Spring Reading 2017 The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, his Iconic Test, and the Power of Seeing

This book accomplishes a number of things. It provides a biography of Hermann Rorschach, traces the development of his ink blots and their use since that time, and also delves into the nature of perception itself. As part of the biography and the explanation of how the his ink blot "test" spread and changed over time, it also traces the changes in psychology, psychiatry, and the treatment of mental and emotional problems. Any or all of these topics could be an interesting subject to read about, but seeing how they have interacted and influenced each other is fascinating. The inclusion of color pages with photos of Rorschach and reprints of a few of the ink blots helps the reader make a visual connection with the material.

Anyone interested in the history of psychoanalysis in the United States will appreciate the way Searls covers the changes from each generation and the swing from desiring an X-ray of the psyche to preferring quantifiable data, as well as the various groups that have defended the use of the Rorschach, argued against it, or attempted to revise it. 

Those who have actually undergone the Rorschach process will learn the reasoning behind its development and what its inventor hoped to gain from it use, as well as some of the more modern explanations of how it adds to a complete profile of an individual being studied or treated. I remember taking the "test" as part of a study being done on college students during my undergrad years. Those of use who participated were never told the results of our interviews, but at least I can now guess at what they hoped to learn.

The inclusion of how the ink blots were used during WWII, the Nuremberg Trials, and in cultural anthropology will be of interest to students of history and social studies in general.

Altogether a satisfying read, with plenty of food for thought and connections to many different interests. Please visit the publisher's website for more information on the author or the book.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.