An article on an exhibition devoted to the work of Hermann Rorschach, father of the test that bears his name. The exhibition celebrates the 50th anniversary of the Rorschach archive at the University Library in Bern. The archive, the only one in the world devoted to Rorschach, was founded by the Bernese psychiatrist Walter Morgenthaler in 1957 and was substantially enriched seven years ago by bequests from the psychiatrist's estate.
"Hermann Rorschach: a Swiss psychiatrist between science and intuition" is running at the University Library, Bern, from December 6 to February 23.
Of interest is that despite beliefs to the contrary, the test is scientifically useless:
PseudoscienceThus it is of interest to those who wish to see how badly people can go wrong.
While the Rorschach test continues to be defended and used by psychologists, its one not insignificant flaw is that it is scientifically virtually worthless.
In the United States in the 1940s and 1950s even mentioning inkblots got psychologists drooling like Pavlov's dogs, thanks to seemingly miraculous personality readings by Rorschach experts.
Under controlled studies however these "experts" failed miserably and it wasn't long before more critical scientists realised that Rorschachians were simply, and most probably subconsciously, using cold reading, a technique used by fortune-tellers and others posing as psychics and mediums.
"The readings say more about [the examiners] than the subjects," to quote Anne Anastasi, the noted differential psychologist.
The exhibition glosses over these negative aspects, but it does provide a fascinating profile of one of the most influential, if misguided, psychologists of the 20th century.
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