The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT)

The Thematic Apperception Test was developed by Morgan and Murray. It is a projective technique that is a little more structured than the Rorschach Inkblot Test. The core idea is that when a person is asked to create a story around an ambiguous picture, they will project their own inner world — their needs, conflicts, fears, and motives — onto the characters and events of the story.

The test material consists of 30 black and white picture cards and one blank card. Each picture card depicts one or more people in a variety of situations. The cards are not all used for every person. Some cards are designed for adult males, others for adult females. Some are meant for boys, others for girls. Still others are used in some combinations — for example, a card might be appropriate for both adult males and boys. Although twenty cards are considered appropriate for a single subject, a smaller number of cards (even as few as five) have also been successfully used in practice.

The cards are presented one at a time. The subject is asked to tell a story describing the situation presented in the picture. The instructions are quite specific: the subject must describe what led up to the situation, what is happening at the moment, what will happen in the future, and what the characters are feeling and thinking. This structured storytelling task gives the examiner rich material to analyse. …