Psychoanalytic Interpretation of Superego Functioning Following CS Readministration Procedures: Case Illustration

Abstract

The Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 2003) has specific procedures to address brief Rorschach protocols when the first administration yields fewer than 14 responses. These procedures involve the assessor's asking the client to retake the test by providing more responses on the second administration than the first administration. The request carries with it an implicit criticism of the client's initial effort and a mandate to improve performance on retake. The retake request, with its ambiguously worded demand for improved performance, engages the client's superego (i.e., the client feels judged) and makes it possible to study superego manifestations (e.g., guilt, shame) on the Rorschach test, using a model of (a) brief first record, (b) retake directive, and (c) second administration. We present a case that illustrates a clinical strategy, modeled on a psychoanalytic understanding of the CS retake procedure, for studying the client's superego functioning under retest conditions.

Acknowledgments

This research was supported in part by a Graduate Enhancement Scholarship awarded to Jed Yalof by Immaculata University. Jed Yalof also acknowledges the earlier support of colleagues Virginia Brabender, James Kleiger, Mary Jo Peebles, and Bruce Smith for their insights during earlier discussions about psychoanalytic Rorschach applications. Both authors acknowledge Alan Schwartz, who assisted with Rorschach coding, and thank the client and her parents for their investment in wanting to help others learn from this article. We also thank the JPA reviewers for their very thorough review and comments. Ideas related to this article were presented initially by Jed Yalof at the 1999 Annual Meeting of the Society for Personality Assessment, New Orleans, LA.