PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 433 records · Page 24Linked to original sources
PubMed1996

Personal problem-solving scoring of TAT responses: known-groups validation.

Two studies employed a known-groups validation strategy to evaluate a Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) scoring system purported to measure personal problem-solving skills, the Personal Problem-Solving System (PPSS). In Study 1 clinicians rated the records of 46 mental health outpatients for the presence of personal problem-solving skills deficits. Verbatim TAT transcripts from these patients were blindly scored using the PPSS. Participants predicted to demonstrate problem-solving deficits obtained lower PPSS scores. In Study 2 a psychiatric sample (n = 47) and a community-based comparison group (n = 47) completed a life history questionnaire, a checklist of problems currently experienced, a measure of psychiatric symptoms, and responded to 3 TAT cards. TAT responses were again blindly scored using the PPSS. In contrast to the comparison group, psychiatric patients checked a greater number of current problems, endorsed more psychiatric symptoms, and obtained lower scores on the PPSS. A discriminant function analysis using PPSS scores correctly classified 72% of these participants. PPSS scores predicted group membership even after controlling for differences in age, education, the number of problems experienced, and psychiatric symptoms. This combination of variables correctly classified 92% of the participants. Results of both studies are interpreted as supporting the discriminant validity of the PPSS.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1998

Defense mechanisms development in children, adolescents, and late adolescents.

To replicate and extend Cramer's (1987) original cross-sectional study concerning the development of defense mechanisms, the Thematic Apperception Test responses of 148 students in Grades 2, 5, 8, 11, and college freshmen were collected and scored for denial, projection, and identification using Cramer's Defense Mechanisms Manual (1991). Our results supported the notion that the relative use of denial and projection decreases and identification increases as a function of grade level. The findings provide additional support for the psychoanalytic view (Freud, 1966) of an ontogenetic developmental line of defense.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1999

Gender identity: affected by social change?

To determine whether social changes in attitudes toward the role of men and women have influenced gender identity measures, 60 male and female college students were assessed using both a Thematic Apperception Test measure (May's, 1966, Deprivation/Enhancement measure) and a self-report measure (Bem's, 1974, Sex Role Identity [BSRI]), both of which were developed more than 20 years ago. Although some recent research has found the BSRI to no longer differentiate between men and women (Twenge, 1997; Wilcox & Francis, 1997), this study found significant gender differences for both gender identity measures.1

Journal Article↗
PubMed2000

Assessing achievement, affiliation, and power motives all at once: the Multi-Motive Grid (MMG).

In this article, we introduce the Multi-Motive Grid (MMG), a new diagnostic tool to measure motives with respect to their hope and fear components. The MMG combines features of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) with features of self-report questionnaires. Similar to the TAT, a set of 14 pictures representing a balanced set of achievement-arousing, affiliation-arousing, and power-arousing situations is presented together with a set of statements representing important motivational states. Six motive scores can be calculated: hope of success (HS) and fear of failure (FF) for the achievement motive, hope of affiliation (HA) and fear of rejection (FR) for the affiliation motive, and hope of power (HP) and fear of power (FP) for the power motive. Results of factor analyses suggest a 3-factor solution, with a general fear factor (FF, FR, FP), a factor combining the hope components of achievement and power (HS and HP), and a third factor representing HA, but the 6 a priori factors also reflect a sound structural model. Reliability data show that the internal consistency and retest reliability of the MMG scales satisfy traditional standards. External validity of the MMG has been established in all 3 motive domains. Three separate studies document that (a) individuals high in resultant achievement motivation perform better and report more flow experience, (b) individuals high in resultant power motivation profit more from a leadership training program, and (c) individuals high in resultant affiliation motivation recollect more highly memorable affiliative themes.

Achievement↗
PubMed2003

A critique of Lilienfeld et al.'s (2000) "The scientific status of projective techniques".

Lilienfeld, Wood, and Garb (2000) published a largely negative critique of the validity and reliability of projective methods, concentrating on the Comprehensive System for the Rorschach (Exner, 1993), 3 systems for coding the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Murray, 1943) cards, and human figure drawings. This article is an effort to document and correct what I perceive as errors of omission and commission in the Lilienfeld et al. article. When projective measures are viewed in the light of these corrections, the evidence for the validity and clinical usefulness of the Rorschach and TAT methods is more robust than Lilienfeld et al. represented.

Bias↗
PubMed2004

A report on myself: the science and/or art of assessment.

