Thematic Apperception TesT

• is a projective test consisting of a series of

pictures in which the examinee is
requested to create a story about the
picture.
• method of revealing to the trained
interpreter some of the dominant drives,
emotions, sentiments, complexes and
conflicts of personality.
• Apperception – refer to the process of
projecting fantasy imaginary onto an
objective stimuli.
 History:

was conceptualized by Henry Murray

and Christina Morgan on 1935.

• Henry Murray
– was born on May 13, 1893 into a wealthy
family.
– Has a good relationship with his father but
poor one with his mother, that result him to
feel depression.
– A turning point in his life occurred at the age
of 30, when he met and fell in love with
Christina Morgan, though married for 7 year.
– Carl Jung advice him not to stop the
relationship with Morgan and keep both
relationships. (1925)

 Christina Morgan
- Born in Boston on October 6, 1987
- Had a lot of health problems.
- Drowned herself on March 14, 1967 at the Virgin
Islands
• Morgan – Murray Thematic apperception
Test
– the original name of the TAT but later on
Murray is given primary credit for the test,
along with the staff of Harvard Psychological
Clinic.

• 1938 the year that Tat was established in

Harvard Psychological Clinic
• Explorations in Personality in which the
description of TAT was included.
• Murray’s Theory of Personality
The TAT is so integrally involved with
Murray’s concept of personality that a
survey and knowledge of his basic
theoretical components is important. In
constructing the theory, Murray
emphasizes the biological basis as well as
the social and environmental
determinants of behavior. He is also
consistently aware of how individuals
interact with their environment.
• 1960 – Mrs. Uma Coudhary
developed Indian Adoption of TAT

• Human Potential Movement

– encouraged psychologists to use TAT to
help their clients understand themselves
better and stimulate personal growth.
 General Conditions:

• to be administered in an interpersonal
setting.
• TAT materials consists of 20 cards on
which ambiguous pictures are presented.
-”M” for males, “F” for females
-”B” for boys, “G” for girls
-”BM” for boys/males, “GF” for
girls/females.
• The selection of cards may be
idiosyncratic to the patient’s presenting
problem.
SEQUENTIAL NUMBERING SYSTEM (SNS)
a) administered to females and males
in exact order : 1, 2, 3BM, 4, 6BM, 7GF,
8BM, 9GF, 10, 13MF.
b) administered to any males: 1, 2,
3BM, 4, 6BM, 7BM, 11, 12M, 13MF.
c) administered to any females: 1, 2, 3,
3BM, 4, 6GF, 7GF, 9GF, 11, 13GF.
• Research purposes : Keiser and Prather
(1990) specified Murray’s frequent cards.
- 10 most frequent cards : 1, 2, 3BM,
3GF, 4, 5, 6BM, 6GF, 8BM and 8GF.

• During administration, the subject should

be seated beside the examiner with his
or her chair turned away.
 Instructions:

• The examiner will show some pictures

one at a time, and the subject will be
making up as dramatic a story as
he/she can for each picture card. 50
minutes for 10 pictures. The following
story structure must be obtained:
a) current situation ; what is
happening at the moment?

b) thoughts and feelings of the

character (s); what the characters are
feeling and thinking?

c) preceding events; what has led up

to the event shown in the picture?

d) outcome ; what was the outcome?

 Procedures:
• TIME
time measured should begin when the
picture is first presented and end when the
subject begins his or her story.

• RECORDING
a subject’s complete responses should be
recorded, along with any noteworthy behavioral
observations: exclamation, stuttering, pauses,
blushing, degree of involvement , and
change in voice inflection.
• QUESTIONING and INQUIRY
to produce an unhampered and
free-flow of the subject’s fantasy
material.

• ORDER OF PRESENTATION
usually, the cards should be
administered according to their
sequential numbering system.
• USE OF THE TAT (or CAT) with CHILDREN:

-instructions should be modified in

accordance with their age and
vocabulary.

