inkblot
Symmetrical test stain
An inkblot is a dark stain or spot made by ink, or a shape created by folding paper over wet ink.
The Rorschach test uses symmetrical inkblots to assess personality and psychological states—subjects describe what they see, and their interpretations are analyzed.
By extension, anything ambiguous that invites projection may be called an inkblot: The candidate was a political inkblot onto whom voters projected their hopes.
Shapeless viscous drop
- splatterScatter in drops
- stainLasting surface discoloration
- smudgeUnclear dirty mark
- symmetryInvariance under transformation
silhouette · shape · form · pattern · contrast · black-and-white · smear · splotch
Projective personality assessment
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- psychometricsPsychological measurement science
- assessmentFormal evaluation of worth
personality · diagnosis · responses · subjectivity · clinical · evaluation · indicators · scoring
Condensed version of text
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
- surrealismIrrational, dreamlike aesthetic
- action paintingSpontaneous, physical mark-making
- automatismInvoluntary mechanical behavior
Pollock · drip · spontaneous · gestural · experimental · mixed media · monochrome · composition
Absence of precision
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- indeterminateNot exactly known
- nebulousUnclear and formless
- enigmaticPuzzling and obscure
amorphous · indefinite · suggestive · open-ended · subjective · polysemous · equivocal · ambiguous
Of unconscious-mind theory
- unconsciousNot awake or aware
- free associationUnfiltered verbal thought flow
- transferenceRedirecting feelings to substitutes
- defense mechanismsUnconscious strategies avoiding distress
psychodynamics · introspection · neurosis · ego · superego · id · complex · repression
blob
Shapeless viscous drop
symmetry · silhouette · shape · form · pattern · contrast · black-and-white · smear · splotch · spill
Rorschach
Projective personality assessment
- projectionSomething that extends outward
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- psychometricsPsychological measurement science
assessment · personality · diagnosis · responses · subjectivity · clinical · evaluation · indicators · scoring · perception
abstract
Condensed version of text
- expressionismDistorting reality for emotion
- surrealismIrrational, dreamlike aesthetic
- action paintingSpontaneous, physical mark-making
automatism · Pollock · drip · spontaneous · gestural · experimental · mixed media · monochrome · composition · texture
vagueness
Absence of precision
- interpretationAssigned meaning
- indeterminateNot exactly known
- nebulousUnclear and formless
enigmatic · amorphous · indefinite · suggestive · open-ended · subjective · polysemous · equivocal · ambiguous · uncertain
Freudian
Of unconscious-mind theory
- unconsciousNot awake or aware
- free associationUnfiltered verbal thought flow
- transferenceRedirecting feelings to substitutes
defense mechanisms · psychodynamics · introspection · neurosis · ego · superego · id · complex · repression · symbolism
- psychologypsychology, psychologist, therapist, psychiatrist, clinical psychology
- word associationfree association, word chain, word pair, verbal cue, priming
- lobed shapesclover, shamrock, trefoil, quatrefoil, cinquefoil
inkblotspotless
Completely free of marks
clean · unblemished · pristine · immaculate · clear
inkblotdrawing
Marks forming a picture
illustration · sketch · technical drawing · painting · diagram
- inkblot testProjective psychological assessment