Disregarding my empirically documented warnings to generations of students, I am ultimately succumbing to my own eisegesis. In this article, I proffer a personal exemplar of low- and high-inference interpretation of significant persons, events, and products during my professional lifetime. These selected bits of data are contained in childhood and educational experiences, three chronological periods, three 1949 Thematic Apperception Test (Murray, 1943) stories, and bits of several poems. These data coalesce in an interpretive statement, analogous to an assessment report but ultimately something more and something less than an optimal report. As an interpretive schema, a hierarchal model of clinical inference illustrates and exemplifies employment of distinct levels to increase the reliability of high-inference interpretation. While inadequately equipped as a psychologist assessor for such self-scrutiny, this narrative may provide a case history exemplar of a process that has relevance for myself, for the Society of Personality Assessment, and for understanding personality within a human science aegis.

History, 20th Century↗
PubMed2004

Defense mechanisms and self-reported violence toward partners and strangers.

We examined the relationship between defense mechanisms and self-reported violence toward partners and toward strangers in a sample of college student men. Fifty men completed the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Murray, 1943) and the Conflict Tactics Scale (CTS; Straus, 1979), a self-report measure of strategies (including violence) for resolving conflicts with partners and strangers. The TAT responses were coded for defense mechanisms with the Defense Mechanisms Manual (Cramer, 1991b). The relative use of identification was negatively correlated (r = -.49, p <.001), and the relative use of projection was positively correlated (r =.49, p <.001) with the most extreme CTS report of violence toward partners. The relative use of identification was negatively correlated with the most extreme CTS report of violence toward strangers (r = -.34, p <.05). The relative use of denial was positively correlated with the most extreme CTS report of violence toward strangers (r =.32, p <.05).

Adolescent↗
PubMed2004

Personality and symptom change in treatment-refractory inpatients: evaluation of the phase model of change using Rorschach,TAT, and DSM-IV Axis V.

In this study, we examined global treatment outcomes during 16 months of intensive, psychodynamic treatment for 77 inpatients suffering from treatment-refractory disorders. Hypotheses based on the phase model of treatment change (Howard, Lueger, Maling, & Martinovich, 1993; Howard, Moras, Brill, Martinovich, & Lutz, 1996) were supported in the study results. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; American Psychiatric Association, 1994) Axis V scales assessing behavioral functioning demonstrated large and medium effect size change, whereas stable, enduring personality functioning assessed by psychoanalytic Rorschach scales and the Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale (Westen, 1995) for the Thematic Apperception Test (Murray, 1943) demonstrated small and medium effect size change. We also report assessment of reliable change index and clinical significance. The ecological validity of Rorschach measures is supported by significant validity coefficients (in the hypothesized directions) between implicit measures of personality functioning and behavioral ratings.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Monitoring psychotherapy with performance-based measures of personality functioning.

In this commentary, I review a meta-analysis and three original research reports concerning the Rorschach (Exner, 2003; Rorschach, 1921/1942) and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Murray, 1943) assessment in psychological treatment planning and outcome evaluation. The information in these four articles bears witness to the potential utility of performance-based personality assessment measures for this purpose. The strengths and limitations of the articles suggest several guidelines for future research designed to examine this Rorschach and TAT application including an emphasis on effectiveness studies, longitudinal data, integrated independent variables, observable dependent variables, sophisticated data analysis combining nomothetic and idiographic presentation, and the incremental contribution of performance-based measures to psychotherapy-related personality assessment.

Humans↗
PubMed2005

Validity of a short form of the Achievement-Motive Grid (AMG-S): evidence for the three-factor structure emphasizing active and passive forms of fear of failure.

My primary objective in this research was to examine diverse validity aspects of a short form of the Achievement-Motive Grid (AMG-S; Schmalt, 1999). The AMG is a picture-based measure that combines features of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT; Murray, 1943) with features of self-report questionnaires. Similar to the TAT, the motive gets aroused by presenting a set of pictured achievement situations. Similar to a questionnaire, the motive is measured with a set of statements representing characteristic components of the achievement motive. Quite in line with the original version, factor analyses of the AMG-S all recommend the adoption of a 3-factor solution in which 1 hope-of-success (HS) and 2 fear-of-failure (FF) concepts are differentiated. The HS and passive FF factor (FFp) are based on positive and negative efficacy evaluations, respectively. The active FF factor (FFa) describes anticipations of impending failure. FFp is clearly a "withdrawal" factor, whereas FFa is clearly an "invigoration" factor. In the construct validity section of this research, I focus on classical and recent elaborations of approach and avoidance motivation in which I show that HS, FFp, and FFa play a substantial role in a motive-goals-outcomes framework of achievement motivation.

Achievement↗
PubMed2006

Using the multifaceted Rasch model to improve the TAT/PSE measure of need for achievement.

