Thematic apperception test. To the psychologist's piggy bank

Definition

Essence and purpose

History of the creation of the technique

Adaptations and modifications of the technique

Testing process

Instructions

Stimulus material

10. Stimulus material

11. Stimulus material

12. Description of stimulus material (example)

13. Interpretation of results

14. Case Study Example

15. List of used literature

PAT is a compact modified version of G. Murray's Thematic Apperception Test 1, which takes little time for examination and is adapted to the working conditions of a practical psychologist. A completely new stimulus material has been developed, which consists of contour plot pictures. They schematically depict human figures.

Murray's original test is a set of black and white tables with photographs of paintings by American artists. The pictures are divided into 10 male (intended for examining men), 10 female (intended for examining women) and 10 general. There are a total of 20 pictures in each set.

In addition, there is a children's set of pictures (CAT test), represented by 10 pictures, some of which are also included in the adult version of the technique.

TAT is one of the most in-depth personality tests 2. The absence of rigidly structured stimulus material creates the basis for a free interpretation of the plot by the subject, who is asked to write a story for each picture, using his own life experience and subjective ideas. The projection of personal experiences and identification with any of the heroes of the composed story allows us to determine the sphere of conflict (internal or external), the relationship between emotional reactions and rational attitude to the situation, the background of mood, the position of the individual (active, aggressive, passive or passive), the sequence of judgments, the ability to plan one’s activities, the level of neuroticism, the presence of deviations from the norm, difficulties in social adaptation, suicidal tendencies, pathological manifestations and much more. The great advantage of the technique is the non-verbal nature of the presented material. This increases the number of degrees of choice for the subject when creating stories.

During the research process, the person being examined outlines his stories (one, two or more) for each picture for 2–3 hours. The psychologist carefully records these statements on paper (or using a tape recorder), and then analyzes the subject’s oral creativity, identifies unconscious identification, identification of the subject with one of the characters in the plot and transfers his own experiences, thoughts and feelings into the plot (projection).

Frustrating situations are closely related to the specific environment and circumstances that can follow from the corresponding picture, either contributing to the fulfillment of the needs of the heroes (or hero), or preventing it. When determining significant needs, the experimenter pays attention to the intensity, frequency and duration of the subject’s fixation of attention on certain values ​​repeated in different stories.

The analysis of the data obtained is carried out mainly at a qualitative level, as well as with the help of simple quantitative comparisons, which makes it possible to assess the balance between the emotional and rational components of the personality, the presence of external and internal conflict, the scope of broken relationships, the position of the individual - active or passive, aggressive or passive ( in this case, a ratio of 1:1, or 50 to 50%, is considered as the norm, and a significant advantage in one direction or another is expressed in ratios of 2:1 or more).

Noting separately the different elements of each plot, the experimenter summarizes the answers reflecting a tendency to clarify (a sign of uncertainty, anxiety), pessimistic statements (depression), incompleteness of the plot and lack of perspective (uncertainty in the future, inability to plan it), the predominance of emotional responses (increased emotivity) etc. Special themes present in large numbers in the stories are death, serious illness, suicidal intentions, as well as disrupted sequence and poor logical coherence of plot blocks, the use of neologisms, reasoning, ambivalence in assessing “heroes” and events, emotional detachment, diversity of perception of pictures, stereotypy can serve as serious arguments in identifying personal disintegration.

GENERAL DESCRIPTION

A simplified version of the thematic apperception test is the one we developed. PAT method(drawn apperception test). It is convenient for studying the personal problems of a teenager. With the help of identification and projection mechanisms, deep-seated experiences that are not always controllable by consciousness are revealed, as well as those aspects of internal conflict and those areas of disturbed interpersonal relationships that can significantly influence the behavior of a teenager and the educational process.

Stimulus material techniques (see Fig. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ) presented 8th contour drawings depicting 2, less often 3, people. Each character is depicted in a conventional manner: neither his gender, nor age, nor social status is clear. At the same time, the poses, the expression of gestures, and the particular arrangement of the figures allow us to judge that each of the pictures either depicts a conflict situation, or two characters are involved in complex interpersonal relationships. Where there is a third participant or observer of events, his position can be interpreted as indifferent, active or passive.

The stimulus material of this technique is even less structured than in TAT. The era, cultural and ethnic characteristics are not visible here, there are no social shades that are clearly visible in the TAT pictures (subjects’ responses to some of them: “American soldiers in Vietnam”, “Trophy film”, “Hairstyles and foreign style fashion of the 20s " etc.). This clearly interferes with the subject’s direct perception, distracts, makes it possible to produce cliché-type answers (taken from films or other well-known sources) and contributes to the subject’s closeness in the experiment.

The drawn apperception test, due to its brevity and simplicity, has found application in examining schoolchildren and in family counseling, especially in conflict situations related to the problem of difficult adolescents. It is not recommended to use the technique on children under 12 years of age.

The positive side of the PAT test is that examination using this technique can be carried out simultaneously on a whole group of children, including in the classroom.

PROGRESS OF THE INVESTIGATION

The examination is carried out as follows.

The subject (or a group of subjects) is given the task to examine each picture sequentially, according to numbering, while trying to give free rein to their imagination and compose a short story for each of them, which will reflect the following aspects:

1) What is happening at the moment?
2) Who are these people?
3) What are they thinking and feeling?
4) What led to this situation and how will it end?

There is also a request not to use well-known plots that can be taken from books, theatrical performances or films, that is, to invent only your own. It is emphasized that the object of the experimenter’s attention is the subject’s imagination, the ability to invent, and the wealth of fantasy.

Usually, each child is given a double notebook sheet, on which, most often, eight short stories are freely placed, containing answers to all the questions posed. To prevent children from feeling limited, you can give two of these sheets. There is also no time limit, but the experimenter urges the children to get more immediate answers.

In addition to analyzing stories and their content, the psychologist is given the opportunity to analyze the child’s handwriting, writing style, manner of presentation, language culture, vocabulary, which is also of great importance for assessing the personality as a whole.

Protective tendencies can manifest themselves in the form of somewhat monotonous plots where there is no conflict: we can talk about dancing or gymnastic exercises, yoga classes.

WHAT THE STORIES TELL ABOUT

1st picture provokes the creation of stories that reveal the child’s attitude to the problem of power and humiliation. To understand which of the characters the child identifies with, you should pay attention to which of them in the story he pays more attention to and attributes stronger feelings to, gives reasons justifying his position, non-standard thoughts or statements.

The length of the story also largely depends on the emotional significance of a particular plot.

2, 5 and 7th pictures are more associated with conflict situations (for example, family), where difficult relationships between two people are experienced by someone else who cannot decisively change the situation. Often a teenager sees himself in the role of this third party: he does not find understanding and acceptance in his family, suffers from constant quarrels and aggressive relationships between mother and father, often associated with their alcoholism. At the same time, the position third party may be indifferent ( 2nd picture), passive or passive in the form of avoidance of interference ( 5th picture), peacekeeping or other attempt to intervene ( 7th picture).

3rd and 4th pictures more often provoke the identification of conflict in the sphere of personal, love or friendly relationships. The stories also show themes of loneliness, abandonment, frustrated need for warm relationships, love and affection, misunderstanding and rejection in the team.

2nd picture most often causes an emotional response in emotionally unstable adolescents, reminds of meaningless outbursts of uncontrollable emotions, while about 5th pictures More plots are constructed that involve a duel of opinions, an argument, the desire to blame another and justify oneself.

Argumentation of one’s rightness and the subjects’ experience of resentment in stories about 7th picture are often resolved by mutual aggression between the characters. What matters here is which position prevails in the hero with whom the child identifies himself: extrapunitive (the accusation is directed outward) or intropunitive (the accusation is directed towards oneself).

6th picture provokes aggressive reactions of the child in response to the injustice he subjectively experiences. With the help of this picture (if the subject identifies himself with a defeated person), the sacrificial position, humiliation is revealed.

8th picture reveals the problem of the object’s rejection of emotional attachment or flight from the annoying persecution of the person he rejects. A sign of identifying oneself with one or another character in a story is the tendency to attribute plot-developed experiences and thoughts to precisely that character who in the story turns out to belong to the same gender as the subject. It is interesting to note that with equal conviction the same pictorial image is recognized by one child as a man, by another as a woman, while each has complete confidence that this cannot raise any doubts.

