Rorschach test in conformity with exner comprehensive system in the field of legal medicine and forensic psychiatry

Abstract

In the study of the deep traits of the personality, is a particular application of the Rorschach Test, a large scale instrument with almost infinite applications. A Rorschach protocol could describe the deepest dynamics of the person, the psychopathological overlappings, the quality of his intelligence and its level, attitudes and realtional styles,offering its contributions also to more specific problems, for example: the hypothesis of simulation and dissimulation, the existence of mental deterioration, pathologies in their initial stage which have not begun to exhibit behavioural symptoms yet. The literature and scientific research on the Rorschach, particularly in the field of forensics, is constanly evolving. This requires that the clinician, the consultant or the expert witness is constantly up to date regarding research findings in order to better defend his work in the courts, where the use or abuse of standardized tests, in particular the Rorschach, may be put under heavy criticism regarding its validity, accuracy, and reliability. To such a scientific and professional imperative a correct multi-method assessment methodology must be added, where the use of the Rorschach is one of the constituent elements, together with other sources of data and information which the clinician must use in order to answer questions regarding the functioning, dynamics and the psychopathology of the subject. Only within such a framework can the Rorschach be seen as an instrument of great value and use for clinical investigations.