FEATURES THEMATIC

APPERCEPTION TEST
(TAT)
A performance based, projective story-telling technique consisting of
31 cards that portray people in differing situations, nature scenes and 1
blank card. Subjects are asked to make up a story about each of 20 cards
chosen for administration based on gender and other variables, and are
encouraged to elaborate through queries about what characters are
thinking, what led up to and follows the story described, how it
might end, is there a moral to the story, and so on. Subjects are
encouraged to use their imagination in responding. Content and structural
aspects of each story are analyzed to identify personality characteristics
and emotional states of mind.
 Picture 1:

A boy is sitting at a
table looking at a
violin placed on the
table in front of him.
 General Discussion
• This card yields out information regarding ones ability to
concentrate and achieve higher competence. Stories about
the boy's dislike to learning violin is also often portrayed.
This could reveal information about the subjects' own past
about having been forced to learn or do activities they
didn't enjoy.
Picture 2 : Country scene with a woman
holding a book in the foreground. In the
background, a man is working a field
while a woman watches.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION

• This is the only card in the series that presents the

group scene and gives information relating to
how the individual deals with the challenge of
people living together.
Picture 3BM : A boy is huddled next to a
couch. On the floor next to him is an
ambiguous object that could be a set of
keys or a revolver.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• This is identified as one of the most useful pictures for it concerns
themes of guilt, depression, aggression, and impulsive control.

For example, if the object is described as a gun, is it used or intended

to used for:*Intra-aggression-the subject is going to use it to damage
oneself, or
*Extra-aggression-the subject has used it or going to use it to
damage or harm another person.

This picture is particularly important for depressed patients, whether

male or female, because it can reveal important dynamics regarding
the manner in which the depression developed and how it is currently
being maintained
Picture 3GF : A woman is standing next to an
open door with one hand grabbing the
side of the door and the other holding
her downcast face.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION

• The same general trend that hold for Picture 3BM are also true here, in
that both pictures tend to bring out depressive feelings. Frequently,
however, Picture 3BM brings out somewhat richer stories and allows both
males and females to identify with the central figure.
Picture 4 : A woman is grabbing the
shoulders of a man who is turning away from
her.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• This picture typically elicits a good deal of
information relating to the feelings and attitudes
surrounding male-female relationship. Frequently,
themes of infidelity and betrayal emerge, and details
regarding the male attitudes toward the role of
women may be discussed.
Picture 5 : A woman is looking into a room
from the threshold of a door.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• This picture often reveals information surrounding
attitudes about the subjects mother in her role of
observing and possibly judging behavior. It is important
to note how the woman is perceived and how the
situation is resolved.

This card elicits paranoid fears of attack or intrusion by

an outsider, represented by stories in which the woman
is surprised by a burglar
Picture 6BM : An elderly woman is standing
parallel to a window. Behind her is a younger
man with his face down. He is holding onto
his hat.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION

• This picture can be important to include when testing

males. It usually proves to be rich source of information
regarding attitudes and feelings toward their mother or
maternal figures in general. Because the stories usually
revolve around a young man striving for independence,
the specific manner in which the subject depicts this
struggle is important.
Picture 6GF : A young woman sitting on the
edge of a sofa looks back over her shoulder
at an older man with a pipe in his mouth
who seems to be addressing her.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION

• This card was originally intended to be the female counterpart to

Picture 6BM,, and it was hoped that it, too, would elicit attitudes and
feelings toward paternal figures. However, because the two figures
are often seen as being about an equal age, the card frequently
does not accompilsh0 its intended purpose. When clear father-
daughter plots are not discussed, the picture reflects the subject’s
style and approach to instructed heterosexual relationship.
Picture 7BM : An older man is looking at a
younger man, who appears to be peering
into space.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION

• This card is extremely useful in obtaining information about the

authority figures and, more specifically the subjects own father. The
picture deals with hierarchical

Personal relationships and usually takes the form of an older, more

experienced man interacting with the younger, less experienced one..
Thus, the card can clearly show how the subject deals with external
demands and attitudes toward authority.
Picture 7GF : A young girl is seated on a
couch and is holding a doll in her hands.
Behind her is an older woman who
appears to be reading to her out of a
book.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION

