This volume is about a particular kind of story-telling. Known as the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), it is a systematic approach to story-telling that provides clinicians with an effective method for investigating those original and highly personal themes that constitute the unique personality of each individual. The first half of the book illuminates the meaning of narratives and the second half explores their implications for therapeutic understanding and treatment. Topics covered include: The history and development of the TAT The importance of context in storytelling How stories are transformed over time What narratives may reveal about personality organization How narratives may alter according to age, gender, or as a result of defense mechanisms The use of the TAT for research studies
Introductory texts on psychological testing and evaluation historically are not in short supply. Typically, however, such texts have been relatively superficial in their discussion of clinical material and have focused primarily on the theoretical and psychometric properties of indi vidual tests. More practical, clinically relevant presentations of psychological instruments have been confined to individual volumes with advanced and often very technical information geared to the more sophisticated user. Professors in introductory graduate courses are often forced to adopt several advanced texts to cover the material, at the same time helping students wade through unnecessary technical information in order to provide a basic working knowl edge of each test. Understanding Psychological Assessment is an attempt to address these concerns. It brings together into a single volume a broad sampling of the most respected instruments in the psychologist's armamentarium along with promising new tests of cognitive, vocational, and personality functioning. Additionally, it presents the most updated versions of these tests, all in a practical, clearly written format that covers the development, psychometrics, administra tive considerations, and interpretive hypotheses for each instrument. Clinical case studies allow the reader to apply the interpretive guidelines to real clinical data, thereby reinforcing basic understanding of the instrument and helping to insure that both the student and practi tioner can actually begin to use the test. Understanding Psychological Assessment includes cognitive and personality tests for adults, children, and adolescents, as well as chapters on the theory of psychological measurement and integrated report writing.
The Social Cognition and Object Relations Scale-Global Rating Method (SCORS-G) is a clinician rated measure that can be used to code various forms of narrative material. It is comprised of eight dimensions which are scored using a seven-point Likert scale, where lower scores are indicative of more pathological aspects of object representations and higher scores are suggestive of more mature and adaptive functioning. The volume is a comprehensive reference on the 1) validity and reliability of the SCORS-G rating system; 2) in depth review of the empirical literature; 3) administration and intricacies of scoring; and 4) the implications and clinical utility of the system across settings and disciplines for clinicians and researchers.
Ethnic minority children now comprise over 75 percent of students in 100 of the largest cities in the United States. However, these students have not been given equal access to, nor benefited from, the contemporary mental health system as have their non-minority peers. TEMAS (Tell-Me-A-Story) Assessment in Multicultural Societies examines the health/mental care system in which professional service providers, including psychologists, labor to offer quality care for youth in the United States. The authors ardently support the use of the TEMAS assessment instrument as a useful tool for diagnosis of all youngsters, particularly its use on the growing population of minority children and adolescents. Part I presents a rationale and context for employing TEMAS. Introductory chapters describe the mental health status of the population at-risk, as well as systems of care for youth where assessment and intervention are components. Topics to follow highlight a history of positive TEMAS test reviews with the detail required by instructors for preparing dedicated TEMAS courses. The volume thoroughly outlines cross-cultural studies and illustrates case examples of European-American, Hispanic/Latino, Asian-American, and forensic studies. TEMAS (Tell-Me-A-Story) Assessment in Multicultural Societies brings practical insight to instructors who teach standard assessment courses; clinicians, counselors, and school psychologists; assessment specialists; and administrators concerned with mental health services designed for children and adolescents.
Integrating theory, research, and applications, this book examines the defense mechanisms and their role in both normal development and psychopathology. It describes how children and adults mobilize specific kinds of defenses to maintain their psychological equilibrium and preserve self-esteem, particularly in situations of trauma or stress.
