Thematic Apperception Test

year : 1935

We had stumbled upon a fascinating discovery a few months ago. I had experienced "visions" in a semi-hypnotic state during my meeting with Mr. Jung. He urged  me to draw the visions, saying that they would help with his own research of the human mind. In recent weeks Mr. Jung has become less interested with my imagination, but Henry and I do believe something is on the horizon. 

My sketches are over on the table. I have done 50 so far, but Henry advises that I shorten them to the most powerful images. He wants to use them in his own study of the brain. I would love it if my own visions and my own artwork were used to advance modern day psychology. Murray wants to call it the "Morgan-Murray Thematic Apperception Test" and I just think that sounds wonderful. 

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Christiana Morgan is recognized for her role in co-creating, alongside behaviorist Henry Murray, the Thematic Apperception Test. This is one of the most frequently used tests in the field of psychology. Early versions of the TAT gave credit to Christiana Morgan as the main creator, however later versions do not include her name. The history of the author of the TAT serves as an example of the prejudices against women in the 1930s involved in the field of psychology.

This test caused a greater understanding in the power of one's imagination and how internal thoughts reveal inner emotions. Christiana Morgen initially had the idea for the test while working with Carl Jung. Morgan and Jung's research led to Morgan experiencing "visions" while in a semi-hypnotic state. Morgan was then asked to illustrate her visions on a piece of paper, and their discoveries eventually led to the Thematic Apperception Test.

The purpose of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is to evaluate patterns of thought, attitudes, and emotional responses to ambiguous test materials.The TAT is an example of a projective instrument in that it asks the subject to project habitual patterns of thought and emotional responses relating to pictures.

Patients are tested in a quiet room with no interruptions or distractions. The test requires a set of cards of human figures, that originally were all designed by Christiana Morgan, that would be shown to a person. The examiner generally shows the subject a series of story cards from 31 total TAT cards (usually 10-14 but 20 cards are recommended).

Examiners ask patients to describe a story based on the pictures (shown above) and their response will be interpreted. Examiners typically focus on the context of the stories that the subject tells, the feeling or tone of the stories, or the subject's behaviors apart from responses. Responses are generally analyzed alongside the patients personal information such as personal history, age, sex, education, occupation, racial or ethnic identification and other personal characteristics.