According to our textbook, Sigmund Freud “compared the mind to an iceberg. He said that only about one-tenth of our mind is conscious, and the rest of our mind is unconscious” (p. 369). Because Freud believed much of our mind is unknown even to ourselves, an important approach to investigating the subconscious is through projective testing (refer to page 396 in the textbook).

In this discussion assignment, you will be engaging in a projective testing exercise, from both the side of a patient (post 1) and the side of a therapist (post 2).

“During this type of testing, a series of ambiguous cards is shown to the person being tested, who then is encouraged to project his feelings, impulses, and desires onto the cards—by telling a story, interpreting an image, or completing a sentence” (p. 396). Afterwards, the researcher or therapist attempts to identify the latent/hidden meaning behind the individual’s interpretation of the image.

As an example, if a patient views a Rorschach inkblot image like the one above and says they see a demon, this may subconsciously represent the patient’s fear of confronting some specific fear or problem in their life.

For this discussion assignment, please use the following image, which is part of the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT):

For your initial post, write a brief story about what you believe may be happening in this scene. This section should not include any interpretation of latent meaning. Just tell a brief story about the scene.