Quickly acquire the knowledge and skills you need to confidently administer, score, and interpret a variety of storytelling techniques Storytelling techniques are a popular projective approach for assessing many aspects of a person's personality, such as cognitive processes, emotional functioning, and self-regulation. The broad spectrum of techniques includes the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT—the most widely embraced), Roberts-2, and TEMAS (Tell-Me-A-Story). To use these tests properly, professionals need an authoritative source of advice and guidance on how to administer, score, and interpret them. Written by Hedwig Teglasi, a leading researcher of the TAT and other storytelling techniques, Essentials of TAT and Other Storytelling Assessments, Second Edition is that source. Like all the volumes in the Essentials of Psychological Assessment series, this book is designed to help busy mental health professionals, and those in training, quickly acquire the knowledge and skills they need to make optimal use of major psychological assessment instruments. Each concise chapter features numerous callout boxes highlighting key concepts, bulleted points, and extensive illustrative material, as well as test questions that help you gauge and reinforce your grasp of the information covered. Fully revised and updated to reflect the current research supporting storytelling techniques, Essentials of TAT and Other Storytelling Assessments, Second Edition reflects the latest data and theory on scoring stories and includes new material on interpreting stories in reference to a person's abilities in cognition, emotion, relationships, motivation, and self-regulation. As well, the author provides expert assessment of the methods' relative strengths and weaknesses, valuable advice on their clinical applications, and several case studies to illustrate best practices for implementing the storytelling approach to personality assessment. Other titles in the Essentials of Psychological Assessment series: Essentials of Assessment Report Writing Essentials of PAI Assessment Essentials of 16PF Assessment Essentials of Neuropsychological Assessment, Second Edition Essentials of MillonTM Inventories Assessment, Third Edition Essentials of Rorschach Assessment Essentials of MMPI-2 Assessment Essentials of MMPI-A Assessment
This book provides an overview of the research related to psychological assessment across South Africa. The thirty-six chapters provide a combination of psychometric theory and practical assessment applications in order to combine the currently disparate research that has been conducted locally in this field. Existing South African texts on psychological assessment are predominantly academic textbooks that explain psychometric theory and provide brief descriptions of a few testing instruments. Psychological Assessment in South Africa provides in-depth coverage of a range of areas within the broad field of psychological assessment, including research conducted with various psychological instruments. The chapters critically interrogate the current Eurocentric and Western cultural hegemonic practices that dominate the field of psychological assessment. The book therefore has the potential to function both as an academic text for graduate students, as well as a specialist resource for professionals, including psychologists, psychometrists, remedial teachers and human resource practitioners.
This valuable book provides the student with a short, manageable, comprehensive guide to the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), a major psychological measuring instrument. The TAT is effective in telling the clinician how the subject views the self and the world in his or her unique way. This sweeping introduction to this test as well as other lesser-known apperceptive techniques considers children, adolescents, and adults. and gives special attention to cross-cultural issues and the application of apperception techniques to minority populations. Additionally, the interesting history of apperception techniques, sample protocols, and the administration and interpretation of the tests are included.
Throughout the world as in the United States, psychologists are increasingly being called upon to evaluate clients whose backgrounds differ from their own. It has long been recognized that standard personality and psychopathology assessment instruments carry cultural biases, and in recent years, efforts to correct these biases have accelerated. The Handbook of Cross-Cultural and Multicultural Personality Assessment brings together researchers and practitioners from 12 countries with diverse ethnic and racial identities and training to present state-of-the-art knowledge about how best to minimize cultural biases in the assessment of personality and psychopathology. They consider research methodology, the design and construction of standard objective and projective tests, the use of measures of acculturation, racial identity, and culture-specific tests, the social etiquette of service delivery, and the interpretation of test data for clinical diagnosis. Ranging widely through all the relevant issues, they share a common collective vision of how culturally competent services should be delivered to clients. The Handbook offers the first comprehensive view of a consistent approach to cultural competence in assessment--a necessary precursor of effective intervention. It will become an indispensable reference for all those whose practice or research involves individuals with different ethnic and racial identities.
The first edition of Personality Assessment provided an overview of the most popular self-report and performance-based personality assessment instruments. The chapter authors were key members in creating or developing the research base for the eight test instruments covered in the book. The text was geared with graduate-level clinical, school, and counseling psychology courses in mind. While still retaining all the attractive features of the first edition, this revision will reflect the advances in the field since 2008. Chapter contributors updated and expanded on reliability and validity data, clinical utility, multicultural considerations, and implications for therapeutic assessment. Another distinctive feature of this second edition is a companion website that features ancillary materials such as PowerPoints and test banks.
