Main Entry: Rorschach test

Function: noun

: a projective psychological test that uses a subject's interpretation of 10 standard black or colored inkblot designs to assess personality traits and emotional tendencies—called also Rorschach, Rorschach inkblot test

Ror·schach \ˈrōr-ˌshäḵ\ Hermann (1884–1922), Swiss psychiatrist. Rorschach was an early supporter of psychoanalytic theory. In 1921 he published his major work on psychodiagnosis in which he introduced his famous inkblot test. He based his findings on the testing of 300 mentally ill patients and 100 average people over a 14-year period. His work included a systematic analysis of his subjects' attention to the wholes or details of the symmetrical figures used in his test. Although controversial, his inkblot test has since been widely used for the clinical diagnosing of psychopathology.