Gg Psy-Com Services THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST (INDIAN ADAPTATION) MANUAL BY Dr. L.P. MEHROTRA Designed & Developed by Psy-Com Services Copyright © 201 1. All rights reserved by Psy-Com Services 8-4, 80/2, S.J Enclave, New Delhi-110029 M:9810129547 Ph:26106433, 26175191\Psy-Com Services THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST (INDIAN ADAPTATION) MANUAL BY Dr. L.P. MEHROTRA designe veloped by Psy-Com Services copy fal fights reserved by Psy-Com Services 10/2, $.J Enclave, New Delhi-1 10029 9810429507 Psél06498, 26175191 —————$ $m —_ PREFACE | have great pleasure in presenting our “Manual for Indian Adaptation of T.A.T." to workers in the field of personality assessment. The interpretation technique developed herein has no doubt drawn heavily on Murray's formulations but an effort has been made also to incorporate significant contributions of other research workers in this field such as Henry, Bellak and Shneidman. A comprehensive blank covering salient features of various ap- proaches, expected to resultin a better understanding of personality, has also been developed. Anillustrative case to explain the technique of interpretation has been appendedin this manual. We shall feel amply rewarded if this manual succeeds in stimulating projective psychologists, to give genuine comments and frank criticism of the eclectic approach that we have tried to develop in these pages for amore complete and better assessmentof the human personality by means of T.A.T. We shall certainly utilize your useful suggestions to make our Procedures more effective and scientific. January, 1993. Dr. L.P. MehrotraOOOO CONTENTS EEE [Link] 3 = Murray'sTest 2. Indian Adaptation 4 - Characteristics of the Pictures 3. Test Administration 5 = Administration Proper = Instructions = TestResponses Enquiry 4, Method of Interpretation 8 = Introduction Necessary Basic Data - Reading the Stories = Analysis of Forms = Analysis of Content 6. Dynamic Structure of Content 18 = Ego Structure = Significant Conficts = MeinDafences = Emotions and Feelings 6. Other Dynamic Clues 2 - Tone = Emphasis on Time = Perceptual Distortion = interruptions of Story Production = Inter and intra Consistency = Non-compliance with the Instructions - Best and Least Liked Pictures ~ Time (Reactionand Total) 7. Integrated Summary 24 = Intellectual Level - Emotional Maturity = Personal Adjustment = Social Adjustment 8. Final Report Fy 9. TAT. Blank 8B 10. tlustrative Case 41, Tables: Analysis of Content a) TheHero and Type of Content b) OtherCharacters c) Themaand| inter-personal Relations Analysis of Needs: Dynamic Structure of Content a) Significant conflicts and Defences b) Emotions and Feelings ¢) Ego Structure 4d) Other Dynamic Clues 42, Appendix - 43. Bibliography & References 13. Bie ogPNY — 2S FaLS BesseSE INTRODUCTION ‘There are various methods of assessing one’s personality. Allthese methods can be divided into three categories - viz., Subjective, Objective and Projective. The last one is both subjective and objective in nature. ithas an advantage over the other two methodsin the sense that it can assess and diagnose deeper layers of an individual's personality and as such its clinical value is also very high. Murray and Morgan of the University of Harvard (U.S.A.) formulated Thematic Apperception Test in 1935 which is known in short as T.A.T. Itis purely a projective test of personality and is used widely to measure the deeper layers of one’s personality. The original test contains 31 pictures including one blank card. On each picture the subject is asked to make a story which is nothing but the projection of the narrator and this projection is an ascription of the feelings and sentiments or needs and drives of the subjects or objects of the outside world. InT.A.T. pictures the subject generally identifies himself with one or more characters in the picture. While identifying with some character, he projects his ideas which reflect his inner personality. He also reveals some aspects of his personality which he would generally not admit because he is not aware of them. in other words, whatever is stored in his unconscious and subconscious mind is reflected through his stories, which he frames on the pictures presented to him. Indoing sohe is not aware ofthe factthat he is revealing the contents of his own personal experiences, drives, emotions, sentiments, complexes and conflicts. The test of [Link]. in reality assesses the individual's needs, drives, emotions and sentiments, 2s well as theirinteraction among themselves and with social environment. Italso reveals the underlying inhibited tendencies of the person. In this respect this test is very valuable, as it makes the person admit hidden aspects of his personality which he is not consciously aware of MURRAY’S TEST As stated above Murray's test consists of 30 pictures and one blank card. Out of these eleven pictures (1,2, 4,5, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16, 19 and 20) are meant for both the sexes and for all ages; seven are for boys under fourteen and males over fourteen (marked BM); seven are for girls under fourteen and females over fourteen (marked GF); one for boys and girls under fourteen (marked BG); one for males and females overfourteen (marked 13MF); and one each suitable for boys (B), for girls (G), for males over fourteen (M) and females over fourteen (F). Generally, twenty cards, nineteen containing black and white pictures and one blank card, are presented to the subject at a time. In selecting twenty cards, the sex and age of the subject is taken into consideration. A set meant exclusively for male subjects should contain all those pictures which are meant for males; similarly the set meant for female subjects should contain all those pictures which are meant for females, besides the eleven common pictures, A blank card is included in both the sets andis introduced towards the end of the test.ghee INDIAN ADAPTATION in view of the fact that the original pictures are essentially foreign in content, it was consideredessentaltomodify them sothatit may faciitateidentification byindividuals coming const he Indian background. Faces and dresses with minor changes in #6 background have coe paionised as far as possible, without spoiling the stimulus value ofthe original pictures. CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PICTURES 4, Some ofthe pictures are contextually well structured and some are contextually ambigu- ous >. Some pictures deal with ordinary or usual events and some with events that are unusual. 3. Some pictures are bizarre. 4, One Blank Card. 5, Some have a simple form and some are complex. “The main considerations for selection ofthe pictures generally are as follows: 2) Those pictures that generally encourage fantasy and imagination. b) Those pictures that provide ambiguous figures for possibility of identification with both the sexes such as 3BM and 14. c) Those pictures which depict important family and sociel relationships. i) Those pictures that refer to various emotional areas such 2 anxiety, aggression, depression, guilt, fear, ambition, inferiority, love ete. stimulating the subject to reveal his ideational content and attitude. fe) They can be selected with a view fo finding outthe existing probisrs ofthe boys and giris arising in an uncongenial home and unhappy school environment TEST ADMINISTRATION ‘The administration of t he T.A.T. test falls into two parts, Administration Proper and Enquiry. ADMINISTRATION PROPER: “The subjectis seated comfortably on a chair facing the examiner. The atmosphere of the testing room is quiet and free from any external disturbance ‘The examiner establishes 2 rapport by being friendly and appreciative towin: overthe confidence of the subject and ensure free reactivity. 4 —————Instructions - After establishing the rapport, following instructions are given in a steady and deliberate tone. “Iwill presentto you some picture cards one by one. Youhave to make astory oneach one of them. | want to see your imagination and have anidea that how good you are at making stories. There are four points which you have to keep in mind while making stories on these pictures; (1) Youhave to describe the scene in the picture and give the reason for that situation (the past), (2) You have ro tell what is happening at present in this picture (the present) ?, (3) Further youhave to tell who are the people in the picture, and whatare they feeling and thinking about? (4) Lastly, what will happen later in that picture (the future)? You are free to make any kind of story, and will be given approximately 5 minutes to complete one story. Is everything clear?" Immediately after this add, "You narrate the stories, and | will write them down." After giving the above instructions, the examiner presents the first card and says, "Now thisis the first picture. Look atit carefully, and make a story, Please keepin mind that you have to give the past, the present, the people's feelings and thoughts in the picture, and the future or the end of the story.” For the blank card which is given at the end, following instructions are given. "Finally, this last card is blank. You can think of any scene on this card, keeping the same four points in mind." The above instructions should be adheredto as far as possible but they may be altered in exceptional cases to suit the age, intelligence, personality and mental state of the subject. The time limit may also be relaxed as and when necessary. Test Responses - The recording of responses includes the writing down, verbatim, of the stories narrated by the subject and writing down the reaction time and total time of each story. The time is recorded with the help of the stopwatch which is kept away from the sight of the subject. When the subjectis relating the story orally, the examiner tries to take down exactly the words of the subject in addition to any questions or comments or emotional expressions like restlessness, signs of blocking, anxiety, laughter etc. thathe may show. Ifthe subjectnarrates the story too rapidly or indistinctly, he is to be asked to speak more slowly or more loudly as the case may be. Ifthe subjectgives too long astory, he is reminded by saying: "Youdon'thave to make a very long story, just describe the situation in this picture. Don't waste your time in describing the whole scene.” Mispronunciations and verbal peculiarities are underlined and pauses in voicing of the stories are indicated by long and short vertical lines, depending upon the length of the pause. In case the subject feels hesitant to tell the story orally and expresses his wish to write it himself, he may be allowed todoso. Butsoonafter he has completed the story on the first card, heis asked toread the same to ascertain ifhe has not left out any important point which should have been incorporated. It may then be pointed out to him to include the same to complete the story. Insome cases the subject may not respond at all and express his inability to frame the story. In these cases, it is inferred by his behaviour or gesture that he is unable to do so. Therefore, in such cases the story should be developed through questions on four major aspects of the instructions. So while giving the second picture, the examiner should give the following instructions. "O.K., now take this picture, make a story on this also, keeping in mind the same four points.”No instructions are repeated while presenting subsequent cards unless the subject {ails to comprehend them in case of the first two cards or he requests you to repeat them. It is desirable that the subject should be commended and judiciously encouraged in an informal way. "This was a good story that you described. Now try to do better in the next story.” ENQUIRY: An enquiry into the stories is an essential part of the test administration. It should generally come immediately at the end of each story. In case the subject himself is writing the stories, it should be made at the end of the test. Inthe enquiry, leading or suggestive questions should be avoided and the examiner should adopt cooperative and sympathetic attitude throughout the testing so that the subject may not become hostile and/or suspicious. Enquiry should be made on the following heads. 