Rorschach Assessment of the Personality Disorders

For decades, The Rorschach Inkblot Method (RIM)--the most popular of the projective tests--has been routinely employed for personality assessment and treatment planning. But in recent years, it has not been free from controversy. Criticisms of its validity and empirical support are catalyzing new efforts to strengthen its foundations and document its broad utility. Among the most common--yet also most confusing and challenging--categories of clinical disorders is the personality disorders. However, minimal data have been available on the RIM evaluation of most of those found in DSM-IV. This welcomed book constitutes the first research-grounded, comprehensive guide to the use of the RIM in assessing personality disorders.The first section offers a theoretical overview of personality disorders and constructs a framework and compelling rationale for the legitimate role of the RIM in their assessment. The second, third, and fourth sections present Cluster A disorders--paranoid, schizoid, and schizotypal; Cluster B disorders--antisocial and psychopathic, borderline, histrionic, and narcissistic; and Cluster C disorders--avoidant, dependent, and obsessive-compulsive. The fifth section presents passive aggressive and depressive personality disorders, currently being proposed for DSM inclusion. Each chapter in these four sections includes an extensive description of the disorder, a review of empirical studies of the use of the RIM to assess it, an analysis of the Rorschach variables that may characterize patients diagnosed with it, and a depiction of a real case and discussion of the ways in which the RIM contributed to its formulation. The sixth and final section explores the relationship between psychoanalytic theory and the RIM.Rorschach Assessment of the Personality Disorders brings practical help for clinicians and clinicians-in-training, and suggests new paths for researchers seeking to advance our understanding of the complexities of these disorders.

"An excellent resource about psychopathology and about the Rorschach. Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals."—CHOICE"The volume is intended as a diagnostic tool for both young and experienced practitioners already familiar with the RIT to use in assessing personality disorders. More volumes like this one are needed if the RIT is to be recognized again as a major instrument among all psychologists rather than the small segment of avid users who have continued to promote the RIT."—PsycCRITIQUES"What a wonderful addition to our clinical assessment library! Here is a book that integrates the most venerable of our diagnostic instruments, the RIM, with our profession's most recently featured class of psychological entities, the personality disorders. This timely and authoritative review of cutting-edge RIM research provides a unique contribution to the psychological literature. Moreover, it will be an indispensable resource for practicing clinicians and graduate students alike. Both groups of readers will find the extensive and detailed case studies to be an invaluable model for psychodiagnostic evaluations. Three cheers to the authors for their exemplary contributions to the renaissance of the RIM."—Theodore MillonInstitute for Advanced Studies in Personology and Psychopathology"One of the things the Rorschach does best is to describe the constellation of styles that--at their pathological extremes--can get people into difficulty in their day-to-day lives. This immensely satisfying book draws together most of what we know about the Rorschach assessment of personality disorder. It begins and ends with a group of perspective-taking chapters that orient us to the interaction of personality disorder, the Rorschach, psychodynamic theory, and clinical science. And in the middle, Dr. Huprich has assembled a group of authors who do a consistently excellent job of illustrating how the Rorschach functions across the spectrum of personality disorders. As both research summary and clinical handbook, Rorschach Assessment of the Personality Disorders fills an important niche."—Philip ErdbergAmerican Board of Professional Psychology, "An excellent resource about psychopathology and about the Rorschach. Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty, professionals."—CHOICE"The volume is intended as a diagnostic tool for both young and experienced practitioners already familiar with the RIT to use in assessing personality disorders. More volumes like this one are needed if the RIT is to be recognized again as a major instrument among all psychologists rather than the small segment of avid users who have continued to promote the RIT."—PsycCRITIQUES"What a wonderful addition to our clinical assessment library! Here is a book that integrates the most venerable of our diagnostic instruments, the RIM, with our profession's most recently featured class of psychological entities, the personality disorders. This timely and authoritative review of cutting-edge RIM research provides a unique contribution to the psychological literature. Moreover, it will be an indispensable resource for practicing clinicians and graduate students alike. Both groups of readers will find the extensive and detailed case studies to be an invaluable model for psychodiagnostic evaluations. Three cheers to the authors for their exemplary contributions to the renaissance of the RIM."—Theodore MillonInstitute for Advanced Studies in Personology and Psychopathology"One of the things the Rorschach does best is to describe the constellation of styles that--at their pathological extremes--can get people into difficulty in their day-to-day lives. This immensely satisfying book draws together most of what we know about the Rorschach assessment of personality disorder. It begins and ends with a group of perspective-taking chapters that orient us to the interaction of personality disorder, the Rorschach, psychodynamic theory, and clinical science. And in the middle, Dr. Huprich has assembled a group of authors who do a consistently excellent job of illustrating how the Rorschach functions across the spectrum of personality disorders. As both research summary and clinical handbook, Rorschach Assessment of the Personality Disorders fills an important niche."—Philip ErdbergAmerican Board of Professional Psychology