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| Hermann Rorschach (1884–1922) invented the 'ink blot' personality test. |
What is the ink blot test?
It was designed as a diagnostic tool to be used in controlled clinical settings. It uses ten standard black or coloured inkblot designs to assess personality traits and emotional tendencies.
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| The ink blot test: what do you see? |
The aim was to provide insight into the mental processes involved with what was broadly termed schizophrenia.
Who was Hermann Rorschach?
A research scientist in the (then) emerging field of psychiatry. Rorschach died soon after completing his research paper Psychodiagnostik (1921). He had cautioned that ‘that the test is primarily an aid to clinical diagnosis’.
Why did his test become so famous?
This initial intention was diluted as the test grew in popularity. Over time it was used in non clincal settings'. In the 1940s, it was adapted for use in occupational assessment and other areas of social science.
By the last decades of the 20th century it had evolved into a more generic 'personality test
How is the phrase used now?
In contemporary English, the term Rorschach test is most often used metaphorically to describe what psychologists call projective assessment.
Put simply, this suggests that how you interpret a new piece of information depends on your 'priors' or pre-existing assumptions.