1. Enquiry About Four Aspects of Instructions - The examiner should see if the subject has complied with the instructions. In case he has omitted any of the four components of the instructions, efforts should be made to get it completed through suitable questions e.g. a) What was the reason for this situation? b) What are the people in the scene thinking and feeling? c) Why are they thinking and feeling in that manner? d) Would you like to describe this picture a little more? ) What will happen later or in the end of your story? 2.. Enquiry About Plot - Ascertain from the subject if the plot in each story is a borrowed one, reproduced from memory oritis his real fantasy. Incase the plotis a borrowed one, itshould be ascertained why he associated the particular story with that picture. Find out also the sources of his ideas. This is to be done with a view to know whether the theme was derived from his own private experience or from the experience of friends or relatives, or from books or movies ete. 3. Enquiry About Identification And Empathy - Ascertain the age of all the main characters in the story, especially of the hero or heroes involved in the story and also the character he liked the most and why. Examiner should also find out as to what led him to introduce a particular character or characters in the story and how he feels for them and whether they did the sensible thing. 4, Enquiry About Ambiguities - The interpreter should find out if there is any lack of clarity at perceptual, verbal or story meaning level. As far as possible it should lead to obtaining an additional information from the subject e.g. ifon card 3BM the subject says," Thisis a very ‘sad looking boy.” In this expression itis not clear as to why the boy is sad. The examiner should find out by asking, "Why is he sad?" Ifthe subject says, "Somebody has hithim’, the ‘examiner should put an additional question "Who has hit him and why?". If the subject answers that he has been punished by his father for some fault, the examiner again inquires, "What was his fault, for which he was punished by his father?" Thus the examiner should put as many supplementary questions as are essential to clarify an ambiguity at the story meaning level. Similarly questions should be asked for verbal and perceptual ambiguities. If the interpreter feels that a particular word or expres- sionused by the subjectis vague or ifhe feels there exists a perceptual ambiguity regarding a particular figure or object, he should try to get them clarified through suitable questions._——— a 8. Enquiry About Omissions - If there is any partin the picture which has not been reacted to by the subject or if reacted but not used by him in his story, it should be ascertained from him as to what that could be and how could be related to the story given by him e.g. ifthe subject omits the violin in card 1 or educated lady in card 2 or gun in card 3BM or a nude lady lying in bed in card 13MF, his attention should be drawn towards that object or figure and then it should be ascertained by asking the following questions: "What is this and how does this fit into your story? Do you see anything more in this picture?" 6. Enquiry About The Introduced Contents - An enquiry should also be made regarding objects, names and places which have been introduced in the story but are not present in the picture. In such cases it should be ascertained through following questions as to what led the subject to do so, 1) How did you come to know of this? 2) Is it somehow related to you? 3) Kindly highlight this aspect a little more. Sometimes the subject introduces content which is not in keeping with the form demand of the picture. In that case it should be ascertained as to why he has done so. T. Enquiry About Peculiarities Of Utterances, Hesitations, Rejections, Pauses Etc, -Itshould be ascertained from the subject as to why he has made a particular queer utterance, paused at a particular place for a long time, took a long time in reacting or was hesitating to express his ideas or why he has rejected a particular card altogether. Itis quite possible that the examiner may have to put a number of supplementary questions, to get a clear picture of the subject's motives for reacting in a particular manner. In other words, an ‘enquiry here is in no way different from that of taking down the introspection report of the subject. 8. Enquiry About The Most Liked And The Least Liked Picture - Ascertain from the subject the two best liked pictures and two least liked pictures, on the basis of the stories told by him. Alsoask himwhy he liked or disliked these pictures. While making an enquiry about the best liked or the least liked pictures, all the ten cards should be spread before him so that they are in full view and he has full facility to form his own judgement. However, if the examiner feels that the instructions have been complied with, plots given are the productions of subject's fantasy and there is no ambiguity about any point in the story, he need not make such an enquiry, which ultimately is not expected to help him in any way towards better interpretation. METHOD OF INTERPRETATION Introduction - The problem of interpretation in T.A.T. is a difficult one, as itis more anartthan ‘mere mechanical interpretation of certain scores and ratios. It requires a deep clinical insight onthe part of the examiner, which comes only after a prolonged and thorough experience with this type of test. Various techniques using objective as well as subjective criteria have been advocated for interpretation of [Link]., but no one technique so far evolved is universally acceptable to all the workers in this field, Murray's Need-Press theory has been found incomplete in many respects such as its close dependence upon an insufficient validated theory of personality and its tendency to neglect the content material with respect to attitudes, complexes and the like. Other techniques such as those of Bellack, Wyatt and William E. Henry have also not proved satisfactory from authors point of view.a NMI ‘Author therefore adopted an Electric Approach, which utilizes Murray's Need-Press theory to understand the interaction between the individual's motives and urges (needs) and the external environment (press); on the other hand psycho-analytic interpretation as given by Bellack and Wyatt have also been used to unravel the inner dynamics of the individuals personality, combined with the form analysis which has been greatly emphasized by Rapaport and Henry in assessing the cognitive aspect of personality. itis therefore evident that a psychologist taking up the interpretation of T.A.T. on the above lines, should have a thorough knowledge of Personality Psychology and should have an open and critical mind. They should be able to synthesize, without introducing any personal element, the various approaches to a clear understanding of dynamic pattem of an individual's personality through T.A.T. We may add here that Intuition alone is highly unreliable. What is. required, according to Murray, is a rigorously trained and critical intuition, which can develop only when the interpreter’s background in the dynamics of Personality Psychology is sound. Necessary Basic Data - Blind analysis has no place in the evaluation of dynamic structure ofan individual's adjustment and of his affective and personality qualities. Therefore, from the authors point of view the following basic data should be available for a clear and meaningful interpretation of the protocol. Sex of the subject, Age of the subject. Occupation of the subject. Marital Status. Number, age and sex of the sibling(s) and of children if married Parents of the subject whether alive or dead, Other details regarding his social, personal and emotional adjustment. NOMSONS Reading The Stories - The first and foremost thing which an interpreter has to dois to read the stories number of times carefully and feel his way into the mental environment of the subject, giving attentionto the dynamic and psychological structure of theme(s) thateachstory contains. Also to their repetitive pattern or to the facts of different stories falling together into a meaningful whole, which vary significantly with personality. These repetitions often provide significant clues for the interpretation but shouldnot be taken jightly simply because of the repetitive character. Sometimes, only one story may represent the individual's personality dynamics more significantly, while the recurrent theme may only be amere stereotype. All stories that the subject creates are not of equalimportance. There are certain crucial stories with high level of projections that may provide a very large amount of valid diagnostic material. While others where there is little projection may provide only little or no valid diagnostic material ANALYSIS OF FORMS Formrefers to how the story tellersaidthe stories. Form includes the study of following: a) Power of Plot b) Organisation c) Fantasies-Imagination 4d) Language and Verbal Richness e) Observation of Detailsrr Power of Plot - The concept of plot implies a balanced structure in the center of which the Picture must stand. Following factors should be ascertained regarding the power of plot. 1. Structured or Unstructured 2. Real or Bizarre 3. Complete or Incomplete 4. Original or Stereotyped 5. Appropriate or Inappropriate 1. Structured or Unstructured -A plotis said to be structured when the subject frames a story ‘according to the reality demands and keeping in view the basic nature of the situation. The People and objects represented in picture are described with minimum of ambiguity and developed adequately and rationally. While on the other hand, unstructured plot is disorganized, ambiguous and incomplete. It has no time sequence, no beginning or end, and lacks system and order. 2. Real or Bizarre - A story which deals with a real life situation should be considered to have real plot while on the other hand if the theme ofa story is strange, irrational and challenging the imagination, its plot is considered to be bizarre. It may also point out the abnormality of the mind of the story teller. In a real plot, the events described exist as facts in a day to day life, while in a bizarre plot the events present an image in which elements of reality are distorted. 3. Complete or incomplete - Ifthe subject has covered all four components of the instructions. inastory, the plotis said to be complete butif any of themis left out, especially the outcome, itis said to be incomplete. 