“Look how she sits! Judging by the pose, this is a girl (or girl, woman),” says one. “This is definitely a boy (or a man), you can see right away!” says another. In this case, the subjects look at the same picture. This example once again clearly demonstrates the pronounced subjectivity of perception and the tendency to attribute very specific qualities to the very amorphous stimulus material of techniques. This happens in those individuals for whom the situation depicted in the picture is emotionally significant.

Of course, an oral story or additional discussion of written stories is more informative, but during a group examination it is more convenient to limit yourself to a written presentation.

The interpersonal conflict, which sounds in virtually every picture, not only makes it possible to determine the zone of disturbed relationships experienced by the child with others, but often highlights a complex intrapersonal conflict.

So, a 16-year-old girl, based on the 4th picture, constructs the following plot: “He declared his love to the girl. She answered him: “No.” He's leaving. She is proud and cannot admit that she loves him, because she believes that after such a confession she will become a slave to her feelings, and she cannot agree to this. He will suffer in silence. Someday they will meet: he is with someone else, she is married (although she does not love her husband). She has already gotten over her feeling, but he still remembers her. Well, so be it, but it’s calmer. She is invulnerable."

There is a lot of personal stuff in this story that doesn’t follow from the picture. The external conflict is clearly secondary and is based on a pronounced intrapersonal conflict: the need for love and deep affection is frustrated. The girl is afraid of possible failure. Painful pride, developed on the basis of negative life experiences, blocks free self-realization and spontaneity of feelings, forces her to give up love, so as not to increase the level of already high anxiety and self-doubt.

When studying the problems of a teenager in family situations, RAT clearly identifies his position. It is unlikely that a teenager himself could tell a better story about himself: self-understanding and life experience at this age are at a fairly low level.

Self-understanding and awareness of one’s own role in complex conflicts of everyday situations are also poorly expressed in children with a high level of neuroticism, emotionally unstable or impulsive.

In this regard, psychological research using RAT contributes to a more targeted choice of psychocorrectional approach, not only with a focus on the content side and sphere of the subject’s experiences, but also with an appeal to a certain linguistic and intellectual-cultural level of the personality of the child being consulted by a psychologist.

Lyudmila SOBCHIK,
Doctor of Psychology

1 G. Murray. Personality. N.Y., 1960.
2 Leontyev D.A. Thematic apperception test. M.: Smysl, 1998.

Directionality. This technique is aimed at identifying such

personal quality as egocentrism. Being essentially a projection

Using this method, data processing is carried out strictly standardized -

But. The speed of carrying out and processing the results is indispensable

The main advantage of this technique.

Egocentrism is not an independent diagnosis, but only

indicator: an indicator of the presence of deep, stable personal

problems. Egocentrism is a consequence of, if not all, then

most personality disorders: neuroses, psychopathy, accent

situations, inadequate mental states, etc. Egocentrism can

disappears almost always when a person has a feeling

inadequacy of one's own self in comparison with “other selves”. Following-

As a result of this, an “obsession” arises with one’s own “I”, one’s own

problems - a person perceives the world around him through the prism of his own

personal “I”, my problems.

Carrying out the methodology. The subject is offered on a separate form

ten unfinished sentences are written:

1. A few years ago...

2. In reality...

5. The easiest thing...

6. In a situation...

7. It is not true that...

8. There will be a time when...

9. The main problem...

After this, the instruction is given: “Before you are ten unfinished

proposals. Complete them. At the same time, try to think as much as possible

faster." Processing consists of counting the number of uses

in all ten sentences of proper names derived from “I”

(including “I” itself): “me”, “mine”, “mine”, etc.

The norm is 1-3 mentions. With the number of mentions

more than 6 we can talk about pronounced egocentrism.

Tat: Stimulus material

The stimulus material of the TAT projective technique consists of a set of cards containing a plot of uncertain content. Below you can see links to graphic files in png format, each of which contains one of the cards. The size of each file is approximately 100-200 kB. If you want to view the cards before downloading, you need to enable the option to show pictures in your browser.

Eats "House-Tree-Man"

This - one of the most famous - projective methods of personality research was proposed by J. Book in 1948. The test is intended for both adults and children, a group examination is possible.

The essence of the technique is as follows. The subject is asked to draw a house, a tree and a person. Then a survey is conducted according to the developed plan.

R. Berne, when using the DDH test, asks to depict a tree, a house and a person in one drawing, in one ongoing scene. The interaction between the house, the tree and the person is believed to represent a visual metaphor. If you put the whole drawing into action, then it is quite possible to notice what is really happening in our lives.

A special way of interpretation may be the order in which the drawing of the house, tree and person is made. If a tree is drawn first, it means that the main thing for a person is vital energy. If the house is drawn first, then safety, success, or, conversely, neglect of these concepts comes first.

Interpretation of features in the test "House. Tree. Person"

"House"

The house is old, falling apart - sometimes the subject can express his attitude towards himself in this way.

Home away - a feeling of rejection (rejection).

Home nearby – openness, accessibility and/or a feeling of warmth and hospitality.

The plan of the house (projection from above) instead of the house itself is a serious conflict.

Various buildings - aggression directed against the actual owner of the house or rebellion against what the subject considers artificial and cultural standards.

The shutters are closed - the subject is able to adapt in interpersonal relationships.

Steps leading into a blank wall (without doors) are a reflection of a conflict situation that is detrimental to a correct assessment of reality. Inaccessibility of the subject (although he himself may desire free cordial communication).

Walls

The back wall, located unusually, represents conscious attempts at self-control, adaptation to conventions, but at the same time there are strong hostile tendencies.

The outline of the back wall is much brighter (thicker) compared to other details - the subject strives to maintain (not lose) contact with reality.

A wall, the absence of its base - weak contact with reality (if the drawing is placed below).

A wall with an accentuated outline of the base - the subject is trying to displace conflicting tendencies, experiencing difficulties and anxiety.

A wall with an accentuated horizontal dimension means poor orientation in time (dominance of the past or future). The subject may be sensitive to environmental pressure.

Wall: the side contour is too thin and inadequate - a premonition (threat) of disaster.

Wall: the contours of the line are too accentuated - a conscious desire to maintain control.

Wall: one-dimensional perspective - only one side is depicted. If it is a side wall, there are serious tendencies towards alienation and opposition.

Transparent walls are an unconscious attraction, the need to influence (own, organize) the situation as much as possible.

A wall with an accentuated vertical dimension - the subject seeks pleasure primarily in fantasies and has less contact with reality than is desirable.

Doors

Their absence means the subject experiences difficulties in trying to open up to others (especially in the home circle).

Doors (one or more), back or side - retreat, detachment, avoidance.

Doors are open - the first sign of frankness and achievability.

The doors are open. If the house is residential, this is a strong need for warmth from the outside or a desire to demonstrate accessibility (frankness).

Side doors (one or more) - alienation, solitude, rejection of reality. Significant inaccessibility.

The doors are very large - excessive dependence on others or the desire to surprise with your social sociability.

The doors are very small - reluctance to let you into your “I”. Feelings of inadequacy, inadequacy, and hesitancy in social situations.

Doors with a huge lock - hostility, suspiciousness, secrecy, defensive tendencies.

The smoke is very thick - significant internal tension (intensity based on smoke density).

Smoke in a thin stream - a feeling of lack of emotional warmth at home.

Window

The first floor is drawn at the end - aversion to interpersonal relationships. Tendency to isolate from reality.

The windows are very open - the subject behaves somewhat cheekily and straightforwardly. Many windows show readiness for contacts, and the absence of curtains shows a lack of desire to hide your feelings.

The windows are closed (curtained). Concern with interaction with the environment (if this is significant for the subject).

Windows without glass - hostility, alienation. The absence of windows on the ground floor means hostility, alienation.

There are no windows on the lower floor, but there are on the upper floor - a gap between real life and fantasy life.

Roof

The roof is a realm of fantasy. The roof and chimney, torn off by the wind, symbolically express the subject's feelings of being commanded, regardless of his own willpower.

The roof, a bold outline, unusual for the drawing, is a fixation on fantasies as a source of pleasure, usually accompanied by anxiety.

