The much-parodied Rorschach inkblot test is a psychological evaluation technique that was developed in 1921 by the Swiss psychiatrist Hermann Rorschach that was designed to determine the personality and emotional functioning of the test taker. During the test, the subject is shown a series of designs or inkblots and asked to provide his or her perception of what they might “mean”. The test taker’s observations are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex scientifically derived algorithms, or both.

Within twenty years of developing the inkblot test, Rorschach had become the Prom King of psychological testing, and continued to be hugely popular and influential through the 1950s. Alas, Rorschach and his inkblots finally fell from grace when a few intrepid psychiatrists dared to point out that “results” of the test were not only unverifiable, but also way too subjective to pass scientific muster.

While Rorschach testing has all but disappeared from contemporary therapeutic practice, it is still heavily relied on during court-ordered psychological evaluations; one study even found that use of the test in courts has increased by three times in the decade between 1996 and 2005 when compared to the previous fifty years. This has elicited considerable criticism from skeptics who believe that the test is woefully outdated and has no place in the high stakes context of a courtroom.

In July 2009, Wikipedia found itself at war with an outraged cadre of mental health professionals after it published the 10 original Rorschach plates on their website (as well as the most commonly cataloged subject responses). These diehard inkblot loyalists have accused Wikipedia of being “unethical” and “irresponsible” for publishing the plates, and even compared it to posting the answer sheet of next year’s SAT questions online. Moreover, they are afraid that the test plates will eventually be rendered meaningless if the test becomes widely disseminated.

Those who are interested in gerrymandering a perfect bill of mental health should start studying these contraband inkblots ASAP, before the furor gets bigger and the answers taken down. But then it may still be too late, since compromised tests are often shelved when people know the answers in advance…..

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