CLINICAL-ASSESSMENT OF OBJECT RELATIONS USING THE TAT

Despite its widespread use, the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) has rarely been used systematically as a clinical instrument. This articie describes a multidimensional measure devised for the clinical assessment of object relations using the TAT. Four scales assessing different dimensions of object relations, which have been validated in several studies, are described: Complexity of Representations of People, Affect-Tone of Relationship Paradigms, Capacity for Emotional Investment m Relationships and Moral Standards, and Understanding of Social Causality. Use of the scales is illustrated by applying them to TAT responses of a borderline patient and a normal subject. © 1991, Taylor & Francis Group, LLC. All rights reserved.