Critical evaluation of TAT:

TAT is a projective test that means the stimulus is ambiguous in this test and the stimulus that is shown to
an individual is in the form of an image, card, event or a situation. To which the individual has to give its
response and the response is in the subjective form and it varies from individual to an individual.

Validity and reliability:

The biggest criticism on the TAT is that it is not valid (that it actually measures what it claims to
measure) and reliable (that it gives consistent results over time, due to the challenge of standardizing
interpretations of the narratives provided by subjects) for all the populations and for all the individuals. It
is a nonscientific test. As it is a projective technique so that it must be valid and reliable but in real it
is not. As the TAT is based upon the multiple regression model the coefficient alpha is not
suitable or appropriate. More over the test retest correlation is also badly affected by the
instructions that are given to the individual to write a particular creative story after watching the
picture or card for some seconds.
Circumstances of the story:

Another criticism on the TAT is that the situations in which the story is presented will might produce the
different story each time the subject is given the same card. The story that an individual write may have a
different circumstances each time the individual writes the creative story.

Cards of TAT:

It is another criticism on the TAT is that the all the cards of the TAT are out dated and old fashioned. As
these were established and developed in 30s. the perception of the people and the fades and fashions of
30s were more likely to be very different from the individuals of today’s time. They might feel the
difficulty to find the stimulus and then to give response to it in the form of a creative writing as they are
outdated. The beliefs of the old people were different from the people of today’s time. (Shrestha,2017).

Freudian principle:

As the TAT was based upon the Freud’s most famous principle of repression. That means the story that
an individual write is based upon the desires those were repressed in the unconscious of an individual by
this story method he reveals these desires and a clinician can identify those desires that did not get
fulfilled that created the conflicts in the mind of an individual. Therefore, it was criticized by most of the
professionals that it is a false and outdated test so it cannot be applied to all individuals.

Characteristics of cards:

The criticism on the characteristics of the card is that the environment and the situations in the cards is
outdated and old fashioned it is not up to the standards of today. These cards are culturally biased and
were created for the people of that particular area. It creates the psycho- social and cultural differences
between the patients and their identification of stimulus. They are differently interpreted by different
people. Because the card and the characteristics are old fashioned and out dated. The identification of the
stimulus is very less likely among the patients. (Holmstrom, 1990).
Deviant stories:

The researchers suggest that the response of the individual after watching the photographs and watching
the TAT card was different. The response that is shown by the TAT cards evoke more different and
deviant stories than after watching the photographs. For example, the response is in the form of negative
stories than photographs. The researchers suggest that the main reason behind the difference between both
the conditions the photographic stories and the TAT stories is that the differences is in the stimulus that is
the main characteristics of the images of the cards. (Narron, 2005).

Address to the criticism:

Matthew Narron, psy.D. in 2005 wrote a dissertation it was an attempt to address the issues and all the
criticisms on the cards of TAT and on the old TAT by reporting the Leopold Bellak 10 card set by
performing and photographically testing the outcome study. The results of his studies revealed that the
TAT was mostly and actually based upon the particular and specific time references that produced the
similar answers. When the answers were compare to the new version of TAT. (saxon, 2000).

Critical evaluation of Rorschach test

The Rorschach test also called Rorschach inkblot test. It is a psychological test in which by using
psychological interpretation the subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and analyzed. Some
psychologists use this test to inspect individual’s personality traits and emotional working. It has been
criticized those arguments that justify its validity, reliability and clinical utility, developed by clinical
researchers. It has recruit to identify the thinking disorder, mostly in cases where people did not want to
express their thought process openly.

Generally, in 1960s, the Rorschach was used as the projective test. In a national survey in the U.S, by
providing facilities of patient’s mental health care, this test was ranked eighth among psychological
test. It is the second most broadly used test for Assessment of personality. In forensic assessment cases
more psychiatrists requested this the percentage that was recorded was 25%. By doing surveys, it is
concerned according to correctional psychologists the clinical psychologists who involve on this test has
ranges from 20% to 80% and 80% of psychological degree program assessed it survey. (Grab.H 2008)

In spite of Scoring System that developed since 1960s, assert to have speech and with an extensive body
of research it refuted many criticisms of the original testing system, some researchers continue to raise
questions. The objectivity of testers involve area of dispute, the confirmable, inter-rater reliability and
validity of the general test, bias of the test's pathology scales towards greater numbers of responses, the
small number of psychological events which diagnoses correctly, the lack of ability to duplicate the test's
norms and increasing the ten inkblot images.

Rorschach inkblot test was created in 1921 by Herman Rorschach. The verification of the test is that
objective meaning can be removed from responses to blots of ink which are apparently worthless. Reber
describes the blots as simply “the vehicle for the interaction’’ between therapist and clients. It concludes
that “The functionality of the Rorschach will depend upon the empathy, sensitivity and knowledge of the
tester totally independent the Rorschach itself”.
According to ethical code of the American Psychological Association (APA) that assist freedom of
inquiry and expression and helping the public in developing informed judgments. Its goals include "that
the psychologists should be responsible for test security and integrity.
References:

 Holmstrom, R.W., Silber, D.E., & Karp, S.A. (1990). Development of the Apperceptive Personality
Test. Journal of Personality Assessment, 54 (1 & 2), 252-264.
 Narron, M. C. (2005). Updating the TAT: A Photographic Revision of the Thematic Apperception
Test, Dissertations Abstract International, DAI-B 66/01, p. 568, Jul 2005
 Saxon, Wolfgang (30 March 2000). "Leopold Bellak, 83; Expert on Psychological Tests". The New
York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2000/03/30/us/leopold-bellak-83-expert-on-psychological-
tests.html?pagewanted=1. Retrieved 25 May 2010
 Exner, J., Exner, J., Levy, A., Exner, J., Groth-Marnat, G., Wood, J. M., & Garb, H. N. (2008). The
Rorschach: A comprehensive system. Volume 1: The Rorschach, basic foundations and principles of
interpretation. Wiley and Sons
 Shrestha, P. (2017), Thematic Apperception Test, in Psyche study. Retrieved
from https://www.psychestudy.com/general/personality/thematic-apperception-test