Assessing Effects of National Trauma on Adaptive Functioning of Mentally Healthy Adults: An Exploratory Rorschach Study

Abstract

The study evaluates deviations in Rorschach indices, usually related to effects of exposure to trauma, in three samples of Israeli adult non-patients. Data collected from 41 Israeli undergraduates in 1996-1997, during a period of increased rate of terror attacks in central cities of the country (Tibon, 2007) respectively. Nonetheless, the Lebanon War Exposure sample showed a tendency towards being alert and suspicious in interpersonal relationships. The data are interpreted as demonstrating the utility of the Rorschach as an assessment tool that is more responsive than previously thought to non-personality contextual factors such as national trauma.

Police Trauma and Rorschach Indicators

“…Furthermore, trauma-specific content and symptomatology are often not conscious or recognized by the traumatized individual. Nevertheless, Rorschach efficiently assesses cognitive and emotional processes affected by trauma in such cases (Sloan, Arsenault, & Hilsenroth, 2002; Tibon, Rothschild, Appel, & Zeligman, 2011), which constitutes and additional advantage for its use in such assessments. As Weiss and colleagues conclude (2008), more research is needed to popularize Rorschach and make it more useful in police psychology.…”

Index de contenu traumatique au Rorschach (TCI) et diagnostic de l’abus sexuel chez l’enfant

“…d'Exner [10] puis le Rorschach Personality Assessment System appelé R-PAS [22]. En effet, la clinique anglo-saxonne a montré, à partir d'études quantitatives comparatives, tout l'intérêt du test de Rorschach pour le diagnostic d'abus sexuel [1,17,19,20] et encore plus généralement pour le diagnostic de traumatisme [31] ou l'exposition à des situations de violence [18]. Au centre de la plupart de ces recherches se trouve une échelle de traumatisme construite à partir des contenus projetés au test de Rorschach appelée « Trauma content » par Armstrong-Loewenstein [1]…”