The Assessment of Anxiety by Means of the Rorschach

Abstract

For some years now, a number of studies have made use of the Rorschach as a measure of anxiety. One of the most frequently used anxiety scorings of the Rorschach has been the approach devised by Elizur, a system which involves the more or less psychometric evaluation of the content of the response. Using the criteria suggested in the APA Technical Recommendations — such as the definition of construct, interscorer reliability, effect of response total, stability over time, criterion and construct validity, and the like — this paper presents a review of the research carried out with this measure of anxiety. In light of the available research evidence, the value and limitations of the anxiety scoring of the Rorschach are discussed, with particular note being made as to the potential usefulness in its research applications.