Doctoral Dissertations

Date of Award

12-1990

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Major

Psychology

Major Professor

Alvin G. Burnstein

Committee Members

Michael Smith, Michael McDonald, Sandra Louch

Abstract

This investigation examined a widely used Rorschach index, the "Experience Balance" in comparison with new indices. The new indices were based on the division of Rorschach "determinants" into Imaginal Aspects and Justifications as suggested by Burstein and Loucks (1989) in Rorschach's Test: Scoring and Interpretation. The indices were evaluated in terms of the relative distributions of the indices, and in terms of the strength of relationships between indices and selected external validity measures. External validity measures included the Absorption and Constraint Scales of the Developmental Personality Questionnaire (DPQ) (Tellegen, 1982), and a measure of the use of imagination in Four Picture Test stories (van Lennep, 1948). Subjects used in the investigation were College Scholars and Honors Students at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (N = 67). They were screened for serious psychopathology by the Cornell Index (Weider, Wolff, Brodman, Mittelmann, & Wechsler, 1949). Data for this study were collected over a five year period. Results suggested that indices based on the Burstein and Loucks (1989) division of Rorschach "determinants" into Imaginal Aspects and Justifications have greater robustness than do indices based on the traditional Experience Balance. This was indicated by better distribution of values and a greater number of significant correlations with external validity measures. The results of this investigation provided empirical support for the Burstein and Loucks (1989) conceptualization of Imaginal Aspects and Justifications.

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