The roof, the thin contour of the edge - the experience of weakening fantasy control.

Roof, thick outline of the edge - excessive preoccupation with control over fantasy (its curbing).

A roof that does not fit well with the lower floor is a bad personal organization.

The eaves of the roof, its accentuation with a bright outline or extension beyond the walls, is a highly protective (usually suspicious) installation.

Room

Associations may arise due to:

1) the person living in the room,

2) interpersonal relationships in the room,

3) the purpose of this room (real or attributed to it).

Associations can have a positive or negative emotional connotation.

A room that does not fit on the sheet is the subject’s reluctance to depict certain rooms due to unpleasant associations with them or with their occupant.

The subject chooses the nearest room - suspiciousness.

Bath – performs a sanitary function. If the manner in which the bath is depicted is significant, these functions may be impaired.

Pipe

Absence of a pipe - the subject feels a lack of psychological warmth at home.

The pipe is almost invisible (hidden) - reluctance to deal with emotional influences.

The pipe is drawn obliquely in relation to the roof - the norm for a child; significant regression if found in adults.

Drainpipes - enhanced protection and usually suspicious.

Water pipes (or roof drains) are enhanced protective installations (and usually increased suspiciousness).

Add-ons

The transparent, “glass” box symbolizes the experience of putting oneself on display for everyone to see. He is accompanied by a desire to demonstrate himself, but limited only to visual contact.

Trees often symbolize different faces. If they seem to be “hiding” the house, there may be a strong need for dependency with parental dominance.

Bushes sometimes symbolize people. If they are closely surrounding the house, there may be a strong desire to protect themselves with protective barriers.

Bushes are scattered chaotically throughout the space or on both sides of the path - a slight anxiety within the framework of reality and a conscious desire to control it.

A path, good proportions, easily drawn - shows that the individual displays tact and self-control in contacts with others.

The road is very long - reduced availability, often accompanied by the need for more adequate socialization.

The path is very wide at the beginning and narrows greatly at the house - an attempt to disguise the desire to be alone, combined with superficial friendliness.

Weather (what kind of weather is depicted) – reflects the subject’s experiences as a whole associated with the environment. Most likely, the worse, more unpleasant the weather is depicted, the more likely it is that the subject perceives the environment as hostile and constraining.

Color Color; its usual use: green - for the roof; brown - for walls;

yellow, if used only to depict the light inside the house, thereby depicting night or its approach, expresses the feelings of the subject, namely:

1) the environment is hostile to him,

2) his actions must be hidden from prying eyes.

Number of Colors Used: A well-adjusted, shy, and emotionally uninvolved subject will typically use at least two and no more than five colors. A subject who paints a house with seven or eight colors is, at best, very labile. Anyone who uses only one color is afraid of emotional excitement. Color selection

The longer, more uncertainly and harder the subject selects colors, the greater the likelihood of having personality disorders.

The color black is shyness, timidity.

The color green is the need to have a sense of security, to protect oneself from danger. This position is not so important when using green for the branches of a tree or the roof of a house.

The color orange is a combination of sensitivity and hostility.

The color purple is a strong need for power. The color red is the most sensitive. The need for warmth from the environment.

Color, shading 3/4 sheet - lack of control over the expression of emotions.

Hatching that extends beyond the boundaries of the drawing is a tendency toward an impulsive response to additional stimulation. The color yellow is a strong sign of hostility.

General form

Placing a drawing on the edge of a sheet is a generalized feeling of uncertainty, danger. Often associated with a specific time value:

a) the right side is the future, the left is the past,

b) related to the purpose of the room or its permanent occupant,

c) indicating the specificity of experiences: the left side is emotional, the right side is intellectual.

Perspective

Perspective “above the subject” (look from bottom to top) – a feeling that the subject is rejected, removed, not recognized at home. Or the subject feels the need for a home, which he considers inaccessible, unattainable.

Perspective, the drawing is depicted in the distance - a desire to move away from conventional society. Feeling of isolation, rejection. There is a clear tendency to isolate oneself from one’s surroundings. The desire to reject, not to recognize this drawing or what it symbolizes. Perspective, signs of “loss of perspective” (the individual correctly draws one end of the house, but draws the vertical line of the roof and walls at the other - does not know how to depict depth) - signals the beginning of difficulties in integration, fear of the future (if the vertical side line is on the right) or desire forget the past (line on the left).

Triple perspective (three-dimensional, the subject draws at least four separate walls, on which not even two are in the same plan) - excessive concern with the opinions of others about oneself. The desire to keep in mind (to recognize) all connections, even minor ones, all features.

Placement of the picture

Placing the picture above the center of the sheet - the larger the picture is above the center, the more likely it is that:

1) the subject feels the severity of the struggle and the relative unattainability of the goal;

2) the subject prefers to seek satisfaction in fantasies (internal tension);

3) the subject tends to stay aloof.

Placing the drawing exactly in the center of the sheet is insecurity and rigidity (straightness). The need for careful control to maintain mental balance.

Placing the design below the center of the sheet - the lower the design is relative to the center of the sheet, the more it looks like:

1) the subject feels unsafe and uncomfortable, and this creates a depressive mood in him;

2) the subject feels limited, constrained by reality.

Placing a picture on the left side of the sheet is an emphasis on the past. Impulsiveness.

Placing a picture in the upper left corner of the sheet is a tendency to avoid new experiences. The desire to go into the past or delve into fantasies.

Placing a picture on the right half of the sheet means the subject is inclined to seek pleasure in the intellectual spheres. Controlled behavior. Emphasis on the future.

The drawing goes beyond the left edge of the sheet - fixation on the past and fear of the future. Excessive preoccupation with free, overt emotional experiences.

Going beyond the right edge of the sheet is a desire to “escape” into the future in order to get rid of the past. Fear of open, free experiences. The desire to maintain tight control over the situation.

Going beyond the top edge of the sheet is a fixation on thinking and fantasy as sources of pleasure that the subject does not experience in real life.

The contours are very straight - rigidity.

A sketchy outline, used constantly - at best, pettiness, a desire for accuracy, at worst - an indication of the inability to take a clear position.

Scheme of FIGURE PROCESSING IN THE "HOUSE" TEST

№ Selected feature

1. Schematic illustration

2. Detailed image

3. Metaphorical image

4. Town house

5. Country house

6. Borrowing from a literary or fairy tale plot

7. Availability of windows and their number

8. Presence of doors

9. Pipe with smoke

10. Window shutters

11. Window size

12. Overall size of the house

13. Presence of a front garden

14. Presence of people near the house and in the house

15. Having a porch

16. The presence of curtains on the windows

17. Availability of plants (quantity)

18. Number of animals

19. The presence of a landscape image (clouds, sun, mountains, etc.)

20. Presence of shading on intensity scale 1,2,3

21. Line thickness on intensity scale 1, 2, 3

22. The door is open

23. The door is closed

“Human"

Head

Sphere of intelligence (control). Sphere of imagination. A big head is an unconscious emphasis on the belief about the importance of thinking in human activity.

Small head - experience of intellectual inadequacy.

Fuzzy head – shyness, timidity. The head is depicted at the very end - interpersonal conflict.

A large head on a figure of the opposite sex is an imaginary superiority of the opposite sex and its higher social authority.

An organ symbolizing the connection between the sphere of control (head) and the sphere of drive (body). Thus, this is their focal point.

The neck is emphasized - the need for protective intellectual control.

Excessively large neck - awareness of bodily impulses, trying to control them.

Long thin neck – inhibition, regression.

A thick, short neck is a sign of concessions to one’s weaknesses and desires, an expression of unsuppressed impulse.

Shoulders, their sizes

A sign of physical strength or need for power. Shoulders are excessively large—a feeling of great strength or excessive preoccupation with power and authority.

Shoulders are small – a feeling of low value, insignificance. Shoulders that are too angular are a sign of excessive caution and protection.

Sloping shoulders - despondency, despair, guilt, lack of vitality.

Broad shoulders - strong bodily impulses.

Torso

Symbolizes masculinity.

The body is angular or square - masculinity.

The body is too large - the presence of unsatisfied needs that are acutely aware of the subject.

The torso is abnormally small - a feeling of humiliation, low value.

Face

Facial features include eyes, ears, mouth, nose. This is sensory contact with reality.