• The intention here is to bring out the style and manner of mother-child
interaction. When the older women are the subjects, the picture often
elicits feelings and attitudes toward children. Because both figures are
looking away, either figure is sometimes perceived as rejecting the
other. This, the card draws out negative feeling and interactions, and
it is important to note how these feelings are resolved, expressed, or
avoided. Sometimes the older woman is described as reading a fairy
story to the younger girl.
Picture 8BM : A young boy in the foreground
is staring directly out of the picture. In the
background is a hazy image of two men
performing surgery on a patient who is lying
down.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION

• The picture can be seen as a thinly veiled depiction of a young

man’s oedipal conflicts, with concomitant feelings of castration
anxiety and hostility. Thus, it is important to note what feelings
the boy or the other characters in the story have toward the
older man performing the surgery. If the story depicts a need
for achievement expressed by the younger man, it is also likely
the he will identify

With the older one and perhaps use him as an example, If this is
the case, the details of how the identification may be helpful.
Picture 8GF : A woman is sitting on a chair
staring into space with her chin resting in
her hand.
GENERAL DISCUSSION

• This picture is difficult to generalize about.

Typically, it produces somewhat shallow stories
of a contemplative nature.
Picture 9BM : Four men in a field are lying
against one another.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION

• This picture is particularly helpful in providing

information about relation with the members of the
same sex. Sometimes, heterosexual tendencies or
fears regarding such tendencies become evident in
the story plot. Social prejudice often becomes
apparent, particularly when the men in the picture
are seen as homeless.
Picture 9GF : A woman in the foreground is
standing behind a tree, observing another
woman who is running along a beach
below.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION

• This card basically deals with female peer relations

and is important in elaborating on the issues such as
conflict resolution, jealousy, sibling rivalry, and
competitiveness. Because the figure standing
behind the tree is carefully observing the woman on
the bench, stories may provide details surrounding
paranoid ideation.
Picture 10 : One person is holding his or her
head against another person’s shoulder. The
gender of the two persons is not defined.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• This card often gives useful information regarding
how the subject perceives male-female relationship,
particularly those involving some degree of closeness
and intimacy. It might be helpful to notice the
relative degree of comfort or discomfort evoked by
emotional closeness. A story of departure or of
termination of the relationship may be reflective of
either overt or denied hostility on the part of the
subject.
Picture 11 : On a road in a chasm, several
figures are proceeding along a path toward
a bridge. Above them and against the side
of a cliff appears to be a dragon.
GENERAL DISCUSSION

• Because the form of the picture is quite vague

and ambiguous, it is good test of the subjects’
imaginative abilities and their skills in
integrating irregular and poorly refined stimuli.
The picture also represents unknown and
threatening forces and reflects the manner in
which the subjects deal with fear of attack.
Picture 12M : A man with his hand raised is
standing above a boy who is lying on a bed
with his eyes closed.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• This picture often elicits themes regarding the relationship
between an older (usually more authoritative) man and a
younger one. This can be significant in predicting or assessing
the current or future relationship between the therapist and the
client. The manner in which the older man is perceived is
particularly important. The picture can represent specifics of the
transference relationship and such, can be an aid in interpreting
and providing feedback to the client regarding this relationship.
In particular, subjects frequently reveal attitudes toward some
external controlling forces.
Picture 12F : A portrait of a woman is in the
foreground; an older woman holding her
chin is in the background.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• This picture elicits descriptions and conceptions of
mother figures. The background figure is frequently
seen as a mother-in-law who has a variety of evil
qualities. Often, these negative qualities are
feelings that the subject has toward her own
mother but can indirectly, and, therefore, more
safely, project onto the figure of a mother-in-law
Picture 12BG : A country setting depicts a
tree, with a rowboat pulled up next to it. No
human figures are present.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• With suicidal or depressed subjects, there may be
an elaboration of feelings of abandonment and
isolation), for example: someone has been lost or
has been fallen from a boat. More stable and
adjusted subjects are likely to discuss the peace of
being alone in the woods and perhaps of fishing or
having gone fishing further down the stream.
Picture 13MF : A young man is standing in
the foreground with his head in his arms. In
the background is a woman lying in a bed.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• This picture is often helpful in revealing sexual conflicts. In a general way, it
provides information on the subject’s attitudes and feelings toward his or
her partner, in particularly attitudes just before and immediately following
the sexual intercourse. Stories in which there are overt expressions of
aggression or revulsion are significant variations and should be noted as
relatively unusual. In particular, the relation between a subject’s
aggressive and sexual feelings is frequently portrayed.

