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In Orwellian fashion, Wright and Cumming's (2005) described disturbing trends that detract from the credibility of psychological research. Writers of their time looked to an informed, ethical, and competent journal review process to balance these trends. A review of the current Rorschach/psychopathy literature makes one realize that a plethora of largely unchallenged biases, unsound methodology, and faulty conclusions pervade the literature (Cunliffe et al., 2021; Gacono, 2016; Smith et al., 2021). Have journal editors failed to ensure that only sound, ethical, unbiased, useful research is published? Sadly, they have. Practicing clinicians must be wary, rather than trusting that editors and reviewers are informed about key issues, that reviewers offer only opinions within their areas of expertise, and that researchers have an adequate experiential knowledge base for understanding the populations or assessment instruments they study (Cunliffe et al., 2021; Gacono, 2021). In this article, we review 5 articles that illustrate these issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (1997) requires identification of emotional disturbance by special education criteria. It also requires that emotional disturbance be distinguished from social maladjustment. In some cases, a thorough evaluation of the child's character pathology can aid in this determination. While methods such as the Rorschach, BASC, and MMPI-A are useful in understanding behavior and personality, psychopathy assessment may be particularly useful for organizing opinions in this matter. In this article we discuss the relevance of psychopathy's two-factor structure in formulating a schema for making the differentiation between emotional disturbance and social maladjustment and review methods for gathering information about this troublesome aspect of character pathology. (Contains 1 table and 3 footnotes.)

The use of psychological instruments prior to them being fully validated is never justified. The consequences can be serious in terms of psychometric credibility. The push to utilize a new Rorschach scoring system, the Rorschach Performance Assessment System (R-PAS; Meyer, Viglione, Mihura, Erard, and Erdberg, 2011), is worth examining from this perspective. Is its use scientifically justified, or, even necessary? We informally polled several colleagues regarding frequently asked questions when comparing the CS/CS-R and the R-PAS (Gacono and Smith, 2021a). This article explores practitioners' responses to 10 of those questions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The histories of incarcerated women exhibit a multitude of personality issues including psychopathy, trauma, and interpersonal dependency. Two studies were undertaken to better understand these issues with psychopathic (PCL-R ≥ 30; N = 115) and non-psychopathic (PCL-R ≤ 24; N = 53) women incarcerated for drug, theft, fraud, violence, and sex offenses. In the first study, trauma symptoms were compared on Rorschach variables, TSI-2, and PAI scales. The female psychopathic group experienced more problems related to intrusive experiences and dissociation (TSI-2, Rorschach). In the second study, interpersonal dependency was also examined with the PAI, TSI-2, and Rorschach. The psychopathic females had higher rates of interpersonal dependency (PAI, Rorschach). Based on our findings we discuss the relationship between trauma and interpersonal dependency and the meaning of these testing variables and concepts within the personality functioning of these antisocial women. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rorschach emphasized the importance of color in his earliest discussions (Rorschach, 1942). Its crucial role for understanding one's inner life was made clear by its inclusion in the experience balance (EB), and the many nuanced interpretations attributed to its various manifestations. While the construct validity between color and emotion has been empirically established, there are less frequent discussions of its face or logical validity. Art, color theory and modern painting provide a deeper understanding of the convergence between color and emotion. Dr. Piotrowski's discussion of the color red highlights the importance of color in general and red in particular. Red is a lightning rod for strong affect including both aggressive and libidinal drive. The Rorschach excels at offering a blueprint for the manner in which a patient tolerates, manages, and even struggles with affect. Due to its vibrancy and association with both libidinal and aggressive drive, the color red, in particular, provides an essential marker for the idiographic and nomothetic study of the nuances of emotion and their expression. At times, the patient's reaction to red on the Rorschach will indicate the perceptual-cognitive distortions suggested by Piotrowski. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Managing the incarcerated population is the primary task within correctional settings. Using psychological assessment to predict institutional behavior, the psychologist has a unique set of skills essential to the management of prisoners. PCL-R, PAI, and Rorschach data were compared with institutional infractions (total, physical, verbal, non-aggressive) among 126 incarcerated women. Multiple binary logistic regression analyses were used which found significant correlations between PCL-R total score, PAI scales (BOR, ANT, VPI), and Rorschach variables (ROD, EGOI, TCI, AgPot, AgPast, SumV, SumC', MOR) with total, verbal, physical, and nonviolent incident reports. Each of these measures adds incrementally to the assessment and understanding of institutional misbehavior for incarcerated women. Clinical implications of the findings were presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI), and now the MMPI-2, are the most widely researched personality assessment tools in correctional and related forensic settings (MMPI; Hathaway & McKinley, 1940; MMPI-2; Butcher, Dahlstrom, Graham, Tellegen, & Kaemmer, 1989). Using the original MMPI, Megargee (1977a) and colleagues (Megargee & Bohn, 1977; Megargee & Dorhout, 1977) developed an extensive and meaningful classification system for correctional inmates. However, few studies, with the exception of the Toch and Adams (1994) cluster analytic study of emotionally disturbed violent offenders, have explored the possibilities of a statistically derived categorical classification paradigm within the growing population of forensic psychiatric patients awaiting discharge into the community (Bannatyne, 1996). The present exploratory study investigates the utility of a commonly employed and replicable cluster analytic method in establishing an MMPI-2-based categorical classification system within a substantial forensic psychiatric outpatient sample (N = 300). Here, we present results of a seven-cluster solution, augmented by contemporaneous Rorschach inkblot data utilizing Exner's Comprehensive System (Exner, 1991; Exner et al., 1995). Descriptive cluster characteristics are provided along with potential clinical correlates in an attempt to move closer to the goal of pairing informed assessment with effective treatment in this growing, but unique, population. Keywords: MMPI-2; cluster analytic method

