Thematic Appreciation Test

The TAT is popularly known as the picture interpretation technique because it uses a series of
provocative yet ambiguous pictures about which the subject is asked to tell a story.

Developed by:-

Psychologist Henry A. Murray and artist and lay psychoanalyst Christina D. Morgan.

Developed in:-

During 1930s at Harvard University.

Origin of idea:-

The general opinion of how the test originated involves one of Murray’s undergraduate students
telling him about how her son, when home with an illness, spent all day looking at pictures in
magazines and telling stories about them. The mother inquired whether this technique could
somehow be used in a clinical setting (Douglas, 1993).

Test material:-

There are 30 pictures and one blank card. Specific cards are designed for male subjects, other for
females. Some are appropriate for older people, other for younger ones. A few of cards are
appropriate for all subjects. In the original design of the test, 20 cards were to be administered to
each subject, 10 cards in one session. Inactual practice, only 10 or 12 cards are typically used..

Theme of the test:-

Many of the TAT drawings consist of sets of themes such as: success and failure, competition
and jealousy, feeling about relationships, aggression, and sexuality.[9] These are usually depicted
through picture cards.

Instructions:-
Each picture should be shown one at a time, and the subjects are then asked to depict a story
from the pictures in the card. Total time duration assigned for 10 pictures is 50 minutes.

Procedure:-
The TAT is popularly known as the picture interpretation technique because it uses a series of
provocative yet ambiguous pictures about which the subject is asked to tell a story. The TAT
manual provides the administration instructions used by Murray,[7] although these procedures are
commonly altered. The subject is asked to tell as dramatic a story as they can for each picture
presented, including the following:

 what has led up to the event shown

 what is happening at the moment
 what the characters are feeling and thinking
 what the outcome of the story was

Recording Procedure:-
 Complete responses presented by a subject should be recorded.
 Along with behavioral observations: stuttering, voice tone, body posture, hand movements,
exclamation, and so on.
 Practitioner should engage in questioning and inquiry to produce a continuous flow of the
subject’s fantasy.
 The cards should be administered in the sequence they were presented to the subject.

Scoring techniques:-

Henry A. Murray also developed scoring technique, and categorized it as following five
aspects of the stories.
 The Hero: Scoring for the hero involves identifying the protagonist in the story.
 Need for the Hero: It was important for Murray to identify the motives, needs and desire of
the hero.
 Identifying the presses: Environmental factors that influence with the needs or actions of
the hero are regarded as presses.
 Scoring for Themes: This involves evaluating the nature of interplay and conflict between
the presses and the needs. Emotion elicited by conflict and the way in which conflict is
resolved is assessed.
 Scoring for Outcome: Major scoring for outcome is done on whether or not the story has a
happy ending. Also, the impact on the outcome influenced by the strengths of hero and
presses is assessed.
Purpose of test:-

The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is widely used to research certain topics in psychology,
such as dreams and fantasies, mate selection, the factors that motivate people's choice of
occupations, and similar subjects. It is sometimes used in psychiatric evaluations to assess
disordered thinking and in forensic examinations to evaluate crime suspects, even though it is not
a diagnostic test. The TAT can be used to help people understand their own personality in greater
depth and build on that knowledge in making important life decisions. Lastly, it is sometimes
used as a screener in psychological evaluations of candidates for high-stress occupations (law
enforcement, the military, religious ministry, for example).

How Is the Thematic Apperception Test Used?

The Thematic Apperception Test can be utilized by therapists in a number of different ways.
Some of these include:
 Therapists may use the test to learn more about a client. In this way, the test acts as
something of an icebreaker while providing useful information about potential emotional
conflicts the client may have.
 Helping clients express how they are feeling. The TAT is often used as a therapeutic tool to
allow clients to express feelings in a non-direct way. A client may not yet be able to express
a certain feeling directly, but they might be able to identify the emotion when viewed from
an outside perspective.
 Exploring themes and issues that relate to the client's life and experiences. Clients
dealing with problems such as job loss, divorce, or health issues might interpret the
ambiguous scenes and relating to their unique circumstances, allowing deeper exploration
over the course of therapy.
 Assessing clients for some psychological conditions. The test is sometimes used as a tool to
assess personality or thought disorders.
 The TAT has also been put to use as a forensic tool. Clinicians may administer the test to
criminals to assess the risk of recidivism or to determine if a person matches the profile of a
crime suspect.
 The test has also been used as a career assessment tool. The is sometimes used to
determine if people are suited to particular roles, especially positions that require coping with
stress and evaluating vague situations such as military leadership and law enforcement
positions.

Contemporary applications of TAT

Despite criticisms, the TAT remains widely used as a tool for research into areas of psychology
such as dreams, fantasies, mate selection and what motivates people to choose their occupation.
Sometimes it is used in a psychiatric or psychological context to assess personality
disorders, thought disorders, in forensic examinations to evaluate crime suspects, or to screen
candidates for high-stress occupations. It is also commonly used in routine psychological
evaluations, typically without a formal scoring system, as a way to explore emotional conflicts
and object relations.
 TAT is widely used in France and Argentina using a psychodynamic approach.
 The Israeli army uses the test for evaluating potential officers.
 It is also used by the Services Selection Board of India.

Criticisms of the Thematic Apperception Test:-

The Thematic Apperception Test lacks a standardized and widely used scoring system, so it is
difficult to obtain estimates of reliability and validity.4 Different examiners and clinicians often
vary in terms of administration and procedures, so comparing results is difficult. Few
practitioners use Murray's complex and difficult scoring system and instead rely on their
subjective interpretation and clinical opinion to reach conclusions about the subjects.

References:-

https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-the-thematic-apperception-test-tat-2795588
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thematic_apperception_test#Procedure

http://projectivetests.umwblogs.org/popular-tests/thematic-apperception-test-tat/

https://www.psychestudy.com/general/personality/detailed-procedure-thematic-procedure-test

https://www.mentalhelp.net/psychological-testing/thematic-apperception-test/