Because this picture has a relatively large number of details, obsessive-

compulsive personalities frequently spend an excessive amount of time in
describing and explaining these details. This approach may be particularly
evident when the picture has a shock effect and may, therefore, create
an anxiety.
Picture 13B : A boy is sitting in the doorway
of a log cabin.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• This picture may help both adults and
children to reveal attitudes toward
introspection or loneliness. In adults, it
frequently elicits reveries involving
childhood memories.
Picture 13G : A girl is climbing a flight of
stairs.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION

• This picture lacks the specificity and the impact

found in other TAT cards. It usually produces stories
that are highly varied but lacking in richness and
details. Like picture 13 B, it can sometimes useful in
depicting a subject’s attitude toward loneliness
and introspection.
Picture 14 : A person is silhouetted against a
window.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• If a subject’s presenting problem is depression, especially if there is
evidence of suicidal ideation, this card, along Picture 3 BM, is essential..
This type of subject often describes the figure in the picture and, more
importantly discusses the events, feeling, and attitudes that led up to the
current self-destructive behavior. It becomes important to investigate,
during the inquiry phase of examination, the particular methods and styles
of problem solving that the story character has attempted or is
attempting

This picture may also reveal the subject’s aesthetics interest and personal
philosophical beliefs or wish fulfillments.
Picture 15 : A man is standing among
tombstones with his hands clasped together.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• This reflects the subject’s particular beliefs about, and attitudes
toward, death and the dying process. For example death may
be viewed as a passive, quiet process, or, in contrast, it can be
violent, aggressive situation. If the subject is having an
extremely difficult time coping with the death of a friend and
relative, the themes on Picture 15 can provide useful
information as to why this difficulty is being experienced. The
story might also indicate unexpressed and problematic anger
directed toward the dead person, because of sense of
abandonment.
Picture 16 : Blank card.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• The instructions for this card are:
• Imagine a picture and then tell a story about it.

From the subjects with vivid and active imaginations, this card often elicits
extremely rich, useful stories; and the amount of detail and complexity in
a person’s stories have been found to correlate with different measures of
creativity (Wakefield, 1986). The card does little to shape or influence the
subject’s fantasy material and can thus be seen as relatively pure product
of his or her unconscious. However for anxious, resistant, or noncreative
subjects, this card often a little or no value because the stories are usually
brief and lack of depth or richness In considering the story, is helpful to
note whether the depiction involves a scene that is vital and optimistic, or
one that is desolate or flat.
Picture 17BM : A naked man is climbing up
(or down) a rope.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• Because the card depicts a naked man, attitudes
regarding the subject’s personal body images are
often revealed. They in turn may bring out themes of
achievement, physical prowess, adulation, and
narcissism. Possible homosexual feelings or anxiety
related to homosexuality also becomes evident in
the stories of some subjects
Picture 17GF : A female is standing on a
bridge over water. Above the bridge is a tall
building, and behind the building the sun is
shining from behind clouds.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• Attitudes toward a recent separation or the impending arrival
of a loved one are sometimes described. This card can be
particularly useful in cases of suicidal depression, where the
figure on the bridge is perceived as contemplating jumping
off, as a last attempt to resolve her difficulties. As with Picture 3
BM and 14, an inquiry into the specific difficulties the story
character has encountered and the manner in which she has
attempted to resolve these difficulties can often reflect the
subject’s manner and style of coping with his or her own
difficulties.
Picture 18BM : A man dressed in a long coat
is being grabbed from behind. Three hands
are visible.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• This picture, more than any others, is likely to
produce anxiety because of the suggestive
depiction of invisible forces attacking the figure.
Thus, it is important to note how the subject
handles his or her own anxiety as well as how
character deals with his or her situation.
Picture 18GF : A woman has her hands
around the throat of another woman. In the
background is a flight of stairs.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• The manner in which the subject handles aggressive, hostile relationships
with the other women is primary type of information this picture elicits.
Particular note should be made of what types of events trigger this