The Thematic Apperception Test is a projective technique in which respondents' underlying motives, concerns and the way they see the social world are believed to be revealed through analysis of the stories they make up about ambiguous pictures of people.
- A respondent is shown pictures and asked to tell a story about that specific picture.
- What is happening? What happened before this moment? What is going to happen next?
- Many of these drawings or pictures display a consistent theme like successes and failures, competition and jealousy, conflict with parents and siblings, feelings about intimate relationships, aggression and sexuality.
- The respondent during the test project his or her own views of others and the world onto the pictures.
Pros: Widely used by practicing clinicians.
Cons: Not found to be reliable or valid in predicting and determining behavior. Open to the biases of the examiner.
References:
Gilbert, Daniel T., Daniel M. Wegner, and Matthew K. Nock. "Personality."Psychology. By Daniel L. Schacter. Third ed. N.p.: Worth, n.d. 471-503. Print.
Gilbert, Daniel T., Daniel M. Wegner, and Matthew K. Nock. "Personality."Psychology. By Daniel L. Schacter. Third ed. N.p.: Worth, n.d. 471-503. Print.