<p>Rationally selected Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 1991, 1993, 2003) Rorschach variables and suitability for psychodynamic psychotherapy were investigated in four studies with different designs. The participants comprised three clinical samples (n = 52, 25, and 69) of patients applying for and/or selected for dynamic psychotherapy. With few exceptions the CS variables were the same in the studies, and in all the studies the Rorschach was independent of clinical ratings/assessments and/or selection of patients for treatment. The first study dealt with the relation between 17 rationally selected CS variables and suitability for psychotherapy as represented by ratings of Dynamic Capacity and Ego Strength and by selection of therapy applicants for psychotherapy. The second and third studies concerned CS score differences between groups of patients differing in suitability for dynamic psychotherapy. In the second study, differences for CS variables were predicted for three groups of dynamic psychotherapy patients with mixed diagnoses. In the third study, CS score differences between two groups, differing in suitability but similar in comprising personality disordered patients, were predicted and tested. In the fourth study, correlations were predicted between 18 pre-therapy CS variables and patient post-therapy satisfaction with therapy and also with therapist post-therapy ratings of their patients’ suitability for dynamic therapy. </p><p>For the four studies taken together, positive results were obtained for EA, FC, the D Score, Blends, Zf, F%, MQo, and AG. The results for m, SumT, WSUM6, X-%, S, and FrrF were negative, whereas the results for YFY, FD, COP, and PER were too weak to permit interpretation. </p><p>The main limitation of the research in this thesis is the lack of psychometric data concerning the clinical ratings whereas the strength is the ecological validity. The results are positive for some of the CS variables selected, mainly concerning control and cognition but also touching upon emotional integration and interpersonal forcefulness. The usefulness of the CS in psychotherapy assessment may be enhanced if only those CS variables that are found valid for the purpose are used and general personality descriptions are avoided. </p>

Rationally selected Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 1991, 1993, 2003) Rorschach variables and suitability for psychodynamic psychotherapy were investigated in four studies with different designs. The participants comprised three clinical samples (n = 52, 25, and 69) of patients applying for and/or selected for dynamic psychotherapy. With few exceptions the CS variables were the same in the studies, and in all the studies the Rorschach was independent of clinical ratings/assessments and/or selection of patients for treatment. The first study dealt with the relation between 17 rationally selected CS variables and suitability for psychotherapy as represented by ratings of Dynamic Capacity and Ego Strength and by selection of therapy applicants for psychotherapy. The second and third studies concerned CS score differences between groups of patients differing in suitability for dynamic psychotherapy. In the second study, differences for CS variables were predicted for three groups of dynamic psychotherapy patients with mixed diagnoses. In the third study, CS score differences between two groups, differing in suitability but similar in comprising personality disordered patients, were predicted and tested. In the fourth study, correlations were predicted between 18 pre-therapy CS variables and patient post-therapy satisfaction with therapy and also with therapist post-therapy ratings of their patients’ suitability for dynamic therapy. For the four studies taken together, positive results were obtained for EA, FC, the D Score, Blends, Zf, F%, MQo, and AG. The results for m, SumT, WSUM6, X-%, S, and FrrF were negative, whereas the results for YFY, FD, COP, and PER were too weak to permit interpretation. The main limitation of the research in this thesis is the lack of psychometric data concerning the clinical ratings whereas the strength is the ecological validity. The results are positive for some of the CS variables selected, mainly concerning control and cognition but also touching upon emotional integration and interpersonal forcefulness. The usefulness of the CS in psychotherapy assessment may be enhanced if only those CS variables that are found valid for the purpose are used and general personality descriptions are avoided.