4. Stereotyped or Original - If the subject narrates a story which is expected on a particular card, on the basis of its form demand or which is popularly given by the majority of the subjects, is said to be stereotyped. However, if the subject introduces new ideas, gives a Novel arrangement of generally observed details of a picture or attributes special meaning to areas normally or otherwise designated and utilizes specific form aspects in a novel manner, the plot is said to be original. 5. Appropriate or Inappropriate - A plots considered to be appropriate ifitis according to the form demand of the picture. However, it is inappropriate if the theme is unusual and represents the idiosyncratic aspects of the individual, notin tune with the basic plots given by others. From the interpretation point of view, if the plot of the story is real, structured, and complete, it indicates that the story teller’s ego is functioning normally. But if the plots are bizarre, unstructured and incomplete then the story teller’s ego is loose and disintegrated. Plots are also found to be unstructured, incomplete and stereotyped in case the subject is below average in intelligence. Power of plot, therefore, is one very importantfactorin providing Clues in the estimation of level of intelligence, as well as the functioning of the subject's ego. Organization - It is a very comprehensive term and includes the study of system and order in which the subject puts his stories, and the ways in which the various aspects of the form are interrelated. Judgement of adequate organization should be made in the light of the presence of three aspects - a beginning, a middle and an end of the story, in due proportion as required by the instructions i.e., the present receiving greater weightage than either the past or the future. Some rigidly adhere to the instructions while others keep the spirit in view.The degree of organization present in the story should be rated on a five point scale, from superior through good, adequate, low and poor. Stories considered superior from the Point of view of organization are logically well structured and ordered. They have appropriate teactions to stimulus material presented in the corresponding picture. While the poor organization means lack of internal consistency and complete absence of relevance to the ‘stimulus material. The middle three categories are to be judged with reference to the approximity to either ends, Fantasies-Imagination - Under this heading the interpreter has to study the length of stories, range, freedom and quality of imagination. 1. Lenath of stories - No norms for the length of stories are yet available with us butiin the light ofMurray's standard, it should be around 300 words in case of adults and 150 wordsin case of children. Our feeling however is that Indian children are not so productive, and stories of children in Indian conditions has been fixed at the length to about 100 words. Thelength ofthe story is not a very important factor from the ‘point of view of analysis, unless it deviates too much from the expected length on either side. It is associated with the Productivity of imaginal processes and has significant relationship with the cognitive functioning. But rich productivity does not necessarily mean rich imagination or high intelligence, it relates more to the affective content of the individuals inner life. Reduced Productivity may sometime indicate emotional blocking and inhibition, while too much of t may indicate free imagination and fluent expression, sometimes of free floating nature. It may also indicate too much pre-occupation with one’s inner needs and urges. 2. Range of imagination - Range of imagination refers to different areas which a subject has explored in providing the content of the stories. It refers both to the learnt and manifest content. Inpsycho-analyticterms it extends from the archaic, illogical, childlike, pleasure dominated to the matured, reality oriented and rational imagination. In Murray's terms it refers to the range of needs covered. 3. Freedom of imagination - Freedom refers tothe richness. of productivity in individual areas. Width or range is not necessarily associated with the freedom of imagination. Itis quite Possible that an individual who is too much concemed with any particular area may associate freely, in spite of remaining confined to a very limited range. 4. Quality of imagination - Quality refers to depth of imagination. It may be common place, Superficial, stereotyped and closeto the stimulus demand of the picture. While onthe other hand it may be highly original, abstract, rich, distant from stimulus demand and very well oriented to reality. Sometimes it may be Bizarre andhighly charged with personal material. It can also be creative and constructive as against an escapist treatment originating from the deepest layer of an individua''s affective life. Language - Study of language of the stiory is very important. While studying the language of the story following points should be noted: 1. Peculiarities in the language, such as queer expression, words with special meaning peculiar to subject, distortions of words and expressions, slangs etc. In such cases the examiner must get clear connotation in which the subject has used them. 10Lee 2. Language usage from a literary and grammatical view point such as use of day to day language as against literary, high flown, abstruse, decorative and melodramatic; structure of sentences - complete or incomplete, length of sentences and correctness of parts of speech 3. Verbal richness of language - It includes the study of the facility with words and extent of vocabulary, understanding of various meanings of words and their usage. 4. Choice of words -Suchas factual or neutral verses qualifying and emotional oruse of more action words. The study of language is important in the estimation of functioning of the intelligence and emotions. Emotional peculiarities become apparent when special emotional phraseology isused. If the language used is grammatically correct and rich both from the literary and verbal point of view and flows smoothly, the subject may be said to possess general intelligence of above average level, especially when there are no peculiarities andqueemessinthelanguage. However, if the language is broken and loose, with amendments made, and there exists more peculiarities and queerness in it, it indicates that the subject's mind is not working normally. Occasionally choice of words may also reveal significant material, if a word or a set of words occur repeatedly and in an unusual context, they may have some symbolic meaning Observation of Details - The interpreter should examine stories to note whether the story teller has given many details regarding the figures and objects in the picture or has he neglected the details and concentrated mainly on the broad features and also in whatway they have been integrated. It should be ascertained the details observed are usual or unusual and if unusual in what way they are so. Has the subject introduced some figures and objects not present in the picture or has he only described the minor details of the stimulus picture? A subject who includes all the central dominant parts of the picture may atleast be thought capable of dealing with the normal usual aspects of the environment and should be considered sufficiently alive to reality demand. On the other handitis possible that the observation of the subject may be so poor that he might have neglected even many major objects and figures present in the pictures or adhered to minor details. It may indicate very poor cognitive abilities or too much pre~ occupation with some kind of observation. Observation of details is very important and significantin the analysis of formas it can throw much light for probing further into other details about the subject, and can also reflect the working of his mind, ANALYSIS OF CONTENT Content refers to what the subject narrated in his/her stories and it includes study of the following categories: a) Type of Content b) The Hero c) Other Characters 4d) Thema (Need-Press outcome) €) Inter-personal Relations ulType Of Content - Type of content refers to the nature of the content present in the story. To judge this, the interpreter should read the story from beginning to end without any specialintent to discover its implications. Feel as to what has mostly been talked of, then arrive at the conclusion as to what itis and express the same in suitable words picture wise in the required columns of the T.A.T. Blank. According to William E. Henry the content of the story can be divided into following three areas. 1. Positive Content. 2. Dynamic Structure of Content. 3. Negative Content. ‘When the subject gives the story according to the reality demand of the stimulus picture, the contents said to be positive butif the subject does not say things in the lightof usual responses to specific pictures, the content is called negative. In case of Dynamic Structure of Content, the subject is dominated by his own unconscious chain of associations and uses objects in the picture in a symbolic fashion, just as one does in a dream. However, in order to probe further into the Psychodynamics of an individual, the content may further be subdivided into the following categories. Given belowis the list of nature of the contents that occurs mostly in the story tellers imaginal productions. 1. Descriptive (sheer description of the form of the picture). 2. Abstract - Philosophical. 3. Mythological - Religious. 4, Fairy Tales and Make Believe. 5. Economic and Occupational. 6. Educational. 7. Aggressive. 8. Anti Social 9, Sexual. 10, Humorous. 11, Autobiographical. 12. Paranoidical 13, Conditional. 14, Alterate (Giving two or more themes on a card), 15. Borrowed. 16. Picture Rejection or no theme This listis not exhaustive, only themes which generally occur in the stories have been mentioned here. One is free to express the nature of content in his own words. After deciding the nature of content, the interpreter should mention it card wise along with the basic area to which it belongs in the space provided for it in the T.A.T. Blank. As far as possible the nature of content, of each story should be expressed in one suitable word. The Hero - As we go through the story our first step should be to identity the hero of the story. Hes the one with whom the subject normally seems to identify himself and through whom he projects his ideas. Murray has suggested number of ways in his manualto detectthe mainhero in the story 1. Oneinwhom the story telleris apparently mostinterested, whose point of viewis adopted 12tt ‘and whose feelings and emotions have been most intimately portrayed. 2. One who resembles the subject in age, sex and other characteristics and shares some of the subject's aims and sentiments 3. Onewho plays the leading role in the dramatic creation and appears at the beginning and is the most vitally involved in the outcome. 