Projective Testing

 I really enjoyed these readings. I have been interested in learning more about project testing, but we just say "they aren't scientific" and move on.  I think they can provide useful clinical information but should not be used for clinical diagnosis. I also think that we could treat them with just as much importance administration-wise as the WAIS or other standardized measures. Part of the hate they get, as discussed in the readings, is due to the subjectivity in the interpretation and administration. If only extensively trained professionals are allowed to administer them, it may help to limit this variability. I feel like we think projective tests are pseudoscience and are quickly frowned upon for not being scientifically based, but psychology as a field is very subjective. We use unofficial projective-type testing all the time when we ask how someone feels after an activity. This topic also reminds me of a part of my research surrounding self-prediction and self-report measures. Within correctional psychology, studies are showing that self-prediction measures (the client reports their risk to re-offend) are a better predictor of recidivism than self-report (professionals rank their answer).  In a way, this is more of a projective measure than an objective. I think projective tests can be useful because who knows themselves better than themselves? Why do we think that our series of questions that researchers developed are better at understanding someone than their own interpretations? We all perceive things differently so why don't we use tests that don't account for individual differences? I think that is a strength of projective testing. However, this does not fit into our biomedical model. Would projective testing be more accepted if we were not in a biomedical model? I agree that we need standardized testing, especially for diagnostics, but more subjective testing is not useless.

 I think it boils down to different theoretical orientations. Different perspectives may be more responsive to this testing than others. Theories that focus on the importance of thoughts and that they hold a deeper meaning would be interested in exploring why someone drew something or why they didn't draw something. However, to what extent does projective testing "work" because someone wants it to work? Like a fortune cookie- we find a way to apply it to ourselves even if it doesn't fit. Overall, I do not think projective testing should always be dismissed as it can be a useful tool for personality assessments, insight building, and other assessments in a population without serious mental illness. However, the tests should be developed further to ensure some standardization and protocols. 

Grade: 14/15