Abstract :
In this commentary, I review a meta-analysis and three original research reports concerning the
Rorschach (Exner, 2003; Rorschach, 1921/1942) and the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT;
Murray, 1943) assessment in psychological treatment planning and outcome evaluation. The
information in these four articles bears witness to the potential utility of performance-based
personality assessment measures for this purpose. The strengths and limitations of the articles
suggest several guidelines for future research designed to examine this Rorschach and TAT application
including an emphasis on effectiveness studies, longitudinal data, integrated independent
variables, observable dependent variables, sophisticated data analysis combining
nomothetic and idiographic presentation, and the incremental contribution of performance-
based measures to psychotherapy-related personality assessment.
