Pairs, Reflections, and the EgoI: Exploration of a Perceptual Hypothesis

Abstract

In the Comprehensive System for the Rorschach (Exner, 2003), pair and reflection responses are combined into an Egocentricity Index (EgoI) that is said to measure self-focus and self-esteem. However, validation research over the past 30 years has found at most only limited support for these interpretations. This study suggests an alternative approach derived from Exner's (1969) suggestion prior to the EgoI that pairs and reflections are related to interpersonal perception and in particular to a tendency to perceive similarity. Forty custody litigants completed the Rorschach and Revised NEO Personality Inventory (Costa & McCrae, 1992b) Forms S and R. As the number of reflections increased, the description of the partner and the description of the self became increasingly dissimilar. As pairs increased, the description of the ex-partner on Form R and the self-description on Form S tended to become increasingly similar. This project suggests that pairs and reflections may be differentially related to perceived similarity and that combining them into a summative index may, at least in some circumstances, result in a loss of information.