The main focus of this study was to explore how personal constructions, consisting of latent and conscious schema, and obtained from a culturally sensitive interpretation of the RCS, informed the transactional resilience of Black South African adolescents. This study was motivated in view of limited knowledge available about the (i) processes that are generic to the resilience-promoting transactions of Black South African adolescents and (ii) to potentiate insight into an adolescent’s construction of personal meaning of her conscious and unconscious experiences that may not always be easily recognised in her overt behaviour or by self-report measures often used in South African resilience research. Six Black South African adolescents aged 14 to 16 years volunteered to take part in this multiple case study. The participants were identified as resilient by an advisory panel consisting of learners and educators at an English-medium school in the Vaal Triangle area. In this essentially qualitative study, qualitative data obtained from an unstructured individual interview, unstructured observations, and a follow-up interview were integrated with the data obtained from a culturally sensitive, conceptual interpretation of these Black adolescents’ Rorschach protocols. The structural, quantitative data obtained from specific indicators in Exner’s Comprehensive System were interpreted in a culturally sensitive manner and integrated with the qualitative data obtained from the Rorschach protocols. A culturally sensitive, conceptual framework for interpreting Rorschach indicators associated with adolescents’ transactional resilience was provided. These findings indicated individual and ecological protective resources well known within South African resilience research. Findings that contributed new understanding of the transactional processes associated with Black South African adolescent resilience were also obtained. Four case-specific self-reflective strategies were identified, namely, emotional stoicism, frequent introspection, honouring the past, and adopting a new identity. These selfreflective strategies served as the participants’ unique ways of compensating for their adversity-informed schema as well as encouraging them to navigate towards the sustained support of specific significant others and resilience-promoting ecological resources. The participants indicated that attachment challenges brought about repressed feelings and specific security needs, which shaped their resilience-promoting navigation and enabled them to self-knit in a resilient way. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

The main focus of this study was to explore how personal constructions, consisting of latent and conscious schema, and obtained from a culturally sensitive interpretation of the RCS, informed the transactional resilience of Black South African adolescents. This study was motivated in view of limited knowledge available about the (i) processes that are generic to the resilience-promoting transactions of Black South African adolescents and (ii) to potentiate insight into an adolescent’s construction of personal meaning of her conscious and unconscious experiences that may not always be easily recognised in her overt behaviour or by self-report measures often used in South African resilience research. Six Black South African adolescents aged 14 to 16 years volunteered to take part in this multiple case study. The participants were identified as resilient by an advisory panel consisting of learners and educators at an English-medium school in the Vaal Triangle area. In this essentially qualitative study, qualitative data obtained from an unstructured individual interview, unstructured observations, and a follow-up interview were integrated with the data obtained from a culturally sensitive, conceptual interpretation of these Black adolescents’ Rorschach protocols. The structural, quantitative data obtained from specific indicators in Exner’s Comprehensive System were interpreted in a culturally sensitive manner and integrated with the qualitative data obtained from the Rorschach protocols. A culturally sensitive, conceptual framework for interpreting Rorschach indicators associated with adolescents’ transactional resilience was provided. These findings indicated individual and ecological protective resources well known within South African resilience research. Findings that contributed new understanding of the transactional processes associated with Black South African adolescent resilience were also obtained. Four case-specific self-reflective strategies were identified, namely, emotional stoicism, frequent introspection, honouring the past, and adopting a new identity. These selfreflective strategies served as the participants’ unique ways of compensating for their adversity-informed schema as well as encouraging them to navigate towards the sustained support of specific significant others and resilience-promoting ecological resources. The participants indicated that attachment challenges brought about repressed feelings and specific security needs, which shaped their resilience-promoting navigation and enabled them to self-knit in a resilient way. / Thesis (Ph.D. (Education))--North-West University, Vaal Triangle Campus, 2011

Fifteen adult women (mean age 34.5 years) participated in this exploratory study. The study aimed to identify commonalities in trichotillomania patients’ personality structure and psychological functioning. Relevant historical data were obtained, the Massachusetts General Hospital Hairpulling Scale was completed, and a Rorschach test in terms of the Comprehensive System was administered. The results point to an innate vulnerability in the sample’s personality structure that impedes their capacity for efficient problem-solving, decision-making, and coping behaviour. Other key findings include a distorted perception of themselves, a limited capacity for control and stress tolerance, difficulty in modulating and expressing emotions, the interference of primary process thinking in ideational activity, and the effects of these factors on their interpersonal relationships. Theoretical inferences are made about the probable aetiological roots of these findings. As the subjects’ level of functioning was unexpectedly high in the light of their deep-rooted pathology, the dynamic role and function of self-induced hair pulling as a symptom were considered. Suggestions are made to improve the treatment prognosis of the disorder. / Dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2006. / Psychology / unrestricted

