Personal Assessment

Catalog description

The goals of this course involve -toward competency- of the use of "projective" clinical measures applied in the course of personality assessment. These measures include (but are not limited to) the Rorschach Test, the Thematic Apperception Test (as well as associated versions of the Children's Apperception Test), figure drawings, and sentence completions. The symbolic play of younger children, as utilized in assessment, is also relevant to such appraisal. Administrative techniques will be reviewed, along with a focus on accurate scoring, strategic approaches to data analysis, and ways of delineating meaning from verbalizations (content and style). Consideration will be given to the ethical dilemmas that emerge when we apply tests that seek to go beyond conscious self-report in terms of interpretation. Stress factors pertaining to the administration of projectives will be considered. In addition, clinical, cultural, environmental, and developmental issues that need to be factored into use of these measures will be discussed.