4. One who is most spoken of. Although most stories have one hero, clearly identifiable central figure termed as the primary hero, there may be a character, secondary in nature, in whom also the subject may appear to be interested and through whom he may project his feelings, motives and urges, though never allowing him to occupy the central position. Such a hero may be termed as a secondary hero. At times the subject may identify himself with a character of opposite sexand ifitoccurs repeatedly, it might be considered asa sign of homo-sexuality (depending upon the total picture) or it may commonly suggest the presence of feminine component in aman and of high masculine components in a woman. Sometimes the subject does not identify himself with any principal characters but has observed him as he would observe a stranger or the disliked person with whom he had to deal or he is represented by a minor character or by an introduced figure, although this happens very rarely. Level of Identification - The interpreter should also find out the level or the extent of identification of the subject with the hero or other central characters in the stories. Whether thereis a complete identification or the identification is low and superficial. It depends upon the relative amount of projection of wishes, striving, and conflicts of the subject. Itis notnecessary that they should be reflected directly in the overt behaviour or consciousness of the hero as created by the story teller, but may be represented indirectly or symbolically. Whenever the subject introduces a borrowed plot based on other's experiences or on a story from a motion picture or a book, the identification is said to be superficial. Type of Identification - There are sixbroad types of identification inthe stories. It may be with the hero: Of the same sex and same age. Of the same sex and higher age. Of the same sex and lower age. Of the opposite sex and same age. Of the opposite sex and higher age. Of the opposite sex and lower age. POsONa These different types of identification provide a clue to the phenomenon of disorienta- tion which the subject employs as one of the defenses to project his motives and urges. The distance is least in the first case. In such a case there is every possibilty that with little help the subject may easily recognize the projected wishes and motives as his own. They are not so unacceptable to him, as those projected in other cases. At the same time such a hero, ‘would be able to project his personality fully ina normal way, than through any of the other five types. When the subject projects his ideas and feelings freely through distant identification, he does it unconsciously with definite motives i.e., his Ego feels pleasure in expressing his Id 13EE forces without exposing himself to the danger of being caught easily. Besides, the type of identification also reveals certain specific aspects of his personality. Identification with the same sex and higher age may indicate an attitude of over maturity or wish to occupy’ ‘the place of the superior. Identifying with lower age may indicate regressive tendencies. Identification in case of (2) and (3) is rather remote than the first, but closer than in (4), (6yand(6)where the subjectidentifies himself with the members of the opposite sex. However, the remote identification also has a definite purpose. ‘The distance is maximum in (5) and (6), where the subject identifies with the opposite sex of higher or lower age and would not easily accept them as his own. But despite of much Gisorientation, these wishes and urges may provide significant clues into the subject's personality and therefore should not be ignored at all. Other Characters - Alongwith the study of emotions, striving, and actions of the hero, the interpreter should also pay attention to the attributes of other characters described by the subject. The best analysis wll emerge from seeing theinteraction ofthe hero with other figures. ‘According to William E. Henry, the following attributes of other characters should be carefully scrutinized: 4. Physical or body attributes of characters - repeated emphasis upon the strength or weakness of characters or upon their physical abilities suggests a particular interest. 2. Motives, striving and general emotional states of characters - the interpreter should find out if they are happy or depressed, in longing or in want, struggling or passive, quiet or impulsive. 3, Motives and emotions of specific categories of people - In other words it means to study and find out various Kinds of people with whom the subject deals and to see to what extent these people have similar features. Are all other female figures strong, competent and helpful or are they all weak, highly emotional and demanding? Similarly what patterns of feeling are generally attached to male figures, young and old, to persons in authority, to inferior persons, to children, to people without possession, to people in trouble, etc. 4. Attributes ofthe environment of characters - The interpreter should look into the personal ‘and physical attributes of the environment and should examine as to how far itis viewed as lively social place or alonely desolate one. Astrong and active person inanenvironment of plenty is quite a different concept than the same character in an environment of want and poverty. 5, Reactions of characters to attributes of the environment - How the subject states the reaction of his characters to the environment he describes. Do they react differently to positive and negative environment or they do not react at all? Such questions should be put up by the interpreter to himself while studying the reactions of characters in response toenvironment. 6. Empathy with characters - It means as to how far the subject has associated himsef in describing the feelings and emotions of characters. The more he associates with them the more he projects and reveals his inner dynamics. 7. Introduced figures -A figure not present n the stimulus picture but broughtinto the plot by the subjectis said to be introduced figure. A subject who introduces figures from outside, 14 coon eam aiell ‘may be thought of as one who has heightened awareness of his human environment and is not inhibited in his social and emotional contact with the outer world. Thema After having decided upon the main hero of the stories, the next step is to the study the thema. According to Murray, thema is understood as the interaction of a hero's need (or fusion of needs) and an environmental press (or fusion of press), together with the outcome (Success or failure of the hero). He defines it as, “Aneedis a construct (a hypothetical concept) which stands for a force, drive or urge emanating from within the subject himself and acting upon him, while press is best understood as the resultant of those forces emanating from the environment”. We shall deal with each one of them separately. 1. Needs - There are two kind of needs (j) Viscerogenic or Primary needs, engendered by Periodic bodily events such as hunger, thirst and sex ete. and (i) Psychogenic (emotional and mental) or Secondary needs such as nurturance, achievement and aggression which have no localized bodily origins. They are triggered by regnant tensions that are closely dependent upon external press. Each need is characteristically accompanied by a particular emotion. It may be weak or intense, momentary or enduring, usually it persists and gives rise to some overt behaviour (or fantasy). A comprehensive list of 31 needs along with their press and emotions, as given by Murray in his book “Explorations in Personality”is givenin the appendix. Although its clear that the subject projects himself in T.A.T. pictures mainly through the central character and that the: figures and themes which are Presentin his stories emanate fromhis innerworld, yet the task of correctly hitting upon the psychological needs of the central character is not an easy one. The first problem, with which the interpreter is faced, is to determine the needs of the subject and the presses operating upon him and then to decide Whether or nota need expressed finds gratification strictly at the fantasy level or on the plane of reality. For this purpose he has to consult the case history of the subject, which if not available, shall have to be developed by him. Itis very dangerous to make a blind analysis of the [Link]. forms, According to Murray, “itis a stunt which may or may not be successful." Ithas noplace in clinical practice, For instance, if the subject has made stories full of simplicity, nurturance and reverence (reaction formation) whereas in real life he is unduly sadistic, unruly and disobedient, the dynamic implications are obvious. Needs and drives manifested by the hero are not necessarily the behavioural needs of the subject. They may sometimes be only a reaction formation or denial ofa trend e.g,, the denial of hostility when actually the subject may be extremely hostile and aggressive. The interpreter should use his intuitive skill to conclude whether the expressed needs ofthe hero actually represent behavioural needs of the subject or are simply wishfulflment and fantasy. For example, in the stories in which the subject has projected the dynamic need of achievement, itshould be noted ithe projected needs simple wishfulfimentorit corresponds tohis behavioural need. Similarly, one should be cautious in arriving at the conclusion that the very nurturant and benevolent attitude of the hero towards other figures in the stories is really the overt attitude of the subject or it is simply indicative of a profoundly succourant and demanding attitude on the part of the hero which he wards off in his fashion. 'twas R.N. Stanford who pointed out some important rules concerning the relationship between fantasy needs and behavioural needs. He suggested that there are certain needs that are usually highin fantasy and tow in behaviour, namely those which are usually prohibited and inhibited by cultural pressure from overt manifestation. These are mainly the needs for acquisition, aggression, autonomy, sexual activity, wish to be taken care of and the need for 15 ia a harm avoidance. On the other hand, some needs may find little manifestation in fantasy but may find much expression in manifest behaviour because of reality demands, such as the need for order, for avoiding social blame and for learning. Again there isa class of needs which may be high both in fantasy and in behaviour, indicating that while these needs are permitted and encouraged socially, they may yet be sufficiently frustrated to require particular gratifica- tion on the fantasy level. These include need for achievement, affiliation and dominance. 2. Press - A force emanating from the environment and acting upon the subject is called the press. The interpreter should study details as well as the general nature of the situation in relation to the human situations which confront the heroes, as the entire structure of an individual is the resultant of one’s environment. The more consistent the picture of the environment appears in T.A.T.., the greater are the chances of the presence of consistency in one's personality. Introduction of physical and human objects should be interpreted with due regard, For ‘example if the subject introduces weapon or edibles of various type, in number of stories, he maybe [Link] for aggression or oral gratification respectively. On the other hand, omission of figures and objects presentin the picture should also be taken care of. For example, if the subject omits the reference to the gun in 3BM or does not see the woman choking in 18GF, one may infer a need to repress aggression. Similarly, if the semi nude woman lying on the ground in 13MF or a woman in the background in 4 is ignored, it may be inferred tentatively as a need to repress sexual desire, However, according to Murray there is no difference between need and press, since these two run side by side. A need for the hero is press for other characters and a press for the hero is need for other characters. Every need is a press and every press is a neéd, and have a vice versa relationship. Murray says that“In his test more than haif the press directed towards the hero are trends of activity originating in other characters, that is to say, they are the needs of the persons with whom the hero deals’. So for proper analysis of stories, the interpreter should first note the nature of the press acting upon the hero and then the latter's, reactions to it in the form of resultant needs. 