Faking Psychosis on the Rorschach: Can Expert Judges Defect Malingering

Abstract

The susceptibility of the Rorschach to faking of psychological disturbance has been subject to few studies, all of which have significant methodological deficiencies. Faking of psychosis was examined in this study by using Rorschach experts as judges to blindly evaluate both faked and actual psychotic protocols. The faked protocols came from role-informed and role-uninformed individuals who were asked to specifically malinger paranoid schizophrenia on the Rorschach, The results indicated that the expert judges were unable to detect the faked psychotic protocols regardless of whether the faker was or was not role-informed. However, significantly more role-informed faked protocols received psychotic designations than both the role-uninformed faked and actual psychotic protocols. Expert clinical judgments of the Rorschach are apparently very susceptible to faking of serious disturbance.