Sentence Completion Test
(SCT)
Dr. Rajesh Kumar, Head,
Department of Psychology,
P.G. Govt. College, Sector-46,
Chandigarh
Sentence completion tests are a class of semi-
structured projective techniques. Sentence
completion tests typically provide respondents
with beginnings of sentences, referred to as
“stems” and respondents then complete the
sentences in ways that are meaningful to
them.
The responses are believed to provide indications
of attitudes, beliefs, motivations, or other
mental states. Therefore, sentence completion
technique, with such advantage, promotes the
respondents to disclose their concealed
feelings.
Sentence completion methods are
presentations of the beginning of
sentences which then requests that the
subjects complete the sentence any way
they would like. This method is based on
the idea that it will reveal more about
thoughts, fantasies, and emotional
conflicts than testing with direct
questions.
Tests are developed to be as vague as
possible so the most amount of
projection as possible can occur.
History
Hermann Ebbinghaus invented the method in 1879 to
test the mental ability of school children in Germany.
He used this test to study his interest in the
development intellectual capacity and reasoning
ability in children.
Carl Jung was the first to look that sentence
completion could be used for personality
assessment. He thought the personal meanings of
word associations could be used. He popularized the
idea that inner notions could be analyzed through
people’s associations of different words. In his
methods, he would say a list of words to the person
being tested and with each word, the client would be
asked to say the first thing that came to their mind.
The beginning of using the formal sentence
completion method for personality
assessment was in 1928 by Arthur Payne.
Payne used the tests for guidance purposes
in asylums and institutions and to assess
career-related personal traits.
Alexander Tendler used the method to study
emotional reactions. With his tests, all his
sentences began with I and revealed
something about annoyances, fears,
aversions, like, interests, and attachments.
It has never been validated that these tests
can be used in emotional contexts.
Amanda Rhode developed the first
validated personality measure of this
kind and discussed a broad range of
personal issues and experiences.
The purpose of the measure was to “reveal
latent needs, sentiments, feelings, and
attitudes which subjects would be
unable or unwilling to recognize or to
express in direct communication”.
Most sentence completion methods today
were developed from the basis of Amanda
Rhode’s test and theories.
One of the most popular of these tests is the
RISB, or Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank.
The original version of the test was developed in
1950 by Rotter and Rafferty. The main objective
of the test was to create a version of the
sentence completion method that could be
administered and scored easily to permit a
widespread use.
They also wanted to provide specific diagnostic
criteria so the results of the exam could be
obtained more quickly. However, the test was
not intended to give a full view of personality,
but more of a starting point for clinicians to
take direction from.
The current version of this test has three
forms at different levels including High
School, College, and Adult. The test is scored
on a seven point scale with answers being
tagged from a conflict (pessimism, hostility,
hopelessness) to neutral (stereotypes,
catchphrases, clichés) to positive (humor,
optimism, acceptance) rating. It takes about
15 to 35 minutes to complete with scoring
ranging in time depending on the familiarity
with administering the test. This is the most
popular form of the Sentence Completion
Method used today (Hersen, 2003).
Uses
The uses of sentence completion tests include
personality analysis, clinical applications,
attitude assessment, achievement motivation,
and measurement of other constructs. They
are used in several disciplines, including
psychology, management, education, and
marketing.
Sentence completion measures have also been
incorporated into non-projective applications,
such as intelligence tests, language
comprehension, and language and cognitive
development tests
Types of SCTs
There are many sentence completion tests available for use
by researchers. Some of the most widely used sentence
completion tests include:
Rotter Incomplete Sentence Blank (assesses personality
traits; perhaps the most widely used of all sentence
completion tests).
Miner Sentence Completion Test (measures managerial
motivations).
Washington University Sentence Completion Test
(WUSCT) from Jane Loevinger (measures ego
development).
Sack’s Sentence Completion Test
Forer’s Sentence Completion Test
Rohde and Hildreth’s Sentence Completion etc.
SCT are designed to reveal motives, needs and
environmental forces (feeling about one’s home,
community, friends, occupations, school etc.).
Psychological mechanisms (feelings of rejection,
evidence of rationalization, method of
evasion/avoidance) etc.
SCT have own limitations like they are indirect,
disguised and relatively unstructured method.
Besides these limitations, they are found more
useful in evaluation of subjective relations,
personality dynamics and problem areas of client
or patient.
Present Test
This test is developed by Govind Tiwari at Agra for
the use of general individual as well as psychiatric
patients. This test has fifty items which have been
collected from available tests and experienced
psychologists. The items of the present SCT covers
several personality areas. They covers
interpersonal as well as intra-personal conflict
areas of an individual.
The preliminary form of the SCT were 85 items which were
verified by three criteria's:
1. Simple straightforward and not anxiety arousing words
were used in items
2. Possibility of favorable as well as unfavorable responses,
provision of different intensities of responses
3. Multipurpose items.
Each item was rated on three point scale by Psychologists,
Psychiatrists and Doctors. The three points were:
4. Not likely to arouse any conflict
5. Average chances to arouse conflict
6. Very good chances to arouse conflict
These rating were averaged and only those items were
selected which obtained highest scores and indicate very
good chances to arouse conflict.
Interpersonal Conflict
This area include home (father,
mother, siblings, inlaws and other
relatives); School, work; neighbours,
friends, religion, political and
economic ingroups as well as out
groups. In other words this section
of items will provide data on both
aspects of the relationship i.e.
attitude towards and characteristics
of.
Intra personal conflicts
Conflicts related to dominant
needs or drive, environmental
conditions, which provokes
specified emotional response or
arouses anger, anxiety, worry
guilt, denial depression,
aggression etc.
Scoring System of Present SCT
The present SCT classification form have three basic
points-
1. Interpersonal Conflict Areas: This section deals
with attitudes relating to various important
interpersonal figures in the client or patient’s life.
This section include ‘attitude toward’ and
characteristics of, Home-Father, Mother,
Siblings, Sister in laws and relatives, School,
Work, different in groups and out groups.
2. Intrapersonal Conflict Areas: This section
include dominant needs or drives, environmental
or personal conditions which provokes or arouse
specified emotional responses.
3. Aggressive Tendencies: This section include all
responses ‘which imply aggression’ directed
against the self. They may be suicidal thoughts,
self-blame inadequate statements and guilt feeling.
Those responses which indicate outward directed
aggressive tendencies, may be called Hostility.
Aggression includes outward expression of
aggression to others like kicked, got mad, felt
angry etc.
In the above stated conflict areas each of the item
can be rated on the following lines-
1. No Conflict: this means no conflict in test, may
be a person has some conflict, but this test fail to
elicit it (Give no score or zero)
2. Doubtful: Indication of conflict as well as no
conflict (may or may not conflict). (give one score).
3. Conflict (Mild): Indication of conflict as mild.
Give two score
4. Severe Conflict: Clear cut indication of conflict.
(Give three scores)
With this scoring system, some caution is
required. As stated earlier the present SCT is
only useful tool for additional source of
information. This may or may not fail to give
whole story. If anybody feels more appropriate
method of scoring and interpretation of the
present SCT then he can use without any
hesitation.