3. Qutcome- The third important constituent of themais outcome. The subjectis asked to give the outcome in each story but some of them fail to do so. The presence/absence of an outcome ina story is very significant as it often manifests the basic mood or adjustment of the subject and indicate his ego strength. If the subject fails to give any acceptable outcome or if his, outcome is vague and varied, itindicates thathe lacks self confidence in resolving his conflicts and has uncertainty and hesitancy in his social milieu. On the other hand if they are determinate, real and consistent, they indicate that his ego has enough strength to face the conflicts. In case, most of the outcomes are happy and encouraging, they indicate optimistic outlook of the subject while unhappy outcomes indicate a pessimistic outlook of the subject. The interpreter should study the following facts regarding the outcome in each story and should mention them in the T.A.T. blank: a) Determinate (clear) or indeterminate (vague) b) Real (logical) or unreal (illogical) c) Happy (cheerful) or unhappy (sad) d) Varied (number of outcomes) or unvaried (only one) Determinate or Indeterminate - If the final outcome of the situation motive response is clearly n, itis said to be determinate. In caseitisindecisive and vague, itis said to be indeterminate and reflects the subject's vagueness regarding the issue dealt with, 16ee“ st Real or Unreal - if the ending is logical in relation to the plot, it is said to be real while if it has noconnectionwith the developmentof the basic plot andis illogical, magical andfullof fantasy, it is said to be unreal. Happy or Unhappy - If the outcome is favourable to the central figure, itis said to be happy or Cheerful, while if itis unfavourable to the central character, itis called unhappy or sad. Varied or Unvaried - If several outcomes occur in a story, reflecting subject's indecision, anxiety or ambivalent feelings on the issue dealt within the plot, it is said to have varied outcomes, while if there is an outcome of only one particular type, it is said to unvaried. Inter Personal Relations- T.A.T. pictures are best seen psychologically as a series of social situations and inter personal relations. Instead of responding to real people in real life situations, the subject responds to people in the pictures, which he imagines as certain social situations. Since itis a test of inter personal relations, the interpreter should try to understand as to how the central figure in the story behaves towards the other figures. It can be discussed under two broad heads: 1. Family adjustment 2. Social adjustment 1. Family Adjustment - In order to get the idea of the adjustment of the subjectin the family, the attitude of the hero towards additional figures in the stories appearing in the form of his. father, mother, brothers, sisters and elders should be studied. These additional figures in the Stories may be equated to the real life counterparts of the story teller and the behaviour of the hero towards them may be used as indicative of his positive, negative or casual reactions to these people. In case the attitude of the hero towards family figures is affectionate, the family adjustment of the subject may be said to be satisfactory. But if it is hostile, the family adjustment of the subject may be said to be unsatisfactory or bad. It may further be added that the death, injury or iliness of mother figure given in the story may indicate his unconscious hostiity towards his mother. Similarly, death, injury or illness of father figure or siblings may indicate his hostility towards father and the presence of sibling rivalry. But it should never be interpreted so, unless it appears recurrently in 2 number of stories o regularly in one single story. Furthermore, there are some pictures which often elicit a death response due to their form demand and death of characters mentioned in response to such pictures should be interpreted with caution, 2. Social Adjustment - Interpersonal relations also include the relationship of the subject with press, youngsters and adults living in his social milieu. While analyzing the T.A.T. stories, the interpreter should find out the behaviour of the hero towards other figures. Whether social adjustment of the subject is adequate or wanting, whether he has regard for his elders or he is resentful and hostile to them, whether he is benevolent andkind to| his equals orheis sadistic and quarrelsome, whether heis considerate and affectionate to the opposite sex or he is cruel and hard hearted. Similarly, the interpreter should study the attitude of the subject towards authority, teachers, friends etc., if there is any reference to the same in the stories. The T.A.T. blank provides a space for recording the inter personal relationships of the hero. The interpreter should note down picturewise, his relationship with the parents, siblings, Peers, adults, authorities etc. as inferred from the story. The various traits to describe these relations may be cordial, friendly, beneficial and affectionate or uncordial, harmful, unfriendly 7 allele aaaand contemptuous. However, due care shouldbe taken in passing any judgement aboutthese relationships, as final judgement can only be passed in the light of the total picture of the subject's personality as emerging from the stories and the case history of the subject. DYNAMIC STRUCTURE OF CONTENT Ego Structure - Freud provides an excellent system in terms of Id, Ego and Superego for understanding human personality. In the present manual, the Freudian concept of ego has been accented. Itis this aspect of human personality which carries outa compromise between the Id forces on one hand and the demand of the reality and Superego on the other hand. It evolves gradually as organism and learns to differentiate between self and not-self. tis the ‘sum total of an individuals needs, wishes, drives, strivings and urgesin the dynamicinteraction with the reality at any particular moment, Its main functionis to interpret both the inner feelings and emotions, in keeping with the demands of reality on one hand and to interpret the reality to suit its own private world, on the other. The more rational and realisticthe treatment, greater are the possibilities of a good ego integration. Inthe light of the above definition of the ego, the interpreter should note the following points to determine the ego structure of the subject: +. Reality Orientation -Ifhis ego is well structured, his stories willbein keeping with the reality demand of the picture and will satisfy the aspects discussed earlier. 2. Use of defenses in a spontaneous and natural way within the normal range. 3. Capacity to resolve conflicts in an acceptable form. 4. Proper integration of Superego - Too stern Superego or too much permissiveness to Id impulses, leading to an unsatisfactory adjustment, should not be present. 5. Presence of more positive than negative emotions. No doubt the above points will have to be inferred from the characterization of mostly the primary herd in each story and subsidarily of other secondary characters. Significant Conflicts - For the proper understanding of the Organization of an individual's ego, conflicts provide an excellent foothold. Broadly speaking, conflctis an essential element inan individual's dynamic life. His personal needs are always meeting resistance in the world of reality anda major portion of his energies are consumed in striking a compromise between the two. Sometimes two of his needs also come into conflict with each other. This happens because they originate relatively in two independent or rather, antithetical aspects of an individual's personality. As a matter of fact every conflict has its root in the grand warfare between the Id and the Superego. Needs associated with the former come into clash with those associated with the latter, such as Sex Vs. Deference, Autonomy Vs. Compliance, Aggression Vs. Intra-aggression etc. Conflict may be at the conscious or unconscious level. Its painful in either case and projects itself in the subject's behaviour through various techniques. It may be a straight forward projection through the hero identified by him and may, after a litte probing, become acceptable to subject as his own. In such cases, the modus operandi of the subject is so complex and intricate and the symbols, objects, language, and expressions used are so 18,————— LL cleverly conceived that they apparently do not appear to have anything to do with what they actually stand for i.e. the dynamic structure of the subject's personality. Therefore the interpreter hasto be very carefulin determining the significant conflicts projected by the subject in his stories. He should avoid using sweeping generalizations and at the same time rely heavily on his background in dynamic psychology to discover the major conflicts in the stories, which no doubt is an extremely difficult task. Main Defences - In order to maintain the integrity of the ego against internal conflicts and frustrating experiences, the organism takes its recourse to defense mechanism. The important ones being rationalization, projection, reaction formation, withdrawal, sublimation, identification, denial, repression and regression. These defenses frequently appear in the stories, and few occur more often than others and provide clues into the major dynamic areas of the subject's personality. While interpreting stories it is advisable to probe into reasons as towhy a subject has preference for some defenses as compared to the others. They become important when they cross normal expected range. Defenses used against conflicting needs and drives also help to understand the real nature of conflict. Emotions and Feelings - In order to examine the emotional aspect of the subject's personality, the emotions and feelings of the central characters should be studied. Itis through these characters that the subject expresses his emotions and feelings in proportion to their presence in him. These emotions are of two types (1) Positive - such as love, ambition, sympathy, confidence and (2) Negative - such as anxiety, dejection, guilt and inferiority. Normally these emotions are presentin every individual and are reflected in his stories, but in some stories they become very intense and cross the normal range. In such cases they indicate adisturbance in the subjects personal adjustment. Murray has associatedneeds with emotions and feelings. Therefore for a proper appraisal of the subject's personality, emotions and feelings should be studied along with the corresponding needs present in the stories. Sometimes the interpreter finds that the subject has given purely stereotyped and descriptive stories, thereby avoiding projection of his feelings and emotions. This can happen for either of the two reasons (1) The subject consciously keeps himself aloof and maintains strict contro! (conscious control) over his imaginal productivity. In such cases the interpreter can not do much, as far as the assessment of the emotional state is