Problems of Forensic Sciences 2013 Vol. 93 (XCIII) 421-437
THE RELIABILITY OF PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES AS TOOLS OF PSYCHOLOGICAL ASSESSMENT. PART 1: WHY IT IS UNJUSTIFIED TO DESCRIBE SOME OF THEM AS PROJECTIVE?
Katarzyna STEMPLEWSKA-ŻAKOWICZ1 , Władysław Jacek PALUCHOWSKI2
1Faculty of Diagnostic Methods and Applied Psychology, Chodkowska University, Warszawa, Poland
2Institute of Psychology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznań, Poland
Streszczenie
The aim of this paper is to review and discuss the scientific status of the projective methods used in personality assessment. Projective techniques cannot be exempted from the fundamental requirements of any measuring instrument and especially from those required of psychological tests. Yet if they are modified to meet the criterion of objectivity, their reliability can be compared to that of other tests. Some psychologists wrongly assume that all “projective behaviour” bypasses a person’s defences and so manifests their unconscious needs, motives, and conflicts. It is in this way that some projective techniques have been incorrectly regarded as “projective”, while others satisfy the criteria of the “projective hypothesis”. Rather than being based on empirical findings, some projective techniques are in fact based on speculation alone.
Słowa kluczowe
Projective techniques; Personality assessment; Psychometrics.