The face is emphasized - strong concern about relationships with others, one’s appearance.

The chin is too emphasized - the need to dominate.

The chin is too large - compensation for perceived weakness and indecision.

Ears are too emphasized - auditory hallucinations are possible. Occurs in those who are especially sensitive to criticism.

Small ears - the desire not to accept any criticism, to drown it out.

Eyes closed or hidden under the brim of a hat - a strong desire to avoid unpleasant visual influences.

The eyes are depicted as empty sockets - a significant desire to avoid visual stimuli. Hostility. Eyes bulging - rudeness, callousness. Small eyes – self-absorption. Eyeliner - rudeness, callousness. Long eyelashes - flirtatiousness, a tendency to seduce, seduce, demonstrate oneself.

Full lips on a man’s face are femininity. The clown's mouth is forced friendliness, inadequate feelings.

The mouth is sunken - passive significance. The nose is wide, prominent, with a hump - contemptuous attitudes, a tendency to think in ironic social stereotypes.

Nostrils – primitive aggression. The teeth are clearly drawn - aggressiveness. The face is unclear, dull - timidity, shyness. The facial expression is obsequious - insecurity. A face that looks like a mask means caution, secrecy, possible feelings of depersonalization and alienation.

Eyebrows sparse, short ~ – contempt, sophistication.

A sign of masculinity (bravery, strength, maturity and the desire for it).

Hair heavily shaded - anxiety associated with thinking or imagination.

The hair is not shaded, not painted over, frames the head - the subject is controlled by hostile feelings.

Limbs

Hands are tools for more perfect and sensitive adaptation to the environment, mainly in interpersonal relationships.

Wide arms (arm span) – intense desire for action.

Hands wider at the palm or at the shoulder - insufficient control of actions and impulsiveness.

Arms depicted not together with the body, but separately, extended to the sides - the subject sometimes catches himself in actions or actions that are out of his control.

Hands crossed on the chest - a hostile and suspicious attitude.

Hands behind your back - unwillingness to give in, to compromise (even with friends). The tendency to control the manifestation of aggressive, hostile impulses.

Arms are long and muscular - the subject needs physical strength, dexterity, courage as compensation.

Arms too long - overly ambitious aspirations.

Hands are relaxed and flexible – good adaptability in interpersonal relationships.

Arms tense and pressed to the body - clumsiness, rigidity.

Arms are very short – lack of aspirations along with a feeling of inadequacy.

Hands too large - strong need for better adjustment in social relationships with feelings of inadequacy and a tendency to impulsive behavior.

Lack of hands - a feeling of inadequacy with high intelligence.

Deformation or emphasis of an arm or leg on the left side is a social-role conflict.

Hands are depicted close to the body - tension. A man’s large arms and legs mean rudeness, callousness. Tapering arms and legs are feminine. Long arms - a desire to achieve something, to take possession of something.

Arms are long and weak - dependence, indecisiveness, need for care.

Hands turned to the sides, reaching for something - dependence, desire for love, affection.

Arms extended at the sides - difficulties in social contacts, fear of aggressive impulses.

Strong hands – aggressiveness, energy. Hands are thin, weak - a feeling of insufficiency of what has been achieved.

The hand is like a boxing glove - repressed aggression. Hands behind your back or in your pockets – guilt, self-doubt.

Hands are unclearly outlined - lack of self-confidence in activities and social relationships.

Large hands are a compensation for perceived weakness and guilt. Hands are missing from the female figure. – The maternal figure is perceived as unloving, rejecting, unsupportive.

Fingers are separated (chopped off) - repressed aggression, isolation.

Thumbs – rudeness, callousness, aggression. More than five fingers – aggressiveness, ambition.

Fingers without palms - rudeness, callousness, aggression.

Less than five fingers – dependence, powerlessness. Long fingers - hidden aggression. Fingers clenched into fists - rebellion, protest. Fists pressed to the body - repressed protest. Fists far from the body - open protest. Fingers large, like nails (thorns) - hostility.

The fingers are one-dimensional, surrounded by a loop - conscious efforts against aggressive feelings.

Legs are disproportionately long – a strong need for independence and the desire for it.

Legs too short – feeling of physical or psychological awkwardness.

The drawing began with the feet and legs - timidity. Feet are not depicted - isolation, timidity. Legs wide apart - outright neglect (insubordination, ignoring or insecurity).

Legs of unequal sizes - ambivalence in the desire for independence.

No legs - timidity, isolation. Legs are emphasized - rudeness, callousness. Feet are a sign of mobility (physiological or psychological) in interpersonal relationships.

Feet are disproportionately long – a need for safety. The need to demonstrate masculinity.

Feet are disproportionately small - stiffness, dependence.

Pose

The face is depicted in such a way that the back of the head is visible - a tendency towards isolation.

Head in profile, body in front - anxiety caused by the social environment and the need for communication.

A person sitting on the edge of a chair - a strong desire to find a way out of the situation, fear, loneliness, suspicion.

A person depicted running means a desire to run away, to hide from someone.

A person with visible imbalances in proportions in relation to the right and left sides is a lack of personal balance.

A person without certain parts of the body indicates rejection, non-recognition of the person as a whole or his missing parts (actually or symbolically depicted).

A person is in a blind flight - panic fears are possible.

A person with a smooth, easy step is good adaptability.

The person is an absolute profile - serious detachment, isolation and oppositional tendencies.

The profile is ambivalent - certain parts of the body are depicted on the other side in relation to the rest, looking in different directions - particularly strong frustration with the desire to get rid of an unpleasant situation.

Unbalanced standing figure – tension.

Dolls - compliance, the experience of dominance of the environment.

A robot instead of a male figure – depersonalization, a feeling of external controlling forces.

Stick figure - can mean prevarication and negativism.

The figure of Baba Yaga is open hostility towards women.

Clown, caricature - a feeling of inferiority characteristic of teenagers. Hostility, self-contempt.

Background. Environment

Clouds – fearful anxiety, fears, depression. Fence for support, contour of the ground - insecurity. The figure of a person in the wind represents the need for love, affection, caring warmth.

The line of the base (earth) is insecurity. It represents the necessary point of reference (support) for constructing the integrity of the drawing and provides stability. The meaning of this line sometimes depends on the quality the subject attaches to it, for example, “the boy is skating on thin ice.” The base is often drawn under a house or tree, less often under a person.

The weapon is aggression.

Multifaceted criteria

Broken lines, erased details, omissions, accentuation, shading are areas of conflict.

Buttons, a belt plaque, the vertical axis of the figure is emphasized, pockets - dependence.

Circuit. Pressure. Hatching. Location Few bent lines, many sharp corners - aggressiveness, poor adaptation.

Rounded (rounded) lines – femininity. The combination of confident, bright and light contours is rude and callous.

The outline is dim, unclear - fearfulness, timidity. Energetic, confident touches – perseverance, safety.

Lines of unequal brightness - voltage. Thin extended lines – tension. An unbroken, emphasized contour framing the figure is isolation.

Sketch outline – anxiety, timidity. A circuit break is a sphere of conflict. The line is emphasized - anxiety, insecurity. The sphere of conflicts. Regression (especially in relation to the emphasized detail).

Jagged, uneven lines - insolence, hostility. Confident, strong lines – ambition, zeal.

The bright line is rudeness. Strong pressure – energy, persistence. Great tension.

Light lines – lack of energy. Light pressure – low energy resources, stiffness.

Lines with pressure – aggressiveness, persistence.

Uneven, unequal pressure – impulsiveness, instability, anxiety, insecurity.

Changeable pressure – emotional instability, labile moods.

Stroke length

If the patient is excitable, the strokes are shortened; if not, they are lengthened.

Straight strokes – stubbornness, perseverance, perseverance. Short strokes – impulsive behavior. Rhythmic shading – sensitivity, sympathy, looseness.

Short, sketchy strokes – anxiety, uncertainty. The strokes are angular, constrained - tension, isolation.

Horizontal strokes - emphasizing imagination, femininity, weakness.

Vague, varied, changeable strokes - insecurity, lack of perseverance, perseverance.

Vertical strokes – stubbornness, perseverance, determination, hyperactivity.