-for the use with children, the TAT cards

that have the highest number of
interpretable responses and the lowest
number of responses are the following:
 a) in order of usefulness : 7GF,
18GF, 3GF, and 8GF.

b) least helpful cards are 19,

18BM, 11 and 12BG

(Bellak and Abrams, 1997)

• CAT usually used to 3-10 yrs old
(Bellak 1949)

• 1965 – CAT-H for 11-15 yrs old

 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• TAT to children ages 8-11 yrs old : 1, 3BM,

7GF, 8BM, 12M, 13B, 14, 17BM (Obsrzut
and Boleik 1968)
• TAT for adolescents: 1, 2, 5, 7GF, 12F, 12M,
15, 17BM, 18BM, 18GF
• Children and adolescents of either gender
: 1, 2, 3BM, 4, 5, 6BM, 7GF, 8BM ( Teglasi
1993)
• (Bellak) SENIOR APPERCEPTION TECHNIQUE
(SAT) - for elderly individuals for over 65
years of age.
 Scoring:
The Psychological Corporation

For each of the scoring categories,

practitioners should abbreviate their
observations about the person. In some sections,
practitioners are asked to indicate the levels of
importance or strength for the per by putting
one check (mere presence of characteristics),
two checks (moderate) or three checks (strong).
The entire scoring and interpretation procedure
typically takes a half-hour.
• H.A Murray, 1943 scoring the TAT involves
evaluating the following five different aspects
of the stories:

 The Hero. Scoring for the hero involves identifying

who is central character(s) in the story
 Need of the Hero. For Murray, it was also critical to
identify the needs, motives and desire of the hero.
 Identifying the presses. A press refer to any
important environmental factor that may influence
or interfere with the need of the hero.
Example: (parents or boss), (the lock on the door is
broken)
 Scoring for themes. Scoring for themes in TAT
stories involves noting the nature of the
interplay and conflict between the needs and
presses, the types of emotion elicited by this
conflict, and the way the conflict is resolved.

 Scoring for outcome. Scoring for the outcome

of the story involves analyzing how the stories
end by noting a happy versus unhappy ending
and assessing the extent to which the ending is
controlled by the strengths of the hero and
forces in the environment.
 Interpretation:
• Nomethetic and Idiogrphic.

1. Nomothethic Interpretation refers to the practice

of establishing norms for answer from subjects in
specific age, gender, racial, or educational level
groups and then measuring a given subject’s
responses against those norms.
2. Idiographic Interpretation refers to evaluating the
unique features of the subject’s view of the world
and relationships.
Most psychologists would classify the TAT is
better suited to idiographic than nomothethic
interpretations
• In interpreting the responses of the TAT, the
examiners typically focus their attention on
one of the three (3) areas:

•The content of the stories that the

subject tells;
•The feeling or the tone of the stories;
•The subject’s behavior apart from
responses. These behavior may include:
Verbal Remarks (e.g. comments about
feeling stressed by situation or not being
good story teller) as well as Nonverbal
Actions or Signs (e.g. blushing stammering,
fidgeting in the chair, difficulties making an
eye contact with the examiner, etc.)
• The story content usually reveals the
subject’s attitudes, fantasies, wishes,
inner conflicts, and view of the outside
world.

• The story structure typically reflects the

subject’s feelings, assumptions about
the world, and an underlying attitude
of optimism or pessimism.
• The 3 Levels of Interpretations suggest
by Bellak & Abram, 1997 are:
•Descriptive Level- it is the mere
repeat of the story
•Interpretative Level- It extends the
descriptive level by an alteration of it
[if one does the X, then the outcome
will be Y.].
•Diagnostic Level- It is the further
extension I that an interference is
made about the client.
• In Example Given:
PICTURE 1

– Descriptive level (the boy

is practicing to increase
his competence.)
– Interpretative level (If one
practice, then he or she
will improve.)
– Diagnostic level (The
client has a high need for
achievement with a high
level of self- efficacy.

The boy is
 Results:
• The results of the TAT must be interpreted
in the context of the subject’s personal
history, age, sex, level of education,
occupation, racial or ethnic
identification first language, and other
characteristics that may be important.
“Normal” results are difficult to define in
a complex multicultural society like the
contemporary United States.
• The results of the Thematic
Apperception Test are difficult to
generalize. The results are often
subjective and do not use any formal
type of scoring system. However, a
close analysis of the stories told by the
subject normally gives the tester a
decent idea of the traits mentioned
above (personality, emotional control,
and attitudes towards aspects of
everyday life).
– Companies sometimes use thematic
apperception tests to screen potential
employees. This test can determine (to a
certain extent) whether the potential
employee is likely to succeed at a certain
position For example: Can they handle
stressful situations? How will they react to
emotional conflicts? Will they fit well with
the general atmosphere and attitude of
the company?
– Thematic Apperception Tests are less
beneficial to individuals. However,
individuals can use the results to
determine if an industry or company is
right for them. The results can also help
the person understand their unconscious
self, which can help them find ways to
successfully increase their productivity
and efficacy on the job. A true
understanding of one self can provide
over your co-workers and competitors.
 Thematic Apperception Test
(TAT)

Picture 1:

A boy is sitting at a
table looking at a
violin placed on the
table in front of him.
Picture 2 : Country scene with a woman
holding a book in the foreground. In the
background, a man is working a field
while a woman watches.
 General Discussion
• This is the only card in the series
that presents the group scene and
gives information relating to how
the individual deals with the
challenge of people living
together.
Picture 3BM : A boy is huddled next to a
couch. On the floor next to him is an
ambiguous object that could be a set of
keys or a revolver.
 General Discussion
• This is identified as one of the most useful pictures for it
concerns themes of guilt, depression, aggression, and
impulsive control.

