The Thematic Apperception Test or TAT is a psychological test developed by the American psychologist Henry A. Murray . It uses a standard series of provocative yet ambiguous pictures about which the subject must tell a story. Each story is carefully analyzed to uncover underlying needs, attitudes, and patterns of reaction.
The test is projective test in that, like the Rorschach test, its assesment of the subject is based on what he or she projects onto the ambiguous images. The Freudian theory of repression that underlies the TAT has fallen out of favor in mainstream Western psychology and its use has declined.
External Links
Book review of Storytelling, Narrative, and the Thematic Apperception Test
