A Suggested Approach to Evaluation of Projective Techniques

Abstract

Despite the plethora of research on projective techniques, no firm conclusion has yet been reached concerning their validity. Although this current state of affairs is in part a function of strong personal biases “for” and “against” the worth of projectives, much of the confusion seems to have been perpetuated by the unsystematic approach which characterizes out attempts to conceptualize the “validity” of various projective techniques. Because of the multidimensional nature of projective methods, we need to ask specific questions concerning their validity—each question focusing on a particular use to which the method has been put (e.g., its validity as a measure of anxiety, hostility, homosexuality, etc.). Only in this way can we set off the validity limits of the various projective techniques.