We used the Rasch (1980) model to develop new pictures for the Thematic Apperception Test (C. D. Morgan & Murray, 1938; McClelland, Atkinson, Clark, & Lowell, 1953) or picture story exercise to measure need for achievement (nAch). In Experiments 1 and 2, we analyzed stories to assess the difficulty level of a total of 8 pictures using the multifaceted Rasch model with picture difficulty, story probe difficulty, and participant ability as facets with a partial credit model (FACETS; Linacre, 2005). A total of 6 pictures were retained and 4 new ones added for Experiment 3 in which 201 participants wrote 6 stories to a random set of the 10 pictures. FACETS analysis revealed improved person separation reliability. In Experiment 4, 206 participants wrote 1 story to the Studying picture either before or after filling out a battery of achievement-related questionnaires. The 2 experimental groups did not differ in the amount of nAch in their stories. The coder facet was demonstrated with 2 independent coders using the revised coding system for nAch.

Achievement↗
PubMed2006

Sequelae of child sexual abuse: a child and parent assessment.

We present a case example of a 9-year-old, biracial girl and her mother. We integrate data collected from rating scales (e.g., Child Behavior Checklist; Achenbach & Rescorla, 2001), a free response measure (Thematic Apperception Test; Murray, 1943), and a direct observation measure (Parent-Child Interaction Assessment-II; Holigrocki, Kaminski, & Frieswyk, 1999, 2002) and reveal how a child sexual abuse victim's internal representations and symptoms manifest in both an interpersonal context and in the realm of play. We discuss assessment findings regarding how they provide for an idiographic understanding of the child.

Child↗
PubMed2001

Object loss and object relations in depressive personality analogues.

The author investigated the extent to which self-reported early object loss and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) measures of object relations differentiated individuals with a depressive personality from dysthymic persons and highly dependent individuals. In an undergraduate analogue sample of 54 students, those with a depressive personality reported a nonsignificantly higher proportion of object loss than did dysthymic and highly dependent participants. Those in the depressive personality and dependent groups had less complex representations of others than did those with dysthymia, and those with a depressive personalitiy and dysthymia tended to view others in a more negative, pessimistic fashion than did the highly dependent individuals. The author concludes that persons with a depressive personality can be identified, in part, by their experience of object loss and their distinctive object relations.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

What is behind a student's choice for becoming a doctor?

PURPOSE: To determine the reasons for choosing the medical profession by interviewing freshmen medical students from the Faculty of Medicine, University of São Paulo and investigating their socio-economic and psychological profiles, as well as to determine whether there are gender differences. METHOD: One hundred and sixty three freshmen medical students answered a questionnaire regarding their socio-economical profile. Of those, 30 female and 30 male students underwent a face-to-face interview regarding the career choice, the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) and the 16 Personality Factor Questionnaire (16 PF). The results were analyzed qualitatively and by Mann-Whitney, chi2, Fisher's Exact, and r(p) coefficient tests. RESULTS: Most students were middle class, catholic, and had physicians in their families. Students of both genders had made an: early choice of the medical career and a persistence in taking exams many times, even after being discouraged. They also showed an awareness of the difficulties and limitations in developing their careers. The study revealed a strong valuation of the humanistic aspects of medicine; openness to new experiences; a deep personal identification with the choice of profession; a critical need for fulfillment in their careers; and conscious and unconscious desires to help people and be recognized for their usefulness, without being narcissistic. Female students were more sensitive (P <.001) and less imaginative (P = .005) than male students, who were more utilitarian and less grounded; female students tended to present greater emotional maturity while male students presented a greater tendency towards competition, and were more ambitious. CONCLUSIONS: Students of both genders have similar socio-economical profiles and features regarding their motivations for choosing the medical profession. Slight differences were found regarding some psychological aspects.

Adolescent↗
PubMed1983

Attitudes and behavior of elderly pedestrians.

Considering the increased traffic incident rate of pedestrians above sixty-five years of age, a study of attitudes and behavior patterns of older pedestrians in large towns was carried out by the Department of Psychology, University of Bonn, from 1973 to 1975. Interviews, group sessions, and additional thematic apperception tests were performed, as well as traffic observation and an analysis of behavior which was followed by accident events. Results showed many indications of especially dangerous traffic situations and especially risky behavior tendencies in older people. Recommendations can be derived for improving traffic communication dynamics and for influencing the traffic behavior of older pedestrians.

Accident Proneness↗
PubMed1976

Personality dimensions measured by projective techniques: a formulation based on structural analysis.

It is suggested that a better understanding and more effective use of projective techniques can be achieved by viewing each test in terms of the depth of personality assessed and its unique amalgamation of emotional and intellectual aspects of personality. With these considerations in mind, a refurbished definition of a projective test is presented and implications for the phenomenon of projection are discussed.

Adaptation, Psychological↗