Hatching from right to left – introversion, isolation. Shading from left to right - the presence of motivation. Self-shading – aggression, extraversion. Erasures – anxiety, apprehension. Frequent erasures – indecision, dissatisfaction with oneself. Erasing during redrawing (if the redrawing is more perfect) is a good sign.

Erasing with subsequent damage (deterioration) of the drawing is the presence of a strong emotional reaction to the object being drawn or to what it symbolizes for the subject.

Erasing without an attempt to redraw (i.e., correct) is an internal conflict or conflict with this particular detail (or with what it symbolizes).

Large drawing - expansiveness, a tendency towards vanity, arrogance.

Small figures – anxiety, emotional dependence, feelings of discomfort and constraint.

A very small figure with a thin outline - stiffness, a sense of one’s own worthlessness and insignificance.

The lack of symmetry is insecurity.

The drawing at the very edge of the sheet is dependence, self-doubt.

A drawing on the entire sheet is a compensatory exaltation of oneself in the imagination.

Details

What is important here is knowledge of them, the ability to operate with them and adapt to specific practical living conditions. The researcher must note the degree of interest of the subject in such things, the degree of realism with which he perceives them; the relative importance he attaches to them; a way to connect these parts together.

Substantial Detail - The absence of significant detail in a drawing of a subject who is now or in the recent past known to be of average or higher intelligence is more likely to indicate intellectual degradation or severe emotional disturbance.

An excess of details - the “inevitability of physicality” (the inability to limit oneself) indicates a forced need to improve the entire situation, an excessive concern for the environment. The nature of the details (significant, unimportant or strange) can serve to more accurately determine the specificity of sensitivity.

Unnecessary duplication of details - the subject most likely does not know how to enter into tactful and flexible contacts with people.

Insufficient detail – tendencies towards isolation. Particularly meticulous detailing - constraint, pedantry.

Task orientation

The ability to critically evaluate a drawing when asked to criticize it is a criterion for not losing contact with reality.

Accepting the task with minimal protest is a good start, followed by fatigue and interruption of drawing.

Apologizing because of the drawing is not enough confidence.

As drawing progresses, the pace and productivity decrease - rapid exhaustion.

The name of the picture is extraversion, need and support. Pettiness.

The left half of the picture is emphasized – identification with the female gender.

Draws persistently, despite difficulties - good prognosis, energy.

Resistance, refusal to draw - hiding problems, unwillingness to reveal oneself.

“Tree"

The interpretation according to K. Koch is based on the provisions of K. Jung (a tree is a symbol of a standing person). The roots are the collective, the unconscious. Trunk – impulses, instincts, primitive stages. Branches – passivity or opposition to life.

The interpretation of a tree drawing always contains a permanent core (roots, trunk, branches) and ornamental elements (foliage, fruits, landscape). As already noted, K. Koch’s interpretation was aimed mainly at identifying pathological signs and characteristics of mental development. In our opinion, there are a number of contradictions in the interpretation, and there is also the use of concepts that are difficult to specify. For example, in the interpretation of the sign “rounded crown”, “lack of energy”, “drowsiness”, “nodding” and then “gift of observation”, “strong imagination”, “frequent inventor” or “lack of concentration” - what? What reality is behind this concept? Remains unknown. In addition, the interpretation of signs contains excessive use of ordinary definitions. For example: “emptiness”, “pomposity”, “pomposity”, “flat”, “vulgar”, “petty”, “narrow-minded”, “pretentiousness”, “pretense”, “stiffness”, “pretentiousness”, “falseness” and right there - “gift of constructiveness”, “ability for systematics”, “technical talent”; or a combination of “self-discipline”, “self-control”, “good manners” - “pomposity”, “swagger”, “indifference”, “indifference”.

We would like to draw attention to the fact that when communicating with normal people in the process of psychological counseling, it is hardly permissible to pronounce such epithets in their address.

The earth rises to the right edge of the picture - fervor, enthusiasm.

The earth sinks to the right edge of the sheet - loss of strength, lack of aspirations.

Roots

The roots are smaller than the trunk - a desire for something hidden, closed. The roots are equal to the trunk - a stronger curiosity that already poses a problem.

Roots larger than the trunk - intense curiosity, which can cause anxiety.

The roots are indicated by a line - childish behavior in relation to what is kept secret.

The roots in the form of two lines are the ability to distinguish and prudence in assessing the real; the different forms of these roots may be associated with the desire to live, suppress or express certain tendencies in an unfamiliar circle or close environment.

Symmetry is the desire to appear in harmony with the outside world. Marked tendency to restrain aggressiveness. Hesitation in choosing a position in relation to feelings, ambivalence, moral problems.

The arrangement on the sheet is ambiguous - the relationship to the past, to what the drawing depicts, i.e. to your action. Double desire: independence and protection within the environment. The central position is the desire to find agreement and balance with others. Indicates the need for rigid and rigorous systematization based on habits.

Arrangement from left to right - increases focus on the outside world, on the future. The need to rely on authority; seeking agreement with the outside world; ambition, the desire to impose oneself on others, a feeling of abandonment; fluctuations in behavior are possible.

Foliage shape

Round crown – exaltation, emotionality. Circles in foliage - the search for soothing and rewarding sensations, feelings of abandonment and disappointment.

Branches drooping - loss of courage, refusal of effort. Branches upward - enthusiasm, impulse, desire for power. Branches in different directions - search for self-affirmation, contacts, self-dispersal. Fussiness, sensitivity to the environment, lack of opposition to it.

Foliage-mesh, more or less dense - greater or less dexterity in avoiding problematic situations.

Foliage of curved lines - receptivity, open acceptance of the environment.

Open and closed foliage in one picture - a search for objectivity.

Closed foliage - protecting your inner world in a childish way.

Closed dense foliage is hidden aggressiveness. Details of foliage not related to the whole - insignificant details are taken as a characteristic of the phenomenon as a whole.

The branches emerge from one area on the trunk - a child’s search for protection, the norm for a seven-year-old child.

The branches are drawn with one line - an escape from the troubles of reality, its transformation and embellishment.

Thick branches are a good discernment of reality. Loop leaves - prefers to use charm. Palma - the desire to change places. Mesh foliage - escape from unpleasant sensations. Foliage as a pattern - femininity, friendliness, charm. Weeping willow - lack of energy, desire for solid support and search for positive contacts; return to the past and childhood experiences; difficulties in making decisions.

Blackening, shading - tension, anxiety.

Trunk

Shaded trunk - internal anxiety, suspicion, fear of abandonment; hidden aggressiveness.

The trunk is in the shape of a broken dome - the desire to be like the mother, to do everything like her, or the desire to be like the father, to measure strength with him, a reflection of failures.

A one-line trunk is a refusal to look at things realistically.

The trunk is drawn with thin lines, the crown with thick ones - it can assert itself and act freely.

Foliage with thin lines - subtle sensitivity, suggestibility.

Trunk with lines with pressure - determination, activity, productivity.

The lines of the trunk are straight - dexterity, resourcefulness, does not dwell on disturbing facts.

The trunk lines are crooked - activity is inhibited by anxiety and thoughts about the insurmountability of obstacles.

"Vermicelli" - a tendency to secrecy for the sake of abuse, unforeseen attacks, hidden rage.

The branches are not connected to the trunk - a departure from reality that does not correspond to desires, an attempt to “escape” into dreams and games.

The trunk is open and connected with the foliage - high intelligence, normal development, the desire to preserve inner peace.

The trunk is torn off the ground - lack of contact with the outside world; Everyday life and spiritual life have little connection.

The trunk is limited from below - a feeling of unhappiness, a search for support.

The trunk expands downward - searching for a reliable position in one’s circle.

The trunk tapers downwards - a feeling of security in a circle that does not provide the desired support; isolation and the desire to strengthen the self against a troubled world.

Overall height - lower quarter of the sheet - dependence, lack of self-confidence, compensatory dreams of power.

The lower half of the leaf is less pronounced dependence and timidity.

Three quarters of the leaf is a good adaptation to the environment. The leaf is used in its entirety - it wants to be noticed, count on others, assert itself.

