Table of ContentsView AllTable of ContentsHistoryMethodsTypesWeaknesses
Table of ContentsView All
View All
Table of Contents
History
Methods
Types
Weaknesses
Close
A projective test is a type of personality test in which you offer responses to ambiguous scenes, words, or images.A person’s responses to a projective test are thought to reflect hidden conflicts oremotions, with the hope that these issues can then be addressed throughpsychotherapyor other appropriate treatments.
History of the Projective Test
This type of test emerged from the psychoanalytic school of thought, which suggested that people have unconscious thoughts or urges. Projective tests are intended to uncover feelings, desires, and conflicts that are hidden from conscious awareness.
By interpreting responses to ambiguous cues, psychoanalysts hope to uncover unconscious feelings that might be causing problems in a person’s life.
Training in projective testing in psychology graduate settings has rapidly declined over the past decade or so. Despite the controversy over their use, projective tests remain quite popular and are extensively used in both clinical and forensic settings.
At least one projective test was noted as one of the top five tests used in practice for 50% of 28 worldwide survey-based studies.
What Is the Unconscious?
How a Projective Test Works
In many projective tests, people are shown an ambiguous image and then asked to give the first response that comes to mind. The key to projective tests is the ambiguity of the stimuli.
This can introduce biases and even untruths, whether or not you’re trying to deceive the test provider. For example, a respondent might give answers that are perceived as more socially acceptable or desirable but are perhaps not the most accurate reflection of their true feelings or behavior.
By providing you with a question or stimulus that is not clear, your underlying and unconsciousmotivationsor attitudes are revealed.
The hope is that because of the ambiguous nature of the questions, people might be less able to rely on possible hints about what they think the tester expects to see. As a result, they are hopefully less tempted to “fake good,” or make themselves look good, as a result.
How Attitudes Change and Influence Behaviors
Types of Projective Tests
There are a number of different types of projective tests. Some of the best-known examples include:
The Rorschach Inkblot Test
The results of the test can vary depending on which of the many existing scoring systems the examiner uses.
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
Inthe TAT test, people are asked to look at a series of ambiguous scenes and then to tell a story describing the scene. This includes describing what is happening, how the characters are feeling, and how the story will end.
The examiner then scores the test based on the needs, motivations, and anxieties of the main character, as well as how the story eventually turns out.
The Draw-A-Person Test
To score the test, the test interpreter might look at a number of factors. These may include the size of particular parts of the body or features, the level of detail given to the figure, as well as the overall shape of the drawing.
Like other projective tests, the Draw-A-Person test has been criticized for its lack of validity.
A test interpreter might suggest that certain aspects of the drawing are indicative of particular psychological tendencies. However, it might simply mean that the individual has poor drawing skills.
The test has been used as a measure of intelligence in children, but research comparing scores on the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence to the Draw-A-Person test found a very lowcorrelationbetween the two scores.
The House-Tree-Person Test
In this type of projective test, people are asked to draw a house, a tree, and a person. Once the drawing is complete, they are asked a series of questions about the images they have drawn.
Weaknesses of a Projective Test
Projective tests are most frequently used in therapeutic settings. In many cases, therapists use these tests to learnqualitative informationabout individuals.
Some therapists may use projective tests as a sort of icebreaker to encourage people to discuss issues or examine their thoughts and emotions.
While projective tests have some benefits, they also have a number of weaknesses and limitations, including:
Types of Personality Tests
4 SourcesVerywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nunez, K.Projective techniques in qualitative market research. American Marketing Association.Piotrowski, C.On the decline of projective techniques in professional psychology training.North American Journal of Psychology. 2015;17:259-266.Sarason, I. G.Personality assessment. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.Imuta K, Scarf D, Pharo H, Hayne H.Drawing a close to the use of human figure drawings as a projective measure of intelligence.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(3):e58991. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058991
4 Sources
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Nunez, K.Projective techniques in qualitative market research. American Marketing Association.Piotrowski, C.On the decline of projective techniques in professional psychology training.North American Journal of Psychology. 2015;17:259-266.Sarason, I. G.Personality assessment. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.Imuta K, Scarf D, Pharo H, Hayne H.Drawing a close to the use of human figure drawings as a projective measure of intelligence.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(3):e58991. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058991
Verywell Mind uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.
Nunez, K.Projective techniques in qualitative market research. American Marketing Association.Piotrowski, C.On the decline of projective techniques in professional psychology training.North American Journal of Psychology. 2015;17:259-266.Sarason, I. G.Personality assessment. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.Imuta K, Scarf D, Pharo H, Hayne H.Drawing a close to the use of human figure drawings as a projective measure of intelligence.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(3):e58991. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058991
Nunez, K.Projective techniques in qualitative market research. American Marketing Association.
Piotrowski, C.On the decline of projective techniques in professional psychology training.North American Journal of Psychology. 2015;17:259-266.
Sarason, I. G.Personality assessment. Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc.
Imuta K, Scarf D, Pharo H, Hayne H.Drawing a close to the use of human figure drawings as a projective measure of intelligence.PLoS ONE. 2013;8(3):e58991. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0058991
Meet Our Review Board
Share Feedback
Was this page helpful?Thanks for your feedback!What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
Was this page helpful?
Thanks for your feedback!
What is your feedback?HelpfulReport an ErrorOtherSubmit
What is your feedback?