Elements of response style were examined among three groups of chronic, psychotic, forensic patients: paranoid schizophrenics (N = 89); undifferentiated-disorganized schizophrenics (N = 38); and schizoaffective patients (N = 53). Forensic patients with elevated MMPI-2 L Scales produced increased percentages of Pure Form (F%) on the Rorschach. A similar relationship occurred when the Rorschach was used as the independent measure. Schizoaffective patients reported more psychotic symptoms on the MMPI-2 and lower F% (Rorschach) than both schizophrenic groups. Although undifferentiated schizophrenics evidenced the most psychopathology on the Rorschach (impaired reality testing and perceptual accuracy disturbance), all three groups produced lower than expected frequencies for Rorschach variables commonly associated with thought disorder and poor reality testing (Exner, 1995b). The clinical importance of using the MMPI-2 and Rorschach in tandem with forensic psychiatric patients is discussed. Our empirical findings suggest the need for forensic evaluators to consider the important relationship between psychiatric diagnosis and response style (defensiveness, denial, illness chronicity, medications, and concurrent Axis II psychopathology) when interpreting often-constricted psychological testing protocols in chronic forensic patient populations.

The utility of the Comprehensive System Rorschach rests in the proven relationships between its variables/indices, personality functioning, and real-world behaviors. While the reliability and validity of Comprehensive System data (CS; Exner, 2003; also CS-R; Fontan & Andronikof, 2022) is well established (Gacono & Evans, 2008), other supplemental Rorschach scoring systems also add to understanding our patients (Meloy, Acklin, Gacono, Murray, & Peterson, 1997). Previously, we discussed the importance of anchoring all Rorschach data within a nomothetic context (Gacono & Smith, 2021b). In this article, we discuss a strategy for interpreting the individual protocol. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forty-eight male subjects who met the DSM-IV (APA, 1994) criteria for conduct disorder (CD) were assessed for psychopathy level using a modified version of the Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R; Forth, Hart, & Hare, 1990). Rorschach variables associated with self-perception, affects, and object relations, early behavioral problems and history of violence were compared between psychopathic and nonpsychopathic CD adolescents. Psychopathic CD subjects were significantly more self-centered and violent than nonpsychopathic CD subjects. Decreased attachment and anxiety were found in both CD groups. Our study adds empirical support to the heterogeneity noted among CD adolescents (PCL-R), supports the utility of the Rorschach for detecting individual differences among CD subjects, and extends the empirical work of Gacono and Meloy (1994) to adolescent psychopathy.