Sheet height (page divided into eight parts):

1/8 – lack of reflection and control. Normal for a four year old child

1/4 – the ability to comprehend one’s experience and slow down one’s actions,

3/8 – good control and reflection,

1/2 – internalization, hopes, compensatory dreams,

5/8 – intense spiritual life,

6/8 – the height of the foliage is directly dependent on intellectual development and spiritual interests,

7/8 – foliage covers almost the entire page – an escape into dreams.

Manner of depiction

Sharp peak - protects against danger, real or imaginary, perceived as a personal attack; desire to act on others, attack or defend, difficulties in contacts; wants to compensate for feelings of inferiority, the desire for power; seeking a safe haven due to feelings of abandonment for a firm position, need for tenderness.

Multiplicity of trees (several trees on one leaf) is childish behavior; the subject does not follow these instructions.

Two trees - can symbolize yourself and another loved one (see position on the sheet and other points of interpretation).

Adding various objects to the tree is interpreted depending on the specific objects.

Landscape means sentimentality.

Turning over a leaf is independence, a sign of intelligence, prudence.

Earth

The earth is depicted by one feature - focus on the goal, acceptance of some order.

The earth is depicted in several different ways - acting according to its own rules, needing an ideal. Several joint lines depicting the ground and touching the edge of the sheet - spontaneous contact, sudden removal, impulsiveness, capriciousness.

1. General characteristics of TAT.

2. Carrying out and processing TAT.

3. Modifications of TAT.

TAT was created by G. Murray in the 30s of the twentieth century, although the idea was not new. And before him, researchers used pictures to establish rapport in clinical conversations and diagnose certain aspects of personality. Murray was a biochemist, then took a course in psychoanalysis and taught clinical psychology. His theoretical views were at the intersection of the theories of S. Freud, K. Lewin and W. McDougall, from whom he borrowed the idea of ​​the presence of basic drives in humans, which underlie all human manifestations. But most of the ideas are still from psychoanalysis, and therefore TAT interpretations gravitate towards the unconscious and typical psychoanalytic problems: childhood, relationships with parents, brothers and sisters, transference.

The stories are based on the following points from Murray.

1. Through the characterization of the main character of the story and the description of his actions and reactions, the narrator usually uses (consciously or not) some fragments of his own past or represents his personality, for example, a guess, idea, feeling, assessment, need, plan or fantasy that he experienced or who occupied him.

2. The characteristics of other characters include the personal characteristics of acquaintances with whom he had or has close relationships. Sometimes these are characters he invented as a child.

3. When the narrator builds individual episodes, describing the efforts of the hero, his relationships with other characters, the outcome of the situation, he usually uses, consciously or not, events that influenced his formation.

After the appearance of TAT, many scientists modified it, both the pictures themselves and interpretations, and even theoretical justifications. The Bellak modification is considered the most successful. He believed that the TAT was based on the following basic provisions.

A) Projection is the most powerful distortion of reality. This is an unconscious process that in most cases cannot be realized.

B) Apperceptive processes that operate at the subconscious level and can easily be brought to the conscious level are designated by the term “externalization.”

C) Externalization is a phenomenon that characterizes the main tendencies of the reaction to TAT. During the testing process, the subject guesses, at least partially, that he spoke about himself in the stories he told.

D) Psychological determinism, i.e. everything written and told has a dynamic reason and meaning. Each piece of projected material can have not one, but several meanings related to different levels of personal organization.

What TAT diagnoses is also explained from different theoretical positions. From Heckhausen's point of view, TAT reveals stable personality traits. McClelland believes that the TAT measures motives, and following him Atkinson, that it is not just motives, but their strength. According to Leontiev’s activity-semantic approach, TAT’s stories reflect the individual image of the world of the subject. Murray himself believed that with the help of TAT it is possible to identify suppressed and suppressed inclinations and conflicts, as well as the nature of resistance to these inclinations.

Currently, it is believed that TAT diagnoses:

Leading motives, relationships, values;

Affective conflicts, their areas;

Methods of conflict resolution: position in a conflict situation, the use of specific defense mechanisms;

Individual characteristics of a person’s affective life: impulsiveness – controllability, emotional stability – lability, emotional maturity – infantilism;

Self-esteem, the ratio of ideas about the real self and the ideal self, the degree of self-acceptance.

Data on the reliability and validity of the TAT are inconsistent. Murray believed that everything depended on the competence of the researcher. Since 1940, reliability studies began. However, correlations between the judgments of different experts varied from 0.3 to 0.96. The scattering of these values ​​is explained by differences in groups of subjects, processing schemes and the degree of qualification of experts.

As for test-retest reliability, Murray believed that high reliability should not be expected from the TAT, and most researchers believe that the stability of results over time largely depends on the personality of the subject. Nevertheless, in the studies the reliability coefficient turned out to be quite high: 0.8 after two months, 0.5 after ten months. At the same time, the reliability coefficient varies significantly for different TAT pictures.

The test-retest reliability of the TAT also depends on changes in the psychological situation of the subjects. Thus, strong criticism of the subjects’ stories leads to a significant increase in signs of aggression, as well as in the number of descriptions of emotional states. The order in which the tables are presented also affects the results.

There are virtually no normative data on TAT stories. Often people do not see certain details in pictures that the creators consider important. Therefore, standards are needed, but it is not yet known how to develop them.

As for validity, the difficulty lies in identifying the criterion. It is still unclear what the TAT should measure, so they often talk about the validity of individual indicators rather than the methodology as a whole. It was found that about 30% of the stories contain elements of the biography or life experience of the subjects. The TAT stories are consistent with the data from dream analysis and the results of the Rorschach test. According to TAT, it is possible to restore personality traits, elements of biography, level of intelligence, attitudes and personal conflicts. At the same time, validity depends on the theory on the basis of which the results are interpreted (theoretical validity).

Recently, evidence has emerged showing predictive validity. Based on the TAT, it was possible to predict success in professional activities, studies, and overcoming life problems. But the TAT has not yet been properly standardized, and many believe that this will never happen. Therefore, it is sometimes said that the TAT is not a test in the strict sense of the word.

Procedure.

Murray distinguished two parts in conducting the TAT: the “warm-up” and the main part.

“Warm-up” is the first picture. After listening to the instructions, the subject can look at the picture for about 20 seconds, and then puts it aside. He is then asked to choose a suitable name for the main character and then talk about him. Sometimes, after completing the first story, it may be necessary to repeat certain points in the instructions to achieve the end of the story.

For the entire main part, the experimenter is silent or gives reasonable praise until all 10 stories have been told and an hour has passed. Typically stories take 5 minutes and include about 200 words. Be sure to establish rapport.

Bellak believed that it was better to sit so that the subject did not see the researcher, but he could observe him and his facial expressions. However, this position is not suitable for working with suspicious or anxious subjects.

Subjects are given the following instructions: “I will show you pictures, and I would like you to tell me what happens in each of them, what happened before and how it will all end. I want your stories to be interesting, bright, and for you to improvise.” Thus, the subjects should have the impression that their imagination and fantasy are being studied.

If the subject performs the technique independently, it is necessary to explain that he takes one picture at a time in the sequence in which they lie, and does not look at all the pictures and then choose.

Usually the first 10 pictures are presented first, and the rest the next day. But if the researcher has a specific goal, he can select his own set of pictures. In any case, the sequence of presentation is important. The first pictures reflect more universal, familiar, everyday spheres: the latter – more specific, individually significant spheres. Further, the paintings vary in emotional tone and degree of realism. Murray believed that since the first 10 paintings touch on more mundane themes, and the second - more fantastic, the stories in the first should reflect needs realized in everyday behavior, and in the second - repressed or sublimated desires, but no experimental confirmation of this was received.

The required set of tables for examining men: 1, 2, 3BM, 4, 6BM, 7BM, 11, 12M, 13MF; women – 1, 2, 3BM, 4, 6GF, 7GF, 9GF, 11, 13MF.

The situation of the examination is also important: the behavior of the experimenter, the presentation of instructions; the influence of the examination situation itself, which a person may perceive as a situation of examination, which will lead to an improvement or deterioration in performance (depending on personal qualities).

You cannot tell the subject the true purpose of the technique, so you need to come up with a plausible “legend”. It depends on the condition and intellectual level of the subject. If TAT is used in the clinic, symptoms must be taken into account. If not in the clinic, then on imagination, fatigue, performance, skills. It is not worth mentioning that the technique is American. If a person is interested, then you can answer his questions and reveal the essence of the technique. But this process must proceed according to the laws of psychodiagnostics, i.e. how and what information to report so as not to harm a person.