concerned; and (2) The subject behaves in this manner without any conscious intention. Such a behaviour may be a direct consequence of extreme neurotic constriction or inhibition. These individuals are afraid Of letting out their feelings and emotions. They are generally too much involved in certain anxiety laden experiences and complexes in their lives. In case the subject projects too much of anxiety in his stories, its nature should also bbe determined. This will not only help the interpreter in understanding the personality of the subject more thoroughly, but will also have a diagnostic and prognostic value. Anxiety can be found in a number of areas such as, physical harm or punishment, due to some injury or prolonged iliness, deprivation, lack or loss of love, desertion and helplessness. OTHER DYNAMIC CLUES ithas been noted in the foregoing pages that the study of form and content of stories help to us make meaningful generalizations and trends which characterize personality. However, there are many other important variables or dynamic clues which can throw light on the personality of the subject under observation. These dynamic clues are - emotional 19dhl blocking, hesitations, perceptual distortions and omissions, pauses, stammering, blushing, jumbled sentences, side remarks to the examiner, remarks intended as criticism on the Pictures or the story as told, restlessness, tics, mannerisms, playing with any object lying on thetable, smoking, laughing etc. For the sake of convenience in analysis, these dynamic clues have been divided under the following categories: a) Tone b) Emphasis on time c) Perceptual Distortions 4) Interruptions of story productions ) Non-compliance with the instructions f) Inter and Intra consistency of stories g) Time (Reaction and Total) h) Best and least liked pictures Tone - This refers to the feeling which prevails during the entire response. It is implicit in the narration itself and can be determined usually by the language which the subject uses in his stories. It can also be estimated by the interpersonal relationships and from the perception of stimulus by the subject. tan be cheerful, sad, detached, anxious, aggressive, tense, morbid etc. This estimate of general tone may often be made from the first general reading of the stories, though detailed analysis should follow in the scrutiny of each story. Emphasis on Time - Under this heading the interpreter has to study the trend of the response as far as the time is concerned. He has to find out whether the subject has laid more emphasis on the past or talks more of the present events or if his responses mostly project the future. The study of time gives clues regarding the problems of the subject in relation to time or it reveals preoccupation of hismind eitherwith the past, present or future. Moreover, the shifting of emohasis on time in the same story, throws light on the state of mind which is unbalanced. According to William E. Henry, the emphasis placed upon the three major time aspects of the story are, in themselves, diagnostic features and should be analyzed with a view to the adequacy of story and to the perspective which the subject has upon the sequence in his own life. Thus emphasis upon the past tends to suggest preoccupation with the subject's own pastiife. Similarly, exaggerated emphasis on future tends to suggest poor reality contact and the subject's tendency to include insufficient present and past data in his future planning. ‘Subjects who are fearful of their present circumstances often do this. Excessive attention to the present, as well as great emphasis upon the enumeration of physical details of the picture, suggests that the subject is unable to provide perspective in his life and therefore, clings rigidly to the certainties he feels he can see and touch. Perceptual Distortion - When facts of the picture are not actually taken into account or when an object or figure is perceived differently fromwhatitis, itis said to be the distortion of percept or perceptual distortion. Distortions may be of different kinds, for example: 1. Misrecognition of objects such as, knife or a pistol on the floor in 3BM being recognized as a bow! of a beggar. 2. Misrecognition of sex such as, a male figure standing in 13MF being recognized as a female. 3. Misrecognition of relationship suchas, father-son relationshipin 7BM being recognizedas 20———— Ll friends or peers. 4. Misrecognition of emotions in the figures such, as representing the boy in 1st picture as very gay and happy. 5. Misrecognition of the age of the characters. 6. Omissions of the figures and objects present in the picture. 7. Introduction of new objects not present in the picture. Perceptual distortions are governed by some deep lying inner motives and are quite often indicative of some abnormality in the individual's personality e.g,, in the 1st picture ifthe boy sitting with a violinin frontof himis seen blind or sleeping and the violin is viewedas broken, or ifn picture 3BM, a man is recognized as a lame women or a lame man with hunch on his back, they are indicative of the presence of inferiority feelings in the subject in an abnormal degree (latent meaning). In case the subject commonly recognises the sex of the figures wrongly, it suggests the presence of homosexuality or is an indication of a high feminine component in the personality of the male subject or a high masculine component in female ‘subject. Omission of certain figures or objects is also very important. For example, ifthe subject ‘omits anaked woman lying on the bed in picture 13MF ora woman standing in the background in picture 4, it may either suggest sex evasion or inhibition due to the severity of the superego. Similarly the omission of the revolver lying on the floor in picture 3M is very significant and suggests evasion of the feeling of aggression or intraggression (latent meaning). Ifthe subject introduces any object or figure not presenti the picture, itis also very important. For example, ifinpicture 6BM the subject sees the man holding awhipinhis hand, it suggests that the subject isvery aggressive and sadistic. Thus perceptual distortions should be unearthed carefully and an enquiry should be made for perceptual clarity. Subjects who do not include all the central dominant parts of the picture and also distort the figures may, atleast, be thought of as unable todealwith thenormal or usual aspects of their environment. They are probably not sufficiently reality oriented and lack the ability to deal with the basic concept of their social group. Interruptions of Story Production - Emotional blocking, hesitations, pauses, picture criticism and side remarks to the examiner, and clinical observations like restlessness, mannerisms, and laughing etc., during the test should be noted carefully because they are evidences of self consciousness, inconsistency, nervousness and censorship on part of the subject. While attributing meaning tothese, the interpreter should try to find out some additional clues to the same interpretation in the data of the stories themselves as evidence of his conclusion. Inter and intra Consistency - Interindividual consistency means consistency with the trends exhibited in the general population. To make it clear, we can say that ifthe story of the subject is compared with the stories given by other people and if it is found that there is enough similarity in adherence to the implications and to the context of the pictures presented, there exists inter (individual) consistency. But if there are deviations from such popular trends, it must be considered individually significant, because he must have done so being propelled or driven by the presence of some pressing need in him. This also gives clue to the ideational content of the subject. If for example, in picture 13MF subject sees the female figure lying on the floor as amale and,elates a story whichis a deviation from the general popularplotin which the woman sill or dead and the manis expressing remorse or grief, such a productionis said to be lacking in inter individual consistency and must be considered very significant. Besides in case the subject uses first person singular in narration, uses many proper nouns, memories 21EE NY of actual events and issues, dates and similar material or begins narrating each and every Story with “Once upon a time” and ending it with proverbs or moralization or showing undue concern for punctuations, itindicates lack of inter-individual consistency and may prove helpful in discovering abnormal ideational content. Intra individual consistency means to find out the consistency within the imaginal Productions in all the stories of the subject. In other words the interpreter has to study the Consistency by comparing the stories of the subject with one another in relation to the variations in time, speed, length, events and organization etc. Ifthe subject takes equal time, Proceeds with roughly equal speed of narration, makes up stories of roughly equal length and maintains real consistency in the features which he attributes to different kind of characters and situations, it may be said that there exists intra individual consistency in his narration and he has no significant personality deviations. If the subject who usually describes the events antecedent to the situation shown in the picture suddenly avoids doing so in one picture, or rejects some of them, the examiner will have a clue to explain as to why the subjectis reluctant to bring into his consciousness the antecedent of the situation. Inter and Intra individual inconsistencies and oscillations ma also be indicators of the presence of marked anxiety in the subject. Non-Compliance with the Instructions - According to the instructions the subject is required to give a beginning, a middie and an end to his story. To some extent the presence of these three aspects of the story may be considered as an example of the extent to which the subject complies with the required instructions. But sometimes however subjects will not adhere to these instructions fully. They may omit either leading events, situations, outcomes, feelings and thoughts or they may neglect present and past events in favour of the future, Thug the non-compliance with the set instructions is meaningful and throw light on some of the aspects of the subject's personality, forexample, ifthe subjectis disturbed or hasa very limited intellectual potential, he is unlikely to comply with the instructions and may not give all three aspects of the story in an organized manner. Best and Least Liked Pictures - While presenting the integrated summary of the analysis of the individual case record, the pictures selected by the subject as best liked or least liked Should also [Link] into consideration because they also bear some special significance worth studying. The interpreter should find out through questions as to what pictureshave been liked best or liked least and why. The stories connected with the best liked pictures in general represent his positive images and constructive defenses, while the least liked stories represent his apprehension and ego defects and they also remind him of human emotions embarrassing to him. The interpretation of the best and least liked pictures should, in part, be done on the basis of generally accepted clinical significance of the pictures and in part on the basis of what the subject has said about them in stories. For instance, ifthe subject says that he likes