The Rorschach ink blot test was developed by Hermann Rorschach in the 1960s for the purpose of psychological testing. Despite its continued popularity in popular media (such as television and movies), it has fallen out of favor with the mental health community, under claims of unreliability, being biased, and just not providing valid information. It is generally no longer used, but the legend lives on.
The basic principle is similar to the “tell me the first word that comes to mind when I say a word” test. It is intended to show the underlying thoughts and emotions of the patient, by tricking them into revealing themselves through unconscious reaction. The tests were judged not only on the response given but for the time taken to respond, questions asked about what you could answer, if you held the card or rotated it around, if you noticed the number marker on the back of the card (as the cards were intended to be given in a specific order), if you covered part of the image to reveal your answer, and even your wording when giving a response (ie. Whether you said, “it looks like” or “it is”).
The cards did have correct answers, but alternate answers were also revealing of the patient’s real nature. If you gave an answer too quickly, you were judged negatively. You were judged negatively if you were too slow to answer. If you gave an answer that the image was not readily seen (if you couldn’t indicate which part of the image was the parts you gave as an answer vs. the overall feel of the blot), it was indicative of potential retardation or mental illness. If you gave multiple answers for things in the photo, it gave the possibility of issues, such as schizophrenia. Answering that it looked like an ink blot or giving too creative an answer was also judged against you. It is easy to see why the test is no longer considered a viable test by most of the mental health community.
Here we go with the plates.
Plate one: “This is a black and white card, often described as looking like a mask or the face of a fox or wolf. Possible Sexual Imagery: Breasts, primarily the rounded areas at the top of the image.”
I saw two bears prancing, carrying a large bell between them. I’m sure that would be on the “too creative” side.
Plate two: “This is a card with black and red ink, often described as people dancing or touching hands with each other. Possible Sexual Imagery: Male sex organ at top center or, in some cases, a vagina (at the center near the bottom).”
This may show a lot of my feelings on the subject. I saw a woman with red hair, looking in a mirror, wearing a fur coat that was dripping with blood.
Plate three: “This is a card with black and red ink, frequently visualized as two people facing each other or sometimes a butterfly or moth. Possible Sexual Imagery: Male sex organs and female breasts, right about where you would expect to find them.”
I saw two people lifting a trunk or suitcase between them.
Plate four: “A card with only black ink formed in a triangle-shaped blot. The two lower corners are often described as shoes or boots. This card may also be seen as viewing a person from below or a male figure with an enormous sex organ. Possible Sexual Imagery: A pair of male sex organs, typically seen at the top of the image. Some subjects may instead visualize a vagina in the upper center of the blot.”
I saw a bat hanging upside down, and it made me smile.
Plate five: “Another card with only black ink. The vast majority of test subjects will see a bat- or bird-like figure. This is by far the most common response. Possible Sexual Imagery: A pair of male sex organs at the very top of the inkblot.”
I saw a mothman, like those around Point Pleasant, WV.
Plate six: “A card with black ink showing an amorphous "splat" shape. This one can be hard to see anything in. Occasionally described as a foreshortened view of a person with their arms outstretched.
Possible Sexual Imagery: The head of the male sex organ (the portion at the top of the card) or alternately, a female sex organ (middle and bottom part of the card).”
Ok, on this one, I did see women’s genitalia, and it kind of freaked me out; because it looked sliced from the body and reminded me of Jack the Ripper.
Plate seven: “A card with only black ink. This card has a rough "V" shape sometimes described as faces pointing towards one another, "bunny ears", or similar visualizations. Possible Sexual Imagery: The female sex organs (seen at the bottom of the card where the figures join.”
I just saw the opening to a cave – not a vagina, a cave. Why do people see genitals on all of these?
Plate eight: “A very colorful card with blue, orange, pink, and gray ink. A roughly diamond-shaped image with lots of places to see things- a mask, animals climbing up the outsides, a moth or butterfly, a person with their arms akimbo, etc etc. Possible Sexual Imagery: Female sex organs, usually seen at the bottom of the card.”
I saw two pigs, dancing around a bonfire, holding a cloth of some kind between them, over the fire. Go figure…
Plate nine: “ Another colorful card, this time with orange, pink, and green inks. This one is tough to visualize anything specific in; most test subjects struggle to find something to "see" in it. Possible Sexual Imagery: Female sex organs, usually seen at the bottom of the card.”
I saw two red tulips that are on fire.
Plate ten: “This is the last Rorschach card and certainly the most colorful, consisting of blue, gray, pink, green, orange and yellow inks. It's a very complex mish-mash of shapes with lots of "activity" and plenty of places to "see" things. Possible Sexual Imagery: Male sex organs at the top center of the card.”
I saw Maypole dancers. Pretty.
I assure you, I would have not turned the cards and answered too quickly. I’m not sure what they would have done with me.
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