Correlates of Rorschach Reality Adherence in the Assessment of Murderers who Plead Insanity

Abstract

Reality adherence measured by Mayman's system of Rorschach form level scoring was applied to the protocols of 43 individuals all of whom were pleading insanity to a charge of murder. Reality adherence level correlated significantly with judgment of legal sanity, contributed importantly to a factor analysis dimension of reality functioning, and was extensively related to measures of primary process thought and impulse. Reality adherence further was related to intellectual functioning and areas of past history. These results suggest that Mayman's reality adherence measure has substantial validity and is importantly related to other personality variables.