Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Although the Rorschach white-space response (S) has been traditionally interpreted in terms of oppositional tendencies, attempts to validate this relationship have been hampered by the lack of a criterion-specific measure of oppositionality. As part of a broader investigation of the relationship between handedness and personality styles, a rating-scale measure of oppositionality was designed. Oppositionality ratings were obtained for 40 male Navy enlisted men and correlated with white-space scores earned by each S on the Rorschach test. Significant positive correlations between degree of rated oppositionality and amount of white-space perception were obtained. High levels of white-space response were found to be most effective in prediction of degree of rated oppositionality.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Beck

S. J.

Error, symbol, and method in the Rorschach test. Journal of Abnormal and Social Psychology, 1942, 37, 83–103.

Dixon

, & Massey

Introduction to statistical analysis. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1957.

Edwards

Experimental design in psychological research. New York: Holt, Rinehart, & Winston, 1950.

Finn

, & Neuringer

Left-handedness—a study of its relation to oppositionality. Journal of Projective Techniques, 1968, 32, 49–52.

Fiske

D. W.

, & Baughman

Relationship between Rorschach scoring categories and the total number of responses. In Murstein

(Ed.), Handbook of projective techniques. New York: Basic Books, 1965.

Fonda

The white-space response. In Rickers-Ovsiankina

(Ed.), Rorschach psychology. New York: Wiley, 1960.

Harris

A. J.

Manual for the Harris Tests of Lateral Dominance. New York: Psychological Corp., 1958.

Ingram

Prediction of aggression from the Rorschach. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 1954, 18, 27–28.

Kidder

, & Campbell

D. T.

The indirect testing of social attitudes. In Summers

G. F.

(Ed.), Altitude measurement. Chicago: Rand McNally, 1970. Pp. 333–385.

10.

Klopfer

Ainsworth

Klopfer

W. G.

, & Holt

R. R.

Developments in Rorschach technique. New York: Harcourt, Brace, & World, 1954.

11.

Mischel

Direct vs. indirect personality assessment. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 1972, 38, 319–324.

12.

Rabin

Rorschach test findings in a group of conscientious objectors. American Journal of Orthopsychiatry, 1945, 15, 514–519.

13.

Rickers-Ovsiankina

Rorschach psychology. New York: Wiley, 1960.

14.

Rorschach

Psychodiagnostics. New York: Grune & Stratton, 1942.

15.

Rosen

MMPI and Rorschach correlates of the Rorschach white-space response. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1952, 8, 283–288.

16.

Schachtel

Notes on a Rorschach test of 500 juvenile delinquents. Journal of Projective Techniques, 1951, 15, 144–172.

17.

Scott

, & Johnson

Comparative validities of direct and indirect personality tests. Journal of Clinical and Consulting Psychology, 1972, 38, 301–318.

18.

Weltman

, & Wolfson

Rorschach-S: oppositional tendencies or mastery strivings. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1964, 18, 821–824.

An Empirical Validation of the Relation between Rorschach White-Space and Oppositionality

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References