The misperception of psychopathology: Problems with the norms of the Comprehensive System for the Rorschach.

Abstract

The norms of the Comprehensive System (CS) for the Rorschach have been praised for their scientific and clinical value. However, recent findings by Shaffer, Erdberg, and Haroian suggest that the CS norms are inaccurate. We examined 14 CS variables in 32 studies of non‐patient adults. The participants in these studies exhibited statistically and clinically significant differences from CS nonpatient norms for all 14 variables. Overall, nonpatient adults tended to appear pathological when compared with the CS norms. The implications of these findings for misdiagnosis and the misperception of psychopathology are discussed. Use of the CS norms in clinical or forensic settings is inadvisable. Commonly held beliefs about the validity of CS variables are likely to be false and in need of revision.

Introducing a Bayesian Approach to Determining Degree of Fit With Existing Rorschach Norms

“…Many variables' scores in this new sample were midway between the CS 600 and divergent nonpatient samples (Shaffer, Erdberg, and Haroian;1999;Viglione & Hilsenroth, 2001;Wood et al 2001aWood et al , 2001b, and some other variables were closer to one or the other. For example, the CS 450 mean values of Popular responses (P), the Affective Ratio (Afr), Level 2 Cognitive Special Scores (Lvl 2), and Form Dominated Color (FC) were relatively close to the CS 600 values.…”

“…Previous research publications (Meyer et al, 2007;Shaffer, Erdberg, & Haroian, 1999;Viglione & Hilsenroth, 2001;Wood et al, 2001aWood et al, , 2001b argued that the CS norms are problematic for some variables and that using the CS 600 as a benchmark might pathologize Table 3, 4 th and 5 th columns).…”

“…In line with this position, Shaffer, Erdberg, and Haroian (1999) reported that a non-patient US sample of 123 adults from Fresno, California, produced significantly shorter and less complex records. Similarly, Wood et al (2001aWood et al ( , 2001b showed that a number of non-patient samples from the literature produced notably different mean values from the CS norms (CS 600), with effect sizes ranging from small to very large. Form quality (FQ) related (i.e., X+%, X-%) and color related variables (i.e., Afr, FC, WSumC), as well as popular (P), whole, realistic human content (Pure H), diffuse shading (Y), and reflection (Fr, rF) responses were the most problematic variables.…”

The Effects of Using the International Versus Comprehensive System Rorschach Norms For Children, Adolescents, and Adults

“…The CS norms (Exner, 2003) have been criticized for being dated for they were mostly collected in the 1970s, and for making nonclinical adults appear maladjusted (Garb, Wood, Lillienfeld, & Nezworski, 2005;Shaffer, Erdberg, & Haroian 1999;Viglione & Hilsenroth, 2001;Viglione & Meyer, 2008;Wood et al, 2001aWood et al, , 2001b. For example, in 2001 Wood and colleagues (Wood, Nezworski, Garb, & Lilienfeld, 2001a, 2001b and Viglione and Hilsenroth (2001) reported that compared to CS norms, many American nonpatient samples described in the literature produced poorer Form Quality (FQ) values, lower values of color-related variables (e.g., WSumC and FC), and lower complexity (e.g., higher Lambda). A few years later, Meyer, Erdberg and Shaffer (2007) compared a sample of 450 American nonpatient adults (Exner, 2007) to large number of other nonpatient samples from other countries totaling approximately 4,500 individuals.…”

One More Datum on Rorschach Form Quality

“…Exner's (2005) own new normative data show similar changes in the mean of FQ values. Also Meyer (2001), in an excellent comment on Wood, Nezworski, Garb, and Lilienfeld's (2001) strong criticism of the Rorschach and the Comprehensive System, pointed out that "each time an IQ test is renormed, the same level of cognitive capacity is associated with a lower score" (p. 389), a fact about cultural change that might justify finding lower scores on X+% and higher scores on Xu%, X-%, S-%, and M-% across time (Meyer, 2001).…”