For example, if the object is described as a gun, is it

used or intended to used for:*Intra-aggression-the
subject is going to use it to damage oneself, or
*Extra-aggression-the subject has used it or going to
use it to damage or harm another person.

This picture is particularly important for depressed

patients, whether male or female, because it can
reveal important dynamics regarding the manner in
which the depression developed and how it is
currently being maintained
Picture 3GF : A woman is standing next to an
open door with one hand grabbing the
side of the door and the other holding
her downcast face.
 General Discussion
• The same general trend that hold for
Picture 3BM are also true here, in that
both pictures tend to bring out
depressive feelings. Frequently, however,
Picture 3BM brings out somewhat richer
stories and allows both males and
females to identify with the central
figure.
Picture 4 : A woman is grabbing the
shoulders of a man who is turning away
from her.
 General Discussion
• This picture typically elicits a good deal
of information relating to the feelings
and attitudes surrounding male-female
relationship. Frequently, themes of
infidelity and betrayal emerge, and
details regarding the male attitudes
toward the role of women may be
discussed.
Picture 5 : A woman is looking into a room
from the threshold of a door.
 General Discussion
• This picture often reveals information
surrounding attitudes about the subjects
mother in her role of observing and
possibly judging behavior. It is important
to note how the woman is perceived
and how the situation is resolved.

This card elicits paranoid fears of attack

or intrusion by an outsider, represented
by stories in which the woman is
surprised by a burglar
Picture 6BM : An elderly woman is standing
parallel to a window. Behind her is a
younger man with his face down. He is
holding onto his hat.
 General Discussion
• This picture can be important to include
when testing males. It usually proves to
be rich source of information regarding
attitudes and feelings toward their
mother or maternal figures in general.
Because the stories usually revolve
around a young man striving for
independence, the specific manner in
which the subject depicts this struggle is
important.
Picture 6GF : A young woman sitting on the
edge of a sofa looks back over her
shoulder at an older man with a pipe in
his mouth who seems to be addressing
her.
 General Discussion
• This card was originally intended to be the
female counterpart to Picture 6BM,, and it was
hoped that it, too, would elicit attitudes and
feelings toward paternal figures. However,
because the two figures are often seen as
being about an equal age, the card
frequently does not accompilsh0 its intended
purpose. When clear father-daughter plots are
not discussed, the picture reflects the
subject’s style and approach to instructed
heterosexual relationship.
Picture 7BM : An older man is looking at a
younger man, who appears to be
peering into space.
 General Discussion
• This card is extremely useful in obtaining
information about the authority figures and,
more specifically the subjects own father. The
picture deals with hierarchical

Personal relationships and usually takes the

form of an older, more experienced man
interacting with the younger, less experienced
one.. Thus, the card can clearly show how the
subject deals with external demands and
attitudes toward authority.
Picture 7GF : A young girl is seated on a
couch and is holding a doll in her hands.
Behind her is an older woman who
appears to be reading to her out of a
book.
 General Discussion
• The intention here is to bring out the style and
manner of mother-child interaction. When the
older women are the subjects, the picture
often elicits feelings and attitudes toward
children. Because both figures are looking
away, either figure is sometimes perceived as
rejecting the other. This, the card draws out
negative feeling and interactions, and it is
important to note how these feelings are
resolved, expressed, or avoided. Sometimes
the older woman is described as reading a
fairy story to the younger girl.
Picture 8BM : A young boy in the foreground
is staring directly out of the picture. In the
background is a hazy image of two men
performing surgery on a patient who is
lying down.
 General Discussion
• The picture can be seen as a thinly veiled
depiction of a young man’s oedipal conflicts,
with concomitant feelings of castration
anxiety and hostility. Thus, it is important to
note what feelings the boy or the other
characters in the story have toward the older
man performing the surgery. If the story
depicts a need for achievement expressed by
the younger man, it is also likely the he will
identify

