Artuji

The Rorschach Ink Blot test pictures have recently been uploaded on Wikipedia and is now creating a debate among people if the Rorschach Ink Blot photos should be taken down or not.

For those who don’t know, the Rorschach Ink Blot test is a method of psychological evaluation in which a person’s perception of the inkblots are recorded and then analyzed to determine their personality characteristics and emotional functioning.

The Rorschach Ink Blots is a series of ten images. The one shown above is the first plate. The other plates can be seen in the Wikipedia entry here.

What’s wrong with posting the inkblots on Wikipedia?

Psychologists and test publishers argue that it could help test-takers game the system and get in the way of research. And if patients peek at the interpretations beforehand, they may get in the way of their own diagnoses.

However, Wikipedia supporters say that it’s informative and there’s really no evidence of the claimed harm caused by uploading the images. They argue that the images and the inkblot test is also outdated and better psychological tests can be done already.

Scientific American, in a 2005 article, called Rorschach’s test as “frequently ineffective” as a mental health tool. Research also “suggests” that it can’t really gauge violent tendencies, depression, antisocial tendencies, and so on.

Source: NY Times