A case study approach was followed to determine the changes in the nature and use of affect of a sexually abused girl (age 9) while in psychotherapy. One outpatient was tested twice, one year apart, using the Rorschach Inkblot Method during the twenty-month period of psychotherapy. The two protocol results were compared for changes in the Affect cluster of Rorschach tested variables, according to Exner’s Comprehensive System. The results took into account the age of patient at the time of abuse, being at a preverbal age, and the psychotherapeutic process and content. Some of the results indicated similar dynamics to previous studies at the initial testing. The results further indicated a greater ability of the subject to use affective material; greater coping capacity; a greater awareness of negative internal affective material; and a less avoidant capacity to tolerate emotional content. Some regressive tendencies in the use of affect were explored in this case study. Potential reasons for the regressive tendency were discussed in light of the individual characteristics of the subject, the available research and theory, and the therapeutic content. / Dissertation (MA (Clinical Psychology))--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Psychology / unrestricted

This thesis addresses the possibilities and limitations of Rorschach Inkblot Method in the psychological assessment of preferential rapists. The theoretical part of the thesis summarizes the general characteristics of paraphilias, introduces the contemporary theories on sexual aggression and rape, and presents selected studies related to the use of RorschachInkblot Method (using Exner's Comprehensive System) in the research of paraphilias. The empirical part focuses on my research project. I have theoretically deduced variables and composites and subsequently compared them with the normative values the CS reference populations. I have also analysed the number of criterions of the Banality Profile (of psychopathy), which were fulfilled by the sample of the sexual offenders. Then I have analysed the sequence of the clusters according to the most prominent key variable among the subjects that were the most clinically disturbed. I have found statistically significant differences between the rapists and the normative population in several variables. The most prominent ones were associated with the interpersonal perception, and mediation. I have also showed that the psychopathy profile (Banality Profile) is only partially suitable for characterization of preferential rapists. Through the analysis of the...

Notre étude porte sur deux échantillons de patients Tunisiens : un groupe clinique composé de sujets (N = 41) diagnostiqués trouble de personnalité limite par leur psychiatre en référence aux critères du DSM-IV (APA, 2003) et un groupe témoin composé de patients schizophrènes (N = 27). Nous avons utilisé le test de Rorschach en Système intégré (Exner, 1993) et avons fixé comme premier objectif de dégager les caractéristiques du fonctionnement des patients limites au Rorschach selon les paramètres de l’organisation limite de la personnalité décrits par Kernberg (1997). Notre deuxième objectif est de vérifier si le fonctionnement de ces sujets, tel que traduit dans le Rorschach, permet de les différencier des sujets schizophrènes. Le troisième objectif est d’étudier, par une approche test re-test avec un intervalle de 6 à 9 mois, la stabilité des variables du Rorschach à travers le temps. Les résultats de notre étude montrent que les protocoles des patients limites diffèrent par rapport à certaines variables-clés (7 variables) de ceux des schizophrènes. Ces variables constituent des indicateurs pertinents du fonctionnement limite. Néanmoins, nous avons relevé une hétérogénéité à l’intérieur de notre échantillon de sujets limites. En effet, plusieurs niveaux de fonctionnements ont émergé à l’intérieur de ce groupe. Par ailleurs, il n’y a pas eu de différence significative entre la plupart des variables en T1 et T2 aussi bien chez les sujets limites que les schizophrènes. Toutefois, la stabilité semble dépendre du fonctionnement sous-jacent. / This study concerns two samples of Tunisian patients: a clinical group (N = 41) with subjects who received a diagnosis of Borderline personality disorder in reference to DSM-IV (APA, 2003) by their psychiatrist and a control group of schizophrenic patients (N = 27). We used the Rorschach comprehensive system (Exner, 1993) in order to identify, as a first purpose, the characteristics of the Rorschach’s borderline functioning based on the Kernberg’s description of the borderline organisation (1997). In parallel, we aimed, to verify whether the Rorschach’s functioning characteristics are able to distinguish our clinical group from the Schizophrenic group. Furthermore, both of groups were tested once in the beginning of our study and again, with an interval of 6 at 9 months in order to study the stability of the Rorschach’s variables. The results indicated that seven (7) variables distinguish our group of Borderline subjects from the schizophrenics. These variables represent highly relevant indicators of borderline functioning. Nevertheless, our clinical group is heterogeneous. In fact, different ranges of functioning have emerged. Elsewhere, there is no significant difference between the most variables in T1 and T2 but the stability may differ depending on the underlying functioning.