With the older one and perhaps use him as an

example, If this is the case, the details of how
the identification may be helpful.
Picture 8GF : A woman is sitting on a chair
staring into space with her chin resting in
her hand.
 General Discussion
• This picture is difficult to generalize
about. Typically, it produces somewhat
shallow stories of a contemplative
nature.
Picture 9BM : Four men in a field are lying
against one another.
 General Discussion
• This picture is particularly helpful in
providing information about relation with
the members of the same sex.
Sometimes, heterosexual tendencies or
fears regarding such tendencies
become evident in the story plot. Social
prejudice often becomes apparent,
particularly when the men in the picture
are seen as homeless.
Picture 9GF : A woman in the foreground is
standing behind a tree, observing
another woman who is running along a
beach below.
 General Discussion
• This card basically deals with female
peer relations and is important in
elaborating on the issues such as conflict
resolution, jealousy, sibling rivalry, and
competitiveness. Because the figure
standing behind the tree is carefully
observing the woman on the bench,
stories may provide details surrounding
paranoid ideation.
Picture 10 : One person is holding his or her
head against another person’s shoulder.
The gender of the two persons is not
defined.
 General Discussion
• This card often gives useful information
regarding how the subject perceives
male-female relationship, particularly
those involving some degree of
closeness and intimacy. It might be
helpful to notice the relative degree of
comfort or discomfort evoked by
emotional closeness. A story of
departure or of termination of the
relationship may be reflective of either
overt or denied hostility on the part of
the subject.
Picture 11 : On a road in a chasm, several
figures are proceeding along a path
toward a bridge. Above them and
against the side of a cliff appears to be
a dragon.
 General Discussion
• Because the form of the picture is quite
vague and ambiguous, it is good test of
the subjects’ imaginative abilities and
their skills in integrating irregular and
poorly refined stimuli. The picture also
represents unknown and threatening
forces and reflects the manner in which
the subjects deal with fear of attack.
Picture 12M : A man with his hand raised is
standing above a boy who is lying on a
bed with his eyes closed.
 General Discussion
• This picture often elicits themes regarding the
relationship between an older (usually more
authoritative) man and a younger one. This
can be significant in predicting or assessing
the current or future relationship between the
therapist and the client. The manner in which
the older man is perceived is particularly
important. The picture can represent specifics
of the transference relationship and such, can
be an aid in interpreting and providing
feedback to the client regarding this
relationship. In particular, subjects frequently
reveal attitudes toward some external
controlling forces.
Picture 12F : A portrait of a woman is in the
foreground; an older woman holding her
chin is in the background.
 General Discussion
• This picture elicits descriptions and
conceptions of mother figures. The
background figure is frequently seen as
a mother-in-law who has a variety of evil
qualities. Often, these negative qualities
are feelings that the subject has toward
her own mother but can indirectly, and,
therefore, more safely, project onto the
figure of a mother-in-law
Picture 12BG : A country setting depicts a
tree, with a rowboat pulled up next to it.
No human figures are present.
 General Discussion
• With suicidal or depressed subjects,
there may be an elaboration of feelings
of abandonment and isolation), for
example: someone has been lost or has
been fallen from a boat. More stable
and adjusted subjects are likely to
discuss the peace of being alone in the
woods and perhaps of fishing or having
gone fishing further down the stream.
Picture 13MF : A young man is standing in
the foreground with his head in his arms.
In the background is a woman lying in a
bed.
 General Discussion
• This picture is often helpful in revealing sexual conflicts.
In a general way, it provides information on the
subject’s attitudes and feelings toward his or her
partner, in particularly attitudes just before and
immediately following the sexual intercourse. Stories in
which there are overt expressions of aggression or
revulsion are significant variations and should be
noted as relatively unusual. In particular, the relation
between a subject’s aggressive and sexual feelings is
frequently portrayed.

Because this picture has a relatively large number of

details, obsessive-compulsive personalities frequently
spend an excessive amount of time in describing and
explaining these details. This approach may be
particularly evident when the picture has a shock
effect and may, therefore, create an anxiety.
Picture 13B : A boy is sitting in the doorway
of a log cabin.
 General Discussion
• This picture may help both adults and
children to reveal attitudes toward
introspection or loneliness. In adults, it
frequently elicits reveries involving
childhood memories.
Picture 13G : A girl is climbing a flight of
stairs.
 General Discussion
• This picture lacks the specificity and the
impact found in other TAT cards. It
usually produces stories that are highly
varied but lacking in richness and
details. Like picture 13 B, it can
sometimes useful in depicting a subject’s
attitude toward loneliness and
introspection.
Picture 14 : A person is silhouetted against a
window.
 General Discussion
• If a subject’s presenting problem is depression,
especially if there is evidence of suicidal ideation, this
card, along Picture 3 BM, is essential.. This type of
subject often describes the figure in the picture and,
more importantly discusses the events, feeling, and
attitudes that led up to the current self-destructive
behavior. It becomes important to investigate, during
the inquiry phase of examination, the particular
methods and styles of problem solving that the story
character has attempted or is attempting