picture 7BM because young man obeys his father who is an old man and wants his son to be considerate for the feelings of others, it gives clue to the fact that subject's ‘Superego is very strong and sees clear-cut and positive authority relations as one of the keys to success. On the other hand if the ‘subject rejects card 17BM because the hero has committed theff, it suggests thathe hates immoral and anti-social acts, or the presence of latent quilt feeling. But such conclusions should not be drawn unless ‘supported by other evidences. Time (Reaction and Total)- Itrefersto the reaction time and total time taken for each picture. A subject normally is expected to react to a stimulus picture within thirty seconds after its 22ee Presentation and complete the story within 5 minutes. According to Rosenzaning and Fleming's investigation, the general mean for reaction time is 20 seconds with a range from 14 seconds to 29 seconds, while general mean total time taken is 3 minutes 42 seconds per card with a range from 2 minutes 48 seconds to 4 minutes 42 seconds. These finding corroborates the rule of § minutes or less per card. general trend in an individual to deviate from the averages of the general population must be considered significant. A prolonged reaction or no reaction to the stimulus picture definitely either suggests the presence of confit in the mind or inhibition in the personality or refers to mental deficiency of the subject. Similarly a long total time suggests the absence of smooth thinking and free expression. Long pondering or no pondering before starting, extremely fast or slow delivery and too many pauses or halts are all very important from the Point of view of getting some significant clues regarding certain aspects of individual's personality INTEGRATED SUMMARY After all the stories have been analyzed, the integrated summary is to be prepared under the following heads and noted down in the appropriate space of the T.A.T. blank. Intellectual Level Emotional Maturity Personal Adjustment Social Adjustment Dominant Needs Significant Conflicts Ego Structure Basic Structure of Personality PNOOSwONe While preparing the integrated summary care must be taken thatitis done inamanner that ithelps in interpreting the overt behavioural patterns in reference to the inner dynamics, Besides at each step of the analysis an effort should also be made to integrate the external and internal frames of reference. An external frame refers to physical conditions of the subject, the environment, the examiner and the stimulus material while intemal frame refers to needs, drives, emotions and conflicts etc. On the basis of the integration, the interpreter forms a global picture ofthe personality dynamics of the subject and then proceeds to make detailed interpretation with a view to presenting a well integrated picture of the individual 1. Intellectual Level: It depends upon the consideration of the form characteristics of the stories. In general, the judgement ofthe level ofthe intellectual capacities, according to William E. Henry, are to be made on the basis of the following elements, a) Type of inclusive whole concepts. b) Internal consistency and logical development of stories. ©) Number of elaborations upon concepts that are consistent with the central concept of the story. 23ES d) Elaborations on central concepts that serve to clarify, modify or otherwise improve the preciseness of the concepts. ) An organizational level that (depending upon the age of the subject) goes beyond static ‘enumeration and description. 1) Number of original concepts. ) Range and variation of content - topics discussed, objects mentioned and an abundance of introduced content rich in images. h) Language, vocabulary and grammatical structure indicative of intellectual grasp of mental abstractions. ’) Story content that suggests that the story told has a broader or a limited background of thought. The estimate of the intellectual level will depend upon the extent to which these are present but sometimes the level of intelligence may seem to be low because of the emotional disturbance. In such a cases, a careful study of the stories will quite often reveal a good integration of various formal characteristics in one or more stories. The very approach to the stimulus material is symptomatic of the level of intellectual functioning. Rich vocabulary, appropriate and highly impressive language, rich imagery, beautiful terms of expression may coccursporadically in such cases providing a significant clue in theirintellectual potentiality. An interpreter should come to the conclusion regarding the mental capacity of the subject after careful analysis and give an estimate as to how far potential and functional intelligence differ from each other. 2, Emotional Maturity: If an individual's behaviour is appropriate to his age level, he is supposed to be emotionally mature. Emotional maturity can be judged from the following categories; a) Level and type of identification b) Maturity of form c) Maturity of content 4) Amount of impulsive and childish behaviour present in the external reactions'as well as in the record, Anindividual who does not identify himself with the heroes of the same sex and same age, and whose system control is not strong enough to impose an adequate form on his stories, provides them with the content that is not logical in harmony with the facts of the picture, is impulsive and childish in the external behaviour, is not mature. Emotional maturity will be present in proportion to the above facts existing in his stories. 3. Personal Adjustment: Personal adjustment of the subject will depend upon the amount of manifestations of positive and negative emotionsinhis stories. ifthere are referencestothe presence of more negative emotions like anxiety, guilt, depression, fear and inferiority feelings inhis stories, his personal adjustment is said to be unsatisfactory. While if he has manifested more positive emotions through his hero, his personal adjustment is considered to be satisfactory and normal. Personal adjustment is really the adjustment of the inner dynamics of the subject. 4, Social Adjustment: Itincludes the study of (i) Relationship with father, mother, wife and siblings and (i) Relationship with the members of the Society - adults, peers, friends ete. The social adjustment of a school going child can be assessed by his relationship with his fellow 24LEE students, teachers, and the authority. Adjustment of an employed individual can be judged from his relationship with his colleagues and authority, The other four categories i-e., dominat needs, significant conflicts, ego structure and basic personality struture have already been discussed in the preceding pages. The inter- preter has to mention in brief what is required therein and which reveals the inner dynamics of the subject. FINAL REPORT The final report should be drafted under the following heads. These heads represent ali the categories on the analysis sheet and have been arranged in the same sequence. a) Form Analysis b) Thematic Analysis ©) Significant Conflicts d) Interpersonal Relations e) Emotional Adjustment ) Ego Structure 9) Final Summary While writing the final report the ent integrated summary should be fully utilized. content of the analysis blank especially the a) Form Analysis - For the analysis of form, following categories ofthe Blank should belooked into, described and evaluated by the examiner. Page1 i) Plot ii) Organisation ii) Fantasies - Imagination iv) Language v) Observation of details PageS vi) Emphasis on tine Perceptual distortions vii) Story interruptions ix) Inter and Intra consistency %) Non compliance with the instructions x) Time Page6 xii) Intellectual Level b) Thematic Analysis - (Pages 2,3, and 5) - Thematic analysis is to be done with the help of the following: i) The Hero and Type of content (page 2) ji) Other Characters (page 2) iil) Analysis of Need and Press (page 2 & 3) iv) Outcome and the resultant attitude towards life (page 2) v) Best and Least Liked Pictures (page 5) Under this heading the characterization of the hero and other central characters along 25 i eewith their manifest and latent (unconscious) needs should be mentioned. The interpreter should also discuss such needs which are frustrated or gratified ©) Significant Conflicts - (Page 4) - Under this heading, the significant conflicts along with the defenses which subject uses to protecthis ego shouldbe discussed. Itshould also be clear in this discussion as to whether these conflicts have been resolved or remains unresolved. 4) Inter-personal Relations - (Pages 2 and 6) - It means the emotional relationship with Specific family members and to the people in general along with their influence upon the Subject. The following points should be discussed under this heading |) _ Relationship with father, mother and other siblings (Family adjustment) ji) Relationship with the members of the society - adults, peers and the like (Social adjustment) iii) Relationship with school fellows and authority and schoo! work (Schoo! adjustment) iv) An estimate of the dominant emotional atmosphere of the home, school and society and the interpersonal relations among their members ¥) Relationship with the colleagues, employees, authority and the like (Job adjustment) ¢) Emotional Adjustment - (Page 4, 5, and 6) Following points are covered in this area: |) Negative and positive emotions of the heroes manifested in the stories. il) Nature of anxieties and guilt (diffuse or specific to special areas) iii) Emotional reactivity - Emotional stimulation and reactiveness towards outer world, spontaneity and personal freedom of action. The external behaviour during testing period as well as the average reaction and total time permit a description of this variable. 