Journal of Projective Psychology and Mental Health: Volume 1, Number 1 & 2, July 1994 Editorial |
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Editorial: Wilfred A. Cassell, pages 1-2.
Welcome to the Journal of the Somatic Inkblot Society. I want you to tell that this is your journal. I hope that these pages will provide a forum in which you will participate. My dream is that this journal will bring together the knowledge and sprit of doctors, artist, educators, students, and therapists to share theories, findings, experiences, interpretations and feelings. I am looking to give and receive support, both emotional and scientific. The use of inkblots has evolved from a type of parlor game to an incredibly useful projective aid for psychological assessment and healing. It will only be through work in the 21st century that the full ramifications of its healing power will be known. It gives a voice to the speechless and the previously unheard “inner cryâ€, allowing both the suffering individual and the clinician a way to hear and interpret the individual’s own special language of pain. It gives the sufferer and therapist a tool for hearing, helping and healing. With hearing comes the potential for understanding, and with understanding, the potential for empathy. Empathy is something we probably all strive for, yet one of its by-products is pain for the therapist. Employing any of the Somatic Inkblot Series (SIS) procedures is not like using non-projective test, which are multiple levels of abstraction away from the images of human suffering. The reviewer is necessarily forced to share the pathological projection and the nightmares of the suffering individual. The SIS Society will help professionals process such painful material. In this forum we will receive technical and scientific support as well as share case histories, successes and failures, scientific findings, new ideas and technological advances through computer disks and electronic databank systems. The possibilities are bound only by our imaginations. Due to their ambiguous nature, inkblot techniques are more amenable to the use of content analysis, rather than the highly abstract statistical scoring systems frequently used. This may affect how that part of the scientific community, to whom measurements and statistics are important, views the efficacy of the various SIS instruments. While mathematical scoring is important, most indices cannot reflect the intensity of the pain experienced by the Suffering individual, who frequently may not even be aware of what is troubling him or her. Non-projective techniques ordinarily only measure what the person already understands about his situation, not what is hidden deep inside? The SIS procedure also evaluates positive traits, such as the love of the individual for himself and others. Through the SIS inkblot award program, the society will give grants to study such research projects as the application of the SIS in healing populations affected by typhoons, earthquakes or other natural disasters or the ravages of war. Through shared findings, we can look at the human condition in a phenomenal way. We can form global computer networks to keep us advised of the latest uses for technology and to create new ones. Certainly no one culture has cornered the market on suffering or joy.On a broader scale, I hope that together, we will bring relief to our troubled word. Our capability to destroy far outweighs our capability to heal the pain that level of destruction reflects. We as healers can be a force for good in a world be set by evil, if we are willing to work together and open our hearts and minds to the loving human spirit in each one of us. The Somatic Inkblot Series: Continuing Rorschach’s Conceptualization, Wilfred A. Cassell, pages 3-14. The Somatic Inkblot Series (SIS) continues Rorschach’s conceptualization that individuals project their own unique mental imagery into ambiguous and semi-ambiguous visual stimuli. The series is available in five forms (cards, booklet, and videotapes). It provides multi-sensory enhancement not available when Rorschach was developing the inkblot technique that has made and continues to make a major contribution to personality assessment. Cross-Validation of SIS-II in Psychiatric Population, S.K. Verma, D.Pershad and R.Nehra, pages 15-18. SIS-II was administered to 25 adult psychiatric patients in order to see whether it can differentiate between normal and patients on the basis of selected variables. The results confirmed the hypothesis that psychiatric patients gave less number of responses, rejected more images, and gave more atypical and fewer typical responses. Surprisingly they gave fewer number of sex responses although anatomical responses were comparable in the groups. The results are encouraging and favor continuation of this study on a larger, more varied sample. Diagnostic and Therapeutic Utility of Somatic Inkblot Series-II and Rorschach, B.L. Dubey, M. Mishra, C.B.Dwivedi and N. Mishra, pages 19-26. Somatic Inkblot Series is the latest test in Inkblot techniques. It was used on 100 healthy adult, 100 adolescents, 39 Neurotic and 41 Schizophrenics to find out the pattern of responses and indices descents, 39 Neurotics and 41 Schizophrenics to find out the pattern of responses and indices discriminating normal from psychiatric group. Responses vary after therapeutic intervention, which is shown through a case study. Rorschach indices are quite reliable but SIS test was found beyond this and the power of the test is shown through the case study. SIS is found to have high reliability and consistency in earlier studies and has construct validity. The test was also found to be easy to administer and evaluate even by less trained mental health professionals. Somatic Inkblot Series-Video in Adolescents,Padma Dwivedi, M. Mishra and Wilfred A. Cassell, pages 27-32. Forty eight adolescents in the age range of 15 to 17 years, studying in 10th Class were administered SIS-Video to find out: Whether adolescents differ from adults in their perception of inkblot images of SIS –Video and whether the length of the test could be reduced. It was found that the percentage of responses in human, anatomy and rejection of images was significantly higher in adolescents in comparison to adults. The Animal responses, sex responses, movement responses and most typically responses were more in adults than adolescents on SIS-Video images. The two forms of the test can be used independently without significant change in the pattern of responses. Reliability and Validity of Somatic Inkblot Series in India, D. Pershad and B.L. Dubey, pages 33-38. A sample of 268 subjects in four different categories were administered SIS-Video test. The test was found to have satisfactory response consistency over a period of 4 weeks and split half reliability ranged from .61 to .92 for eight scoring categories. The test was found to have construct validity. It could differentiate between normal and psychiatric cases successfully. Rorschach and the Creative Artists, S. Ramachandra, pages 39-50. A group of 30 known creative artists was compared with group of normal individuals who were not known for creativity, along with a neurotic group of an equal number. Their test performance on Rorschach was analyzed according to Klopfer’s method. They were found to show an average number of responses, quick reaction time, and healthy emotional relationship with other with good ego strength. They had the ability to view their problems objectively. The quality of responses suggested a keen perception and disposition to do things differently. 8. A Study of Somatic Inkblot Series-I in Coronary Cases,S.P. Raathee, D.S. Goel, M.L. Chawla, D. Saldanha and B.L. Dubey, pages 51-64. 75 coronary cases and 75normal subject, all male mostly matriculate, in the age range of 30-55 years, were administered SIS-I Test. Results suggested that the coronary cases tend to give low number of responses, unhealthy somatic imagery,low typical responses with rejection of more images than normal subjects. SIS-I can help the clinician as a powerful diagnostic and therapeutic tool. 9. Body Imagery in Vertigo Patients, Dharamvir, D. Pershad, B.L. Dubey and S.B.S.Mann, pages 65-72. A total sample pf 25 adults, educated, vertigo patients was administered SIS-II to find out whether their body imagery is in touch with reality. It was found that only 31% of the responses on vital organs concorded, indicating denial of body imagery in vertigo patients. 10. Somatic Inkblot Series-I in Male Transsexuals, M. Sahay and P.K. Srivastava, pages 73-78. The Somatic Inkblot Series-I (SIS-I) test was administered to two Transsexual to under stand their personality, and inner cry if any. The test was found to be very powerful to bring out lots of unprocessed unconscious material. SIS was further helpful in the process of therapeutic intervention. |
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