This picture may also reveal the subject’s aesthetics

interest and personal philosophical beliefs or wish
fulfillments.
Picture 15 : A man is standing among
tombstones with his hands clasped
together.
 General Discussion
• This reflects the subject’s particular beliefs
about, and attitudes toward, death and the
dying process. For example death may be
viewed as a passive, quiet process, or, in
contrast, it can be violent, aggressive
situation. If the subject is having an extremely
difficult time coping with the death of a friend
and relative, the themes on Picture 15 can
provide useful information as to why this
difficulty is being experienced. The story might
also indicate unexpressed and problematic
anger directed toward the dead person,
because of sense of abandonment.
Picture 16 : Blank card.
 General Discussion
• The instructions for this card are:
• Imagine a picture and then tell a story about it.

From the subjects with vivid and active imaginations,

this card often elicits extremely rich, useful stories; and
the amount of detail and complexity in a person’s
stories have been found to correlate with different
measures of creativity (Wakefield, 1986). The card
does little to shape or influence the subject’s fantasy
material and can thus be seen as relatively pure
product of his or her unconscious. However for
anxious, resistant, or noncreative subjects, this card
often a little or no value because the stories are
usually brief and lack of depth or richness In
considering the story, is helpful to note whether the
depiction involves a scene that is vital and optimistic,
or one that is desolate or flat.
Picture 17BM : A naked man is climbing up
(or down) a rope.
 General Discussion
• Because the card depicts a naked man,
attitudes regarding the subject’s
personal body images are often
revealed. They in turn may bring out
themes of achievement, physical
prowess, adulation, and narcissism.
Possible homosexual feelings or anxiety
related to homosexuality also becomes
evident in the stories of some subjects
Picture 17GF : A female is standing on a
bridge over water. Above the bridge is a
tall building, and behind the building the
sun is shining from behind clouds.
 General Discussion
• Attitudes toward a recent separation or the
impending arrival of a loved one are
sometimes described. This card can be
particularly useful in cases of suicidal
depression, where the figure on the bridge is
perceived as contemplating jumping off, as a
last attempt to resolve her difficulties. As with
Picture 3 BM and 14, an inquiry into the
specific difficulties the story character has
encountered and the manner in which she
has attempted to resolve these difficulties can
often reflect the subject’s manner and style of
coping with his or her own difficulties.
Picture 18BM : A man dressed in a long coat
is being grabbed from behind. Three
hands are visible.
 General Discussion
• This picture, more than any others, is
likely to produce anxiety because of the
suggestive depiction of invisible forces
attacking the figure. Thus, it is important
to note how the subject handles his or
her own anxiety as well as how
character deals with his or her situation.
Picture 18GF : A woman has her hands
around the throat of another woman. In
the background is a flight of stairs.
 General Discussion
• The manner in which the subject handles aggressive,
hostile relationships with the other women is primary
type of information this picture elicits. Particular note
should be made of what types of events trigger this
aggressiveness, and of the manner in which the
conflict is or is not resolved

Feelings of inferiority, jealousy, and response to being

dominated are also often described. Although the
representation of aggressiveness in the picture is quite
explicit, subjects occasionally attempt to deny or
avoid this aggressiveness by creating a story in which
one figure is attempting to help the other one up the
stairs. This may point to general denial and repression
of hostility on the part of the subject.
Picture 19 : A surreal depiction of clouds and
a home covered with snow.
 General Discussion
• Because this is one of the more
unstructured cards, the subject’s ability
to integrate disparate visual stimuli is
tested. For certain subjects, the
ambiguous nature of this picture can
create anxiety and insecurity. The
examiner can then observe how the
subject handles his or her anxiety in the
context of the story. Often the stories
produced deal with impersonal
aggression from forces such as nature or
the supernatural.
Picture 20 : A hazy, nighttime picture of a
man leaning against a lamppost.
 General Discussion
• The picture often elicits information
regarding a subject’s attitudes toward
loneliness, darkness, and uncertainty.
Fears may be stated explicitly through
gangster stories. As with Picture 18 BM,
the method of handling these fears and
the examinee’s response to physical
danger should be noted.