'v) Emotional Maturity in relation to the age and sex of the subject - Identification, form and content structure permit a description of this variable. v) Heterosexual and Homosexual perversion - This can be judged on the basis of identifica- tion and perceptual distortions. #) Ego Structure - (Pages 4 and 6) - In this area, the strength of ego and superego alongwith their interaction should be discussed. Itincludes the study of the degree of integration of ego and superego, 9) Final Summary - After having completed the final report, the final summary may be written in a coherent form including all the main personality characteristics of an individual under Study. The form ofthe final summary should follow the sequence of the outtine of the integrated summary. Itis however strongly advised that empty phrases and erroneous inferences should be avoided. While drafting the report specific purpose of analysis should be kept in view and suggestions should be given at the end accordingly, 26eo © T.A.T. BLANK The T.A.T. blank consists of eight pages. The cover page is meant for recording the Personal Data of the subject and the Analysis of Form. The second page ismeant for Analysis of Content. It provides space for recording each story separately, the type of content, hero identification, description of other characters, needs-press, outcome and inter-personal relations, The third page is meant for the Analysis of Needs. Itprovides space for thirty oneneeds which are to be rated picture wise on a five point scale. Needs which appear to be frustrated or gratified should be marked. Besides this the interpreter should also encircle the rating of those needs which, though occur only in one story, may be quite significant. j ‘The fourth and fifth pages are meant to record the Analysis of the Dynamic Structure of Content, which has been divided into five broad categories. | a) Significant Conflicts and Defenses. b) Emotions and Feelings. ©) Ego Structure d) Basic Traits of Personality. €) Other Dynamic Clues. The integrated summary is recorded on the 6th page under A,B,C,D,E,F,G,H and | categories, while the writing of the final report also begins from the same page and continues on the 7th and &th pages. In order to be more accurate and objective in an intuitional judgement about the inner state of the subject, the strength of each variety of needs, emotions and personality traits manifested by the hero is rated on a five pointscale on the basis oftheirintensity, duration and frequency. The slightest suggestion of a variables given mark 1, whereas an intense form or the continued occurrence or repeated occurrence of a milder form is scored 5. Marks of 2, 3 and 4 are given accordingly for intermediate intensities of expression. After having done so, the trend ofratingsis studied for each variable on the basis of the total score. Trend of ratings refers tothe strength of the existing variable in an individual. Itgives an idea as to whether the particular variable (need or emotion or personality trait) so rated is highly significant, significant, slightly significant or negligible. In the absence of any standard score, atentative criteria for the assessment of the strength of each variable has been evolved andis given below: ; Score Trend of Rating 1-5 negligible 6-15 slightly significant 16-30 significant 31 and above highly significant These ratings and trends are recorded in the Analysis Sheet at the space provided therein. However, itis to be remembered that the total score ratings are not always the true index ofits strength. A particular variable which has occurred only once in the whole protocol may be very significant and hence can not be neglected merely on the basis of the low score. Inspite of this, enough reliance can be placed on the total score which can be more valid if it 27can be compared with the available standard score (i there is one available) for the subjects of the given age and sex. Gmotions that commonly occurinthe stories have been provided in, the analysis sheet. Others which may appear in the stories should also be added thereis and rated accordingly. 2, Other Characters on page 2, Ego-Siructure on page 4 and Other Dynamic Clues on page 5, appropriate information from the stories must be. ‘obtained and: expressed in suitable words the creat blankin the space providedtor hem. The phrases or ewmeecions thatwillfaciltate the analytic process are given at suitable places in the manual. ILLUSTRATIVE CASE PICTURE NO. 1 Remarks and Picture Criticism - Poor Printing, Suggested improvements. RT. = 1’50" gloomy, since he did not know how topplay it Thereafter. his father took pity on him, requested the musician friend of him to teach to him to this, After six ‘months training Prakash became Auietgoodathis Sitar and Godwilling, hewillbecomeagreat ‘musicianof India. Prakash's story teaches us that where there is a will, there is a way, Nothing is too small for a man to do. TT. Inquiry: Q.1 How old is Prakash? At About 10 years. Heis an abnormal child. You can not guess the age. Noboy can have such a forehead. Itis of an adult. Q2 Do you know any boy by the name of Prakash? A2_ My son's name's Prakash. He is not leaming Sitar. He is in K.G. | or ll, about 7 sf Byears (Thinking) andthen says. He owns itbuthe does not knowhow, play. “Iwish | own it” PICTURE NO. 2 Remarks and Picture Criticism - about woman's dress and face. R.T.=3'10" 'na small place known as Badoi, there lived a farmer who had a daughter of sixteen 28SS ee years. The farmer and his daughter both used to be very busy intilling and harvesting theirland. Between them they had to work from sunrise to sunset everyday without any holiday. A little farther to their house lived rich carpet manufacturer who had anice big house with all modern amenities. Unlike the farmer’s daughter, the carpet manufacturer's daughter used to go to school everyday and had never to work on the field. One day there was an argument between these two daughters, the farmer's daughter saying that there is no use of going toschool when one is usefully employed by tilling one’s land. On the other hand carpet manufacturer's daughter said just the reverse. Actually both are equally important and if possible both should be done. TT.= 8's" Inquiry: Q.1. What can be the age of carpet manufacturer's daughter? A1 18 years. Q.2 What can be the age of farmer's daughter? A2 16 years. Q.3 What can be the age of farmer? A3 24 years. Q.4 Whats the farmer thinking about? A4 Hes not thinking. He is tiling. He thinks how to drive the bullocks. Q.5 Whatis carpet manufacturer's daughter thinking about? AS Carpetmanufacturer’s daughter has pity on farmer's daughter. Sheis poor, she can't go to school. Side remarks - about farmer's daughter - Expression of her nose says “who cares”? Butthey won't fight. PICTURE NO. 3 B.M. Remarks and Picture Criticism - Vague, poor printing. RT.=1'45" Arjun was working with the shop-keeper in Allahabad. His parents were very poor and had died when he was very young. With difficulty he had been able to get the present job on assalary of Rs. 40 per month, One day an opportunity offered itself and he was able to bungle Rs. 2000 of the shop-keeper without his knowledge. Arjun had plans of opening his shop with the money so stolen. In due course, his conscience overtook him and he felt very miserable athaving committed such atheft. For 3 days continuously he was unable to sleep and his mind revolted against the theft he has committed. On the fourth day he took courage in his both hands and wentto the shop-keeper with the stolen money and returned the same to him. After that he was able to have a good sleep and a clear mind. Honesty is the best policy. Tee Inquiry: Q.1. What can be the age of Arjun? AL 28 Q.2. Whatis this lying on the floor? 2 Adagger or a revolver. Q.3. What can you say about it in relation to your story? A3_ He wants to. commit suicide, for having committed that theft. Q4_ Do you know any one by the name of Arjun? ‘A4 Asortof friend. He is quite well to do and fine and he has no cause for suicide or theft. It's only the convenience in using his name. 29— I ES PICTURE NO. 6 B.M. Remarks and Picture Criticism - Expression shows anger and sohe has RT. = 1'55" a whip to beat, Chatur had been married for the last four years. Unfortunately he was not very happy with his wife as she was very lazy and would not cook his meals properly. She was also very extravagant. One day Chatur came home late in the evening, tried and hungry, and found his wife sleeping and the meals were not even cooked. He got wild and taking hold of a piece of rope which was handy he forcibly drove his wife out of the house. After about two hours he felt very sorry since he remembered that his wife had no other place to go. He went in search of her but could not find her. The next day her body was found by a few fisherman, Chatur was very unhappy as his angerhad brought about the death of her dear wife and he determinedthat thereafter he would control his wrath. it 5H Inquiry: Q1 Whats the age of Chatur? At 28 years. Q2_What is the age of his wife? AQ 24 years. Q3 Do you know any one by the name of Chatur? 3 Chatur is my brother -in-law He is unmarried, Q4_ Whatis he thinking about? ‘4 Female character must be weeping. This is injustice. Where will she go at this hour. She does not seem to repent her laziness or carelessness. PICTURE NO. 13 M.F. Remarks - This is quite easy, that is better RT. = 50" (smiling while looking at the picture). Kali Prasad's father died when he was only one and a half years old. After the father's death there was no one to support Kali Prasad and his mother, Kali prasad’s mother finding ‘no other alternative had to go and wash the utensils (I am sorry it can’t be) (Pause) Kali Prasad's mother was very sensible woman and out of the little that her husband left her, she was able to make the two ends meet. She brought up Kali Prasad and educated him, butwhen ali Prasad was in 10th class, she fell seriously ill and died on the 6th day of her illness. Poor kali Prasad was very sorry since his only parent had also died leaving him orphan but God is greatand a far offrelative of his father consoled him and took upon himself the task which were left unfinished by Kali Prasad’s mother. TT. =5'55" Inquiry: Q.1. What is the age of Kali Prasad? A1 About 16 years. Q.2 Do you know any Kali Prasad? A2_ Kali Prasad is a servant with me. Q.3 Have you borrowed this plot from any where? A3_ From the vague picture. Itis sheer imagination 30UU PICTURE NO. 7 BM. RT. = 30" Maheshwas the only son of wealthy parents. He received the best of education. When in college, he went a slight astray as many of the rich men's sons do and fell in evil way. He started drinking, gambling and womanizing. Fortunately for him his father was not aware these things. When Mahesh was doing 4th year final he fe! in love with the college Chowkidar's daughter with whom he had previously made some advances. The matter was reported by the Principal to Mahesh's father who gave Mahesh a very scolding. Mahesh due to his evil ways bluntly told his father that he would like to do as he chose. His father told him, “Shame on you, | who have brought you up, educated you and given you the best of every thing, should not be treated in such a shabby way”. But the people who go the wrong way can never see the right and so Mahest’s father had to disown his son much to his displeasure. TT=6 inquiry: Q.1 What is the age of Mahesh? A1 About 21 years. PICTURE NO. 17 BM. ‘Remarks - “Semi Tarzen” Something between a man and an ape. R.T.=1'10" Ram Bux was left an orphan when only one year old. He was a frail child. He was. brought up by the neighbour who were able to feed him tillhe was ten years old. Afterthat Ram Bux was without home. He wandered from place to place and subsequently was able to find a job with the circus at a salary of Rs. 2/- p.m. and food. In course of 15 years, he was able topick up many of the physical feats of the circus wrestler. When Ram Bux was about 25 years Old, the circus wrestler died and he was given a chance in this place by when Ram Bux has * become physically very strong. T.T.=4'30" Inquiry: Q.1 Do you want to say anything more about it? A1_ There is nothing much in the picture. Q.2 What is Ram Bux thinking about? A2 When one climbs, one does not think. (Pauses) and says, “I should hold on to the rope tightly otherwise, it will cost me the life.’ PICTURE NO. 4 R.T. = 50" Daleep was a young man of 30 years, happily married and with a sweet mother. He Continued being happy tilhe lost his nice job without any fault ofhis. For7 months continuously he tried to find employment but without success. Out of desperation he decided to commit Suicide and thus put an end to his miseries. His sensible wife reading his thought , consoled them and told them that by wishing to put an end to his own miseries, he would be increasing his own miseries of his wife and mother, that's most selfish thing to do. Daleep was sensible in understanding the implications of his wife's words and gave up the miserable idea of committing suicide. His courage returned, he continued making search for job and was able 31