991) Social Cognition and Object Relations Scales and Phebe Cramer's Defense Mechanisms Manual (1991). Both "rating scale" and "free response" measures are used in contemporary clinical practice.