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Bien que le test de Rorschach soit l’outil d’évaluation de la personnalité le plus utilisé en France, peu d’études se sont consacrées à la validation ou l’analyse des propriétés psychométriques de cet instrument. C’est pourquoi, les objectifs de notre étude sont les suivants : Réétudier et vérifier la validité du test de Rorschach en Système Intégré pour le diagnostic de la dépression (1) évaluer l’indice de dépression (DEPI) (2) évaluer l’indice d’incompétence sociale (CDI) (3) réétudier les variables actif et passif (a:p) et (4) la validité des réponses reflets (Fr+ rF> 0)(5) comparer les résultats de notre étude avec ceux de Sultan et al. (2004).Pour opérationnaliser nos objectifs, deux échantillons d’adultes français (18- 70 ans), ont été recrutés : un échantillon normatif et un échantillon dépressif. Cinq outils ont été utilisés : Rorschach Système Intégré, GHQ.12, BDI, T.A.T, SFSC.Les résultats montrent (1) Qu’il n’y pas de différence significative sur l’indice dépression sauf lorsque DEPI=6 ; (2) Une différence significative est observée entre nos deux échantillons normatif et dépressif sur l’indice CDI; (3 et 4)Concernant l’échantillon normatif, il n’y a pas de corrélation entre le score obtenu au Rorschach sur la variable p>a+1 et le score des sujets au TAT, ni de corrélation entre le score S au SF-SC et le score des réponses reflètes ; (5) la comparaison entre l’échantillon normatif combiné et l’échantillon normatif d’Exner indique une différence significative sur les variables suivantes : SumSha, Fr+rF, X-%, WSum6, XA %. Enfin, les résultats montrent un intérêt clinique du Rorschach Système Intégré à savoir qu’un DEPI= 6 est à considérer comme une indication psychopathologique, et que l'indice CDI est très pertinent pour le diagnostic psychologique des troubles dépressifs. / Despite the fact that, the Rorschach test is the most used personality assessment tool in France; few studies have focused on the validation or analysis of the psychometric properties of this instrument. Therefore, the objectives of our study are the following: To re-examine and verify the validity of the Rorschach Comprehensive System for the diagnosis of depression (1) to evaluate the depression index (DEPI) (2). evaluate the social incompetence index (CDI) (3) re-study the active and passive variables (a: p) and (4) the validity of the reflective answers (Fr + rF> 0) (5) compare the results of our study with those of Sultan et al. (2004).To operationalize our objectives, two samples of French adults (18-70 years old) were recruited: a normative sample and a depressive sample. Five tools were used: Rorschach Comprehensive System, GHQ.12, BDI, T.A.T, SFSC.The results show (1) that there is no significant difference on the depression index except when DEPI = 6; (2) A significant difference is observed between our two normative and depressive samples on the CDI index; (3 and 4) Regarding the normative sample, there is no correlation between the Rorschach score on the p> a + 1 variable and the TAT subjects score, or the correlation between the S score and the SF score. -SC and the score of the reflective answers;(5) The comparison between the combined normative sample and the Exner normative sample indicates a significant difference on the following variables: SumSha, Fr + rF, X-%, WSum6, XA%. Finally, the results show a clinical interest of the Rorschach Comprehensive System namely that a DEPI = 6 is to be considered as a psychopathological indication, and that the CDI index is very relevant for the psychological diagnosis of depressive disorders.