Can we trust the Rorschach test? | Damion Searls

To its critics, it is dangerous pseudoscience. To its supporters, it offers unique insights. What is the future of this controversial psychological test?

Victor Norris had reached the final round in his application for a job working with young children, but he still had to undergo a psychological evaluation. Over two long November afternoons, he spent eight hours at the office of Caroline Hill, an assessment psychologist working in Chicago.

Norris had seemed an ideal candidate in interviews - charming and friendly, with a suitable ri(C)sumi(C) and unimpeachable references. Hill liked him. His scores were normal to high on the cognitive tests she gave him, as were his results on the personality test he took. When Hill showed him a series of pictures without captions and asked him to tell her a story about what was happening in each one - another standard assessment - Norris gave answers that were a bit obvious, but harmless enough.