Rorschach Changes in Long-Term Short-Term Psychotherapy

Abstract

Over a period of several years, repeat Rorschach testing was done with two groups of patients receiving outpatient psychotherapy, a long-term group (n = 88) engaged in intensive, dynamically oriented psychotherapy and a short-term group (n = 88) involved in behavioral or gestalt therapy. Rorschach protocols were obtained at the beginning of the treatment and on three subsequent occasions, 1 year, 2 1/2 years, and 4 years later, when most of the long-term and all of the short-term patients had completed their therapy. The findings demonstrate generally beneficial effects of psychotherapy, greater change in long-term than in short-term therapy, and the validity of the Rorschach for measuring these effects and changes.

Rorschach Comprehensive Variables and Assessment for Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

“…Significant positive changes in 21 Rorschach indexes were obtained in the short-term therapy group at the second retest, whereas only seven indexes showed significant changes in the brief therapy group. The authors concluded that this study, in accordance with the one by Weiner and Exner (1991), gave indirect support to the validity of some structural variables in the Rorschach.…”

“…Twenty-seven structural Rorschach indexes were studied. Twenty-three of them were identical with those studied by Weiner and Exner (1991). Significant positive changes in 21 Rorschach indexes were obtained in the short-term therapy group at the second retest, whereas only seven indexes showed significant changes in the brief therapy group.…”

“…Bihlar and Carlsson contended that for some patients the standard clinical interview might not be an adequate instrument for making assessments for dynamic therapy, that additional instruments might yield valuable information about the patient, and that the Rorschach might provide information difficult to obtain in pre-therapy interviews. Weiner and Exner (1991) predicted 27 CS indices of adjustment difficulty to diminish over time among patients in psychotherapy. The indices were chosen so as to be related to personality characteristics associated with desirable goals in long-term psychodynamic therapy.…”

“…The study by LaBarbera and Cornsweet (1985) focused upon treatment of child psychiatric patients and not directly on psychodynamic psychotherapy. The promising results in the studies by Weiner and Exner (1991), and Exner and Andronikof-Sanglade (1992) are limited because these studies did not contain correlations with other assessment methods that could have contributed to the interpretation of the CS variables. As in the present studies, Carlsson (2000, 2001) focused on the possible value of the CS as a complementary instrument to the clinical interview in psychotherapy assessment.…”

Interaction structures in the psychodynamic therapy of a boy diagnosed with Asperger’s disorder: a single-case study

“…It is useful for the exploration of the structure and dynamics of personality. This method has been used in many studies, in order to analyze changes during the therapeutic process and after termination (Bram, 2010;Exner & Andronikof-Sanglade, 1992;Gronnerod, 2004;Heedea et al, 2009;Nascimento, 2001;Weiner, 2004;Weiner & Exner, 1991;Yazigi et al, 2013). These studies report the use of the Rorschach method before and after psychotherapy, in follow-up assessments, and during the process while monitoring the treatment.…”