When performing the technique, it is necessary to ensure that the person does not get tired, although he must be immediately warned that the work will last 1 - 1.5 hours. You cannot interrupt the examination before tables 13, 15, 16 and you cannot start the session with them. Before starting work, you can conduct a short and entertaining technique to get a person involved in the work, for example, “Non-existent animal”.

In general, the general situation in which the survey is carried out must meet three requirements:

1) interference must be excluded;

2) the examinee must feel comfortable;

3) the situation and behavior of the psychologist should not evoke any motives or attitudes in the subject.

When presenting instructions to our subjects, it is necessary to emphasize that the story must be compiled based on the picture, and not according to the picture, as they are used to at school. The difference is that when composing a story based on a picture, the emphasis is on the present, while in TAT the subjects are asked to imagine what happened in the past, what will happen next, and describe the feelings and thoughts of the characters.

The second part of the instructions consists of the following messages:

There are no right or wrong options; any story that follows the instructions is good;

You can tell the stories in any order. It’s better not to think through the whole story in advance, but to start immediately saying the first thing that comes to mind, and changes or amendments can be made later;

Literary processing is not required, literary merits will not be assessed. The main thing is to make it clear what we are talking about.

If the main points (present, past, future, feelings, thoughts) are missing in the story, the instructions must be repeated. But you can do this twice. If this is not the case even after the third picture, then this is a diagnostic sign, and the instructions are no longer repeated. All questions from the subject are answered evasively: “If you think so, then it is so,” etc.

At the beginning of the second session, the subject is asked if he remembers what to do and is asked to repeat the instructions. If he missed something, he needs to be reminded.

Special instructions are required when working with the table. 16 (blank white field). If it does not confuse the subject, he gives the story without additional instructions. Then he is asked to write another story, and then another. It is believed that Table 16 identifies currently significant problems. If they are repressed, they appear most clearly in the third story. If not, they will be visible in the first one, then subsequent ones are not processed.

Attempts to present a famous painting – by I.E. Repin, Raphael, etc. – on a white background should be stopped. If a person is surprised and indignant at the white background, he should be given instructions to imagine any picture on this sheet and describe it, and then compose a story based on it. And so three times.

Murray suggested that after completing the examination, go through all the pictures and ask about the sources of the plots - from personal experience, books, films, stories of friends, just imagination.

Sometimes the subject refuses to work or refuses to follow instructions. In case of refusal, you need to try to win over the subject and calm him down. If a person has problems expressing thoughts, you can ask specific questions.

There are four types of care:

Descriptive - there is a description of what is depicted, but there is no story. Here it is necessary to clarify once again that it is necessary to compose a story;

Formal - the subject clearly follows the instructions, asks a question and answers it, but the story does not work out. If this is due to rigidity of the imagination, the person can be stirred up. If it is a deliberate behavior that is repeated several times, testing is useless;

Substitute – here a story is not composed, but similar content of a book or film is reproduced. If a book or a film is named, you must indicate that they were invented by someone, but you need something of your own. If the psychologist recognized the plot, the reaction should be the same. But if the substitution is not recognized, nothing can be done, the results will be unreliable;

Branched - the subject composes a story, but is inconsistent in the details. For example, sometimes a boy is 12 years old, sometimes older, sometimes younger; sometimes it’s his violin, sometimes it’s not, etc. (Table 1). In this case, you should ask the subject to choose one option and focus on it.

Usually, minimal activity is required from a psychologist when working with a person with TAT. But there are situations when a psychologist needs to be active.

1. Questions from the subject, the answers to which cannot be postponed “for later.” When answering, one must remain vague. For example:

Question: - What is shown here?

Answer: - Use whatever you need for the story.

Is this a man or a woman?

As you wish. If you think it's a man, let it be a man. If it seems like a woman, let it be a woman.

Interesting story?

Normal.

Has anyone told such a story before?

I do not remember.

2. The need to influence the pace of the story. It occurs if the psychologist does not have time to record the speaker’s story. Then you can slowly repeat the last sentence, interrupting the speaker. Start with an informative word: so, you said... So... . Another option is when the subject thinks for a long time, and he needs to be talked into with leading questions: “What are you thinking about?” etc.

3. The need to emotionally support and encourage the subject. It is advisable to take into account individual characteristics - isolation, indecisiveness, timidity, anxiety.

4. The need to clarify the details of the story. Occurs in three cases:

a) when the psychologist has doubts about what exactly the subject sees in the picture, i.e. the subject speaks about the person in the picture in the neuter gender or does not mention some details. We need to find out whether he does not see them, does not recognize them, or deliberately omits them;

b) reservations. If the psychologist notices them, he asks to repeat the phrase, saying that he did not hear. If a person corrects himself, it is a slip of the tongue; if he repeats it, it is a symptom of a violation of perception or loss of the meaning of the concept;

c) loss of logical sequence of the plot, introduction of additional characters who are not in the picture. Violation of logic, consistency, and fragmentation of the story indicate pathology: psychosis or fragmented thinking. But only if the person cannot answer clarifying questions: “You said he’s waiting for someone, but who?” Or ask for clarification on something. If a person copes with this, then these are his individual characteristics, first of all, mental ones.

Drawing up a protocol.

It includes:

1) the full text of everything that the subject says, in the form in which he says it, with all insertions, distractions, repetitions, etc. If he wants to correct something, the corrections are also recorded, but the main record does not change.

2) everything that the psychologist says, exchanges of remarks, all mutual questions and answers;

3) long pauses in the story;

4) latent time - from the presentation of the picture to the beginning of the story, and the total time of the story - from the first to the last word;

5) position of the picture. The subject can rotate the picture, determining where is top and where is bottom. The correct position of the picture is indicated by the ↓ icon, upside down - , sideways - → and ←. If the subject asks which is correct, they answer: Hold it as you feel comfortable.

6) the emotional mood of the subject, the dynamics of his mood and emotional reactions during the examination and in the process of storytelling;

7) non-verbal reactions and manifestations of the subject up to the point where he smiled, frowned, or changed his position.

In addition, you need to start by recording data about the subject (gender, age, education, profession, marital status, family members, health status, success in professional career; main milestones of the biography); Full name of the psychologist, date of examination, examination situation (place, time, method of recording results, other features of the situation, relationship of the subject to the examination situation and to the psychologist).

Processing TAT stories in the West is simpler than here. They mainly use TAT - Bellak's brochure, where they enter data from the stories, and then interpret it based on their theoretical views (mainly psychoanalytic).

In domestic processing, several tables are filled in. The first is mandatory structural indicators, the second is optional structural indicators, the third is mandatory substantive indicators, the fourth is optional substantive indicators. Then these tables are analyzed, the main syndromes are identified and the following is constructed:

Paradigmatic structure, which is a system of semantic bundles underlying the content;

The opposition structure, i.e. semantic oppositions (for example, what is and what he wants, what one character is like and what the second one is like, etc.);

Syntagmatic structure - the sequence of plot development in a story, events;

Spatial structure - the location of characters in the world;

Actant structure – relationships between characters in stories.

Perhaps such an analysis is deeper and more visual, it better allows us to identify the patterns of ideas, views and the inner world of a person, but it is quite cumbersome.

Bellak believed that TAT could be used as a general basis for short-term psychotherapy. Psychoanalysts also use TAT when patients have problems with free associations or when associations are insufficient. You can use TAT when the patient is depressed, he is silent, and TAT helps to establish contact. At the same time, in counseling and psychotherapy, a detailed analysis of the stories is often not done, but only the stories are read and a general impression is made.

TAT modifications

1. CAT (Children's Apperception Test). The pictures are intended for children, but mostly show animals performing human functions. It is believed that it is easier to carry out in the form of a game. Designed for children from 3 to 10 years old. Children work with 10 pictures, although initially there were 18. Bellak believed that the pictures reflected typical themes in Freud's theory of childhood sexuality. In the 60s, Merstein developed a new version of SAT-N, where people are represented, not animals. But most practical psychologists believe that SAT is not informative, because requires children to do something that they cannot do at the age of 3-7 - compose a detailed story taking into account the past and future, but they cannot compose a story taking into account thoughts and feelings even at the age of 10. Therefore, its diagnostic value is questionable.

