When Inkblot Imitates Life – A Case Study of Rorschach Content Analysis

Abstract: Content analysis is a storied and notorious supplement to Rorschach interpretation. This interpretive venture can prove fruitful in eliciting an interpreter’s experience-near subjectivity that otherwise escapes self-report or direct expression. Rorschach content analysis is particularly compelling when exploring the more frequent or recurring themes elicited through recurring content imagery. As Schafer (1954, p. 142) wrote, “it is the choice and patterning of these images that carry the patient’s individual stamp.” This paper aims to convey an individual stamp through a case study of a woman embedded in circumstances that appeared to decorate her percepts in imagery of captivity, immobility, seclusion, and feeling stuck. Supplementary to her summary of scores, a Rorschach content analysis was applied to refine the interpretation of her protocol, spark conversation, and help the patient feel more accurately understood.