Thematic Apperception Test Use in Psychotherapy Evaluation


Thematic Apperception Test Use in Psychotherapy Evaluation


Kelly J. Walk, Suchika Siotia

Fielding Graduate University


The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a projective construction technique used to identify individual responses to ambiguous stimuli. The TAT may also be used to assess one’s object relations and to understand how one uses object representations to interpret interpersonal situations illustrated on TAT cards. While the TAT has not been widely used in assessing psychopathology, a few studies have investigated its use in identifying psychopathic traits.
A review of available studies indicated the TAT has only been used minimally in the assessment of psychopathology, and even less so in the evaluation of psychopathy. To date, use of the Westen’s SCORS scoring system has provided varied results, with the greatest support for valid use of the TAT in assessing psychopathy found in borderline personality disorder evaluation (Garb et al., 2002).


Keywords: Thematic Apperception Test, psychopathy evaluation


Free Full-text PDF


How to cite this article:

Kelly J. Walk, Suchika Siotia. Thematic Apperception Test Use in Psychotherapy Evaluation. International Journal of Psychological Research and Reviews, 2023, 6:70. DOI: 10.28933/ijprr-2023-05-3006kwss


References

1. Arzul, J. P. (2005). An investigation into the object relational patterns of violent male juvenile offenders. (82). [Masters thesis, University of the Western Cape]. UWC Scholar – ETD Repository. http://hdl.handle.net/11394/1914
2. Blatt, S. J., & Ford, R. Q. (1994). Therapeutic change: An object relations perspective. New York: Plenum
3. Cramer, P. (1999a). Future directions for the thematic apperception test. Journal of Personality Assessment, 72(1), 74-92. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa7201_5
4. Cramer, P. (1999b). Personality, personality disorders, and defense mechanisms. Journal of Personality, 67(3), 535-554. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-6494.00064
5. Garb, H. N., Wood, J. M., Lilienfeld, S. O., & Nezworski, M. T. (2002). Effective use of projective techniques in clinical practice: Let the data help with selection and interpretation. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 33(5), 454–463. https://doi-org.fgul.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/0735-7028.33.5.454
6. Heinze, P. (2017). Psychopathy, unconscious shame and attachment: Considering the psychodynamics of psychopathy. Psychodynamic Practice, 23(1), 7–32. https://doi.org/10.1080/14753634.2016.1269663
7. Hibbard, S., Porcerelli, J., Kamoo, R., Schwartz, M., & Abell, S. (2010). Defense and object relational maturity on thematic apperception test scales indicate levels of personality organization. Journal of Personality Assessment, 92(3), 241-253. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891003670190
8. Lilienfeld, S. O., Wood, J. M., & Garb, H. N. (2000). The scientific status of projective techniques. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 1(2), 27–66. https://doi.org/10.1111/1529-1006.002
9. Malik, N., Hema, M. A., Sharma, U., Sharma, N., & Nagle, Y. K. (2018). Personality profiling of juvenile delinquents through thematic apperception test. Clinical Research in Psychology, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.33309/2639-9113.010205
10. Porcerelli, J. H., Abramsky, M. F., Hibbard, S., & Kamoo, R. (2001). Object relations and defense mechanisms of psychopathic serial sexual homicide perpetrator: A TAT analysis. Journal of Personality Assessment, 77(1), 87–104. https://doi.org/10.1207/S15327752JPA7701_06
11. Silver, A. W. (1963). TAT and MMPI psychopath deviant scale differences between delinquent and nondelinquent adolescents. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 27(4), 370. https://doi-org.fgul.idm.oclc.org/10.1037/h0046271
12. Stein, M. B., Slavin-Mulford, J., Sinclair, S. J., Siefert, C. J., & Blais, M. A. (2012). Exploring the construct validity of the social cognition and object relations scale in a clinical sample. Journal of Personality Assessment, 94(5), 533-540. https://doi.org/10.1080/00223891.2012.668594
13. Teglasi, H. (2010). Essentials of TAT and other storytelling assessments (Essentials of psychological assessment). New York: Wiley
14. Westen, D., & Ruffins, S. (1990). Object relations in borderline adolescents. Journal of the American Academy of Child Adolescent Psychiatry, 29, 38-348.
15. Winter, D. G. (1998). “Toward a science of personality psychology”: David McClelland’s development of empirically derived TAT measures. History of psychology, 1(2), 130-153. doi: 10.1037/1093-4510.1.2.130


Terms of Use/Privacy Policy/ Disclaimer/ Other Policies:
You agree that by using our site/services, you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by all of our terms of use/privacy policy/ disclaimer/ other policies (click here for details)


CC BY 4.0
This work and its PDF file(s) are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.