PSY406: Personality Studies

Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

By
Dr. Ravindra Kumar
Assistant Professor of Psychology
Faculty of Liberal Arts
ICFAI University
Agartala (Tripura West) 799210
 Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)
 Concept of Projective Techniques
 Murray’s Theory & TAT

 Introduction of TAT

 Mechanism of TAT

 Picture Cards in TAT

 Administration of TAT

 Application of TAT
 Concept of Projective Techniques
 A projective test is a type
of personality test in which you
offer responses to ambiguous
scenes, words, or images.
 The goal of such tests is to
uncover the hidden conflicts
or emotions that you project onto
the test with the hope that these
issues can then be addressed
through psychotherapy or other
appropriate treatments.
Types of Projective Techniques:

 The Rorschach Inkblot Test

 The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

 The Draw-A-Person Test

 The House-Tree-Person Test

Reference:
https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-a-projective-test-2795586
 Murray’s Theory of Personality & TAT

 How individuals react with their environment

 How they are affected by their external forces

 How their attitudes, needs and values influence

their reaction to world

 Introduction of TAT
 The Thematic Apperception Test, or TAT, is a type of 
projective test that involves describing ambiguous scenes.
Popularly known as the "picture interpretation technique,"
it was developed by American psychologists Henry A.
 Murray and Christina D. Morgan at Harvard University in
the 1930s.1
 It was conceptualized by Henry Murray and Christina
Morgan on 1935 but more fully elaborated in 1938 and
1943.
 It was believed that material derived from the test could
serve as the X-ray of personality.
 Mechanism of TAT
 The TAT involves showing people a series of picture cards depicting a
variety of ambiguous characters (that may include men, women, and/or
children), scenes, and situations.
 They are then asked to tell as dramatic a story as they can for each picture
presented, including:
 what has led up to the event shown
 what is happening in the scene
 the thoughts and feelings of characters
 the outcome of the story

 The complete version of the TAT includes 31 cards. Murray originally

recommended using approximately 20 cards and selecting those that depicted
characters similar to the subject.
 Today, many practitioners only utilize between 5 and 12 cards, often selected
because the examiner feels that the scene matches the client's needs and situation.
 Picture Cards in TAT
TAT materials consists of total 31cards on which
ambiguous pictures are presented.
10 Cards= Male
10 Cards= Female
10 Cards= Male & Female (Both)
1 Card= Blank (for both)

Total Cards in Use: 20+1= 21 Cards

 Administration of TAT
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 ;
b) what is happening at the moment

c) thoughts and feelings of the character (s)

d) what the characters are feeling and thinking.

e) what was the outcome?

THE TEST PROCEDURE
 The complete version of the test contains 31 picture cards.

 The subject is asked to tell a story for each picture that is

presented to them, including the following:

1) what has led up to the event show

2) 2) what is happening at the moment

3) 3) what the characters are feeling and thinking

4) 4) what the outcome of the story was

INTERPRETATION OF CARDS:
In interpreting responses to the TAT, examiners typically focus their attention on
one of three areas:
a) the content of the stories that the subject tells
b) the feeling or tone of the stories and the participant
c) or the subject's behaviours apart from responses

 These behaviours may include verbal remarks (for example, comments about
feeling stressed by the situation or not being a good storyteller) as well as
nonverbal actions or signs (blushing, stammering, fidgeting in the chair, 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 that an

interference is made about the client.

Example:
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.
SCORING SYSTEMS:
Several formal scoring systems have been developed for
analyzing TAT stories systematically and consistently.
Three common methods that are currently used in research
are the:
1) Defence Mechanisms Manual

2) 2) Social Cognition and Object Relations (SCOR) scale

3) 3) Personal Problem-Solving System—Revised (PPSS-

R)
Results of TAT:
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).
Results tells us about Need of Aggression, Affiliation and
Achievement.
Sex Desires, Optimism-pessimism, organized-disorganized
 Application of TAT
 Personality Assessment
 Expectations
 Recruitment
 Forensic Purposes
 Consumer Behaviour
 References
 http://www.dspmuranchi.ac.in/pdf/Blog/thematicapperce
ptiontest.pdf
 https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-thematic-
apperception-test-tat-2795588#:~:text=The%20Thematic
%20Apperception%20Test%2C%20or,by%20American
%20psychologists%20Henry%20A.&text=1%EF%BB
%BF%20To%20date%2C%20the,and%20clinically
%20used%20personality%20tests.
 https://run.edu.ng/directory/oermedia/
13466080925598.pdf