Hermann Rorschach
by Josh Byron
Psychology
10-A
BIOGRAPHY
• Rorschach was born in Zurich on November 8,
1884.
• In 1886, his family moved to Schaffhausen.
• In 1897, when Rorschach was twelve, his mother
died.
• In 1902, when Rorschach was nineteen, his
father, who was a drawing teacher, died.
• After finishing high school in 1904, Rorschach
studied geology and botany at the Academy of
Neuchatel.
BIOGRAPHY (continued)
• After studying geology and botany, Rorschach
entered medical school in Zurich.
• At the age of 22, Rorschach decided to
become a psychiatrist. From 1906 to 1907,
Rorschach traveled around Europe, studying at
various schools.
• At the end of 1907, Rorschach returned to
Zurich and enrolled in the University of Zurich
again.
BIOGRAPHY (continued)
• In 1909, Hermann traveled to Munsterlingen,
Switzerland and got a job as a resident at a
psychiatric hospital there, where he ended up
marrying his fellow student, Olga Stempelin, in
1910.
• In 1912, Rorschach published his doctoral
dissertation.
• Later that year, Hermann and Olga went to
Russia, where he obtained a well-paid position at
a respectable asylum near Moscow.
BIOGRAPHY (continued)
• In 1914, Rorschach accepted a position as a resident at
the Waldau Psychiatric University Hospital in
Switzerland.
• A year later, Rorschach accepted another job offer, as
he associate director of an asylum in Switzerland.
• In 1921, Rorschach’s Inkblot Test became world
renowned through the publication of his book
“Psychodiagnostik”.
• On April 2nd, 1922, at the age of 37, Hermann
Rorschach died of peritonitis, leaving his wife and two
children behind.
THE RORSCHACH INKBLOT TEST
• The Rorschach Inkblot Test is a psychological
test in which a specific subjects’ perception of
a certain inkblot is recorded and then
analyzed using psychological interpretation.
• The Inkblot Test is used to examine a person’s
personality, characteristics, and emotional
functioning.
• The Inkblot Test is also widely known to detect
certain thought disorders, like psychosis.
USING THE RORSCHACH TEST
• The tester and subject usually sit next to each
other at a table, with the subject slightly behind
the tester.
• free association phase- the phase in which the
test subject has seen and responded to all the
inkblots.
• Inquiry phase- the phase in which the subject is
given the inkblot once again. In this phase, the
subject is asked to note where he sees what he
originally saw and what makes them look like
that.
USING THE RORSCHACH TEST
(continued)
• Whether or not the subject rotates the inkblots, or asks
to rotate the inkblots is actually part of the
assessment. This exposes certain personality traits.
• The general goal of the test is to give data about the
subjects’ process of thought, his/her personality,
his/her response tendencies, and his/her personal and
interpersonal perceptions.
• Methods of interpreting the test results differ. The
most common is the Exner Scoring System, which has
become the standard method of interpreting the
Rorschach test.
THE TEN COMMON INKBLOTS
MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENTS
• In 1912, Hermann Rorschach published his
doctoral dissertation “Über
Reflexhalluzinationen und verwandte
Erscheinunge” with Eugen Bleuler, who was
known for teaching Carl Young.
• In 1921, Hermann Rorschach published
“Psychodiagnostik”, in which the method of
the Rorschach Inkblot Test was presented.
VIDEO
• 1.)
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/1302700/ro
rschach_inkblot_test/
• 2.) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3TKKkSgl8
SURVEY
• Inkblot #1: 43% animal skin/rug
29% female anatomy
29% animal
• Inkblot #2: 43% bat
43% butterfly
14% moth
• Inkblot #3: 57% mythical creature
29% 4-legged animal
14% person
SURVEY (continued)
• Inkblot #4: 57% a couple
14% butterfly
14% monkey
14% rabbit
• Inkblot #5: 43% building (specifically the Eifel Tower)
43% celebration/carnival
14% animals
• Inkblot #6: 29% fire
29% a couple
14% ostrich
14% flowers
14% Chinese dragon
FUN FACTS
• As an elementary student, Hermann was given the
nickname of Klex, meaning “inkblot”, due to his
fascination of Klecksography, which was a game that
consisted of making inkblot ‘pictures’.
• Due to his fascination of Klecksography, Hermann was
led to one question: Why do people see entirely
different things in the same inkblots? This motivated
him to discover the Rorschach Inkblot Test.
• When Hermann’s book, “Psychofiagnostik”, was first
published, it was a complete mess. His book remained
unsold. Those who actually bought it just criticized it.
Hermann died before he could see his book become a
success.
FUN FACTS (continued)
• Rorschach, a character found in “Watchmen”,
a graphic novel, was based on the Rorschach
Inkblot Test.
HERMANN RORSCHACH
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
• Daniel Enerson Ole. "Hermann Rorschach." Who
Named It?. 1994. Ole Daniel Enerson, Web. 21
Sep 2009.
<http://www.whonamedit.com/doctor.cfm/1232.
html>
• Crystal Elli, . "Hermann Rorschach." Crystal Links.
1995. Ellie Crystal, Web. 21 Sep 2009.
<http://www.crystalinks.com/rorschach.html>.
• "Hermann Rorschach: A Short Biography." The
Hermann Rorschach Archives and Museum. Stub,
Web. 21 Sep 2009.
<http://www.stub.unibe.ch/html/rorschach/en/k
urzbiografie.html>.
BIBLIOGRAPHY/SOURCES
(continued)
• Malgrem Helge, . "The Classical Rorschach.” November 6,
2008. Helge Malgrem, Web. 21 Sep 2009.
<http://www.phil.gu.se/fu/ro.html>.
• "The Rorschach Inkblot Test." The Original Rorschach
Website. May 11, 2009. The Original Rorschach Page, Web.
21 Sep 2009. <http://www.rorschach.org/>.
• SPARC, . "The Rorschach Test." The Original Rorschach
Website. March 1998. The Separated Parenting Access &
Resource Center, Web. 21 Sep 2009.
<http://deltabravo.net/custody/rorschach.php>.
• Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Rorschach &
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rorschach_test )