There have been attempts to create a modification for adolescents - Simond Picture and Story Test - SPST, Michigan Picture Test - MRI. But there is little work using them, and no one has been able to prove whether they work or what they reveal.

2. Modifications of TAT, designed to work with people with physical disabilities and people of different professions. But mostly this is classified information. There is the Henry and Guetzky Group Projection Test, which aims to study the dynamics of small groups. It is carried out in a group and the story is composed by the whole group.

3. H. Heckhausen’s test to study the motivation to achieve success or avoid failure.

4. Object Relations Technique (ORT) – Object Relation Technique – Phillipson. Created in 1955 Very similar to TAT, but the style and content of individual pictures are characteristic of the entire spectrum of the series. It was used as an adjunct to therapy. By telling a story, a person reveals his way of perceiving the world. It, in turn, arose from the unconscious building of relationships in early childhood to satisfy one’s needs and from the conscious building in later years. Phillipson believed that with the help of his technique it was possible to identify the predominance of unconscious or conscious alignment. The stimulus material includes 13 cards, including one white card, presented in four series. Each series of cards has one image style. The analysis is carried out in four categories: perception (what one sees in the picture); apperception (the meaning of what is perceived); the content of object relations (the people mentioned in the story and the types of interactions in which they are involved); story structure. Conflict and its resolution are important in the structure of a story. But data on the use of ORT outside of psychotherapy are either lacking or unreliable. The children's version (CORT) is being developed by Wilkinson, it is somewhat softened and more objectified, but not fully completed.

5. Pickford Projective Pictures (PPP) - designed for working with children. The stimulus material consists of 120 postcard-sized contour drawings. The drawings are primitive. Aimed at identifying the child’s relationships with parents, brothers\sisters, peers, unexpected situations, curiosity in matters of gender, procreation. Designed for 20 sessions. It is used primarily in psychotherapy and by school psychologists. Reveals dreams, dreams, fantasies, problems at school and at home. There is a list of common interpretations of pictures, as well as a table of standard indicators for boys and girls.

6. Pictures about Blackie. Designed by J. Bloom. Intended to study psychosexual development. At first they were considered for adults, then they were adapted for children. The stimulus material depicts the life conflicts of a family of dogs. There are 12 pictures in total. About two minutes are allotted for the story. Each picture represents the stages of psychosexual development, according to Freud: oral, anal, Oedipus complex, fear of castration, identification, etc. After the story, the child is asked 6 more questions, each of which has answer options. The child must choose one answer. In conclusion, the pictures must also be sorted into liked and disliked. The test is widely used, but it can only be used within the framework of psychoanalytic theory.

7. Rosenzweig's Picture Frustration Test (P-F). One of the oldest and most popular. You need to enter the first answer that comes to mind, so it doesn’t take much time. Well objectified, there are norms. But it is not the type of personality that determines, but the type of reaction. Rosenzweig associated it with emotions and defense mechanisms. There is no validity and reliability, because... Rosenzweig believed that they were not applicable to projective techniques.

Modifications of TAT continue to develop. There are attempts to make them for people of different professions, levels of education, cultures, for example, there is an option for blacks. But they are not suitable for us, even if they appeared, because... the culture and mentality are different.

Thematic apperception test (TAT) is one of the most popular and rich in its capabilities and at the same time one of the most difficult to conduct and process psychodiagnostic techniques used in world practice.

The TAT technique was introduced by Henry Murray as a projective method, which makes it possible, through the analysis of a free story produced by a subject, to get acquainted with:

With the most significant topics for a person, situations that concern him in one way or another,

The circle and direction of his interests,

Opportunities for assessment and self-assessment,

Identify his needs and difficulties,

Understand personality dynamics.

History of TAT

The thematic apperception test was developed at the Harvard Psychological Clinic by Henry Murray and his colleagues in the second half of the 30s.

TAT was first described in an article by K. Morgan and G. Murray in 1935 (Morgan, Murray, 1935).
In this publication, TAT was presented as a method for studying imagination, allowing one to characterize the personality of the subject due to the fact that the task of interpreting depicted situations, which was posed to the subject, allowed him to fantasize without visible restrictions and contributed to the weakening of psychological defense mechanisms. The TAT received its theoretical justification and a standardized scheme for processing and interpretation a little later, in the monograph “Study of Personality” by G. Murray and his colleagues (Murray, 1938). The final TAT interpretation scheme and the final (third) edition of the stimulus material were published in 1943 (Murray, 1943).

TAT was originally conceived as a technique for studying imagination. As it was used, however, it became clear that the diagnostic information obtained with its help goes far beyond the scope of this area and makes it possible to give a detailed description of the deep tendencies of the individual, including its needs and motives, attitudes towards the world, character traits, typical forms behavior, internal and external conflicts, features of mental processes, psychological defense mechanisms, etc.

In the former USSR, TAT gained fame and popularity from the late 60s to early 70s, when the more than thirty-year ban on psychological testing lost its force.

What is the TAT technique?

The complete TAT set includes 31 tables (pictures), one of which is a blank white field. All other tables contain black and white images with varying degrees of uncertainty, and in many cases the uncertainty concerns not only the meaning of the situation, but also what is actually depicted. TAT, made by typographic method, is printed on white Bristol cardboard in A4 format.

The set presented for examination includes from 12 to 20 tables; their choice is determined by the gender and age of the subject.

TAT can be used starting from the age of 14, however, when working with people aged 14 to 18, the set of tables will be slightly different from the usual set for working with people over 18 years old - tables that most directly address the topics of aggression and sex.

For an individual examination, it is enough to limit yourself to 10-12 tables. This volume is optimal and allows the entire examination to be completed in one meeting.

A story based on TAT paintings can reflect:

1. The conflict currently experienced by the client, what worries him now,

2. Intrapersonal conflict of the client, which he is not aware of:

In literally grateful, autobiographical expression,

In projective expression, as attributed to characters of a different gender than the subject,

3. The client’s attitude towards the psychologist, which he does not express directly.

All TAT stories are a peculiar combination of familiar cliches of perception of situations (clichés, popular stories) and individual products of the imagination.

The first thing to do when analyzing the content of stories is separate clichés (popular stories) from true products of the imagination(“ideational contents,” as Rapaport calls them), in other words, to separate what automatically comes to the client’s mind and what is the result of his mental activity. Popular stories are determined using a special table.

When to use TAT?

TAT is recommended for use in cases that raise doubts, require subtle differential diagnosis, as well as in situations of maximum responsibility, such as when selecting candidates for management positions, pilots, etc. It is recommended to be used in the initial stages of individual psychotherapy, since it allows you to immediately identify psychodynamics, which in psychotherapeutic work become visible only after a considerable time.

TAT is especially useful in a psychotherapeutic context in cases requiring immediate and short-term therapy (depression with suicidal risk, acute anxiety).

It is believed that TAT is very useful for establishing contact between the therapist and the client and forming an adequate psychotherapeutic attitude in the latter. In particular, the use of TAT stories as material for discussion can successfully overcome the client’s possible difficulties in communicating and discussing their problems, free association, etc.

In addition to psychodiagnostic tasks, TAT is also used for research purposes as a tool for recording certain personal variables (most often motives).

Advantages and disadvantages of TAT.

The main disadvantage of TAT is, first of all, the complexity of both the examination procedure and the processing and analysis of the results. The total time for conducting an examination with a mentally healthy subject is rarely less than two hours. It takes almost the same amount of time to fully process the results obtained. At the same time, high demands are placed on the qualifications of a psychodiagnostician, on which it decisively depends on whether it will be possible to obtain information suitable for psychodiagnostic interpretation.

The main advantage of TAT is the richness, depth and variety of diagnostic information that this method allows to obtain. In principle, interpretation schemes commonly used in practice, including the scheme given in this manual, can, if desired, be supplemented with new indicators, depending on the tasks that the psychodiagnostician sets himself. The ability to combine various interpretive schemes or improve and supplement them based on one’s own experience with the technique, the ability to process the same protocols many times using different schemes, and the independence of the results processing procedure from the examination procedure is another significant advantage of the technique.