Ven. Gang Xiao: The Mysteries of the Zhou Yi — Psychology, Chapter 4: The Rorschach Test — Different Eyes, Different Insights

Chapter 4: The Rorschach Test — Different Eyes, Different Insights

Hermann Rorschach was born in 1884 in Zurich, Switzerland, and later became a practicing physician. His father was a painting teacher. In 1921, he invented the famous Rorschach inkblot test, but died in 1922 before he could pursue deeper research. He never earned a doctorate in his lifetime, though later scholars — such as S. J. Beck in the United States — received their doctorates through research on the test. Even today, researchers around the world continue to study Rorschach plates with the help of computers. Eugen Bleuler, who gave schizophrenia its name and was a world-renowned psychiatrist, offered this assessment of Rorschach: "Hermann Rorschach was the hope of an entire generation of Swiss psychiatry." Morgenthaler wrote of him: "Only those who understood the many facets of Hermann Rorschach's talent can know what his death meant — and still means — for Swiss psychiatry." These authorities all expressed deep regret at Rorschach's premature death; he was only thirty-eight.

The Rorschach test uses ten plates covered with inkblots that are roughly symmetrical on either side but blurred and ambiguous. They were made by splashing a few drops of ink onto a sheet of paper and folding it in half, letting the ink bleed across both sides. Not every image produced this way is usable, though — those chosen had to meet certain criteria. Rorschach selected ten plates from among thousands, five in black and white and five in color.

During testing, the subject is asked to engage in free association after viewing each plate, reporting what the image as a whole — or some part of it, or rotated — resembles or brings to mind. Through this process, one gains insight into the subject's personality, conscious tendencies, and unconscious inclinations. Confronted with an ambiguous image in this particular situation and asked on the spot what the figure (including its details and rotated views) looks like, the subject has to draw on what they already know while linking it to past life experiences and impressions. Their answers unconsciously connect with their own needs, motivations, psychological conflicts, and the like — revealing an inner image of who they are. In other words, the subject projects their inner world onto these inkblots.

A lesson called "Fiery Clouds" in today's elementary school textbooks describes watching clouds in the sky that look like one thing one moment and turn into something else the next. When I was young, I lived in an old house with walls mottled by age. I would gaze at the cracks and see them as one thing, then another after a while — much the same as a Rorschach test. Different people see different things in clouds and wall cracks.

Rorschach tested different subjects using standardized instructions and standardized inkblot plates, then analyzed the results. Responses can be examined from the following angles:

I. Location of responses.

1. Responses based on the whole figure.
2. Responses based on common details within the figure.
3. Responses based on uncommon details within the figure.
4. Responses based on the white spaces within the figure.

Location responses also have a quality dimension. Combining continuous or scattered regions of the figure is first-level; using only a single area is second-level; overlooking the figure's most obvious parts is third-level; and unusual, unreasonable responses that ordinary people would not give are fourth-level.

II. Determinants.

1. Responses based on the shape of the figure. Here too, quality is rated across four levels.
2. Responses in which the subject perceives movement — patrolling soldiers, a soaring eagle, a tossed plate, and so on.
3. Color responses. The response is based primarily on color — for instance, identifying a red area as a butterfly. To the ordinary eye, the shape doesn't really resemble a butterfly beyond the color. This falls into four cases: pure color responses with no shape or movement; color-led responses that then bring in shape and movement; shape-led responses that then bring in color; and responses that name only colors, such as white or yellow.
4. Achromatic responses. These mainly involve gray, black, or white, with no shape, color, or movement.
5. Shading responses. These include texture — for instance, "a soft carpet" — possibly involving shape, color, or movement; depth — a small island in the sea; and diffusion, where responses draw on amorphous qualities, like scattered tree shadows or thick smoke.
6. Form and space. Responses based mainly on size, shape, and spatial relationships, without texture or shading.
7. Pair responses.
8. Reflection responses. One half is seen as a boat on shore, the other as its reflection in the water.
9. Combinations of the above.
10. Popular responses. Based on norms compiled from many people's answers; responses close to the norm count as popular.

III. Content of responses.

1. Human figures: complete human bodies, human body parts, complete fictional or mythological human figures, or parts of such figures.
2. Animals: complete animals, animal parts, complete fictional or mythological animals, or parts of such figures.
3. Abstract responses, such as fear or anger.
4. Letters or Arabic numerals.
5. Human or animal anatomy, such as skulls or pelvises.
6. Anthropological responses, such as totems or ancient warriors.
7. Artistic responses, such as paintings or dance.
8. Plants.
9. Clothing.
10. Clouds, fog, frost, and the like.
11. Explosions.
12. Everyday foods.
13. Everyday furniture.
14. Landscapes.
15. Natural phenomena.
16. Genitalia or sexual activity.
17. Occupations and the like.

IV. Analysis formulas. Omitted.

V. Analysis of results. Systematic analysis and interpretation is highly complex. In brief, here's what to look for: the test generally takes 20–30 minutes. If the subject responds too quickly, it may point to mania; if too slowly, to depression. If the response is markedly slow, the person may be prone to illness (masked depression); if extremely slow, one should be alert to the risk of suicide. Many movement responses suggest creativity, emotional stability, and introversion. Many color responses suggest rich and shifting emotions, as well as quickness and agility. For total response count, a normal person gives 17–27 responses across the ten plates. Many responses with poor quality suggest mania; many with high quality tend to suggest introversion; few responses with high quality tend to suggest depression; few responses with poor quality often suggest an organic brain condition such as a brain tumor, or intellectual disability. Very few animal responses almost certainly indicate a dedicated artist, while an excessive share of animal responses (70–100%) points to a rigid pedant. Animal responses in the 20–35% range suggest the subject is in good spirits; at 25–50%, they suggest a depressed mood.

Differences in content, location, and determinants reflect different psychological and mental states, and can offer a sense of how an illness may progress. Because the methods are scientifically rigorous and the calculations intricate, I won't go into further detail.

Let me offer a few representative examples. One subject repeatedly saw the plates as dead animals or anatomical parts — a dead bear, a dead bat, a dog's pelt, human blood, a skull, and the like — and shortly afterward took his own life. Another suffered from anxiety without any identifiable cause, making treatment difficult. After a Rorschach test, it turned out he repeatedly saw genitalia or sexually suggestive imagery — thighs, chests, and so on. The problem was sexual in nature; once the cause was identified, treatment became straightforward.

The Rorschach plates leave plenty of room for the mind to wander: the same image gives rise to wildly different perceptions from one person to the next. This too accords with the principle from the Zhou Yi: "The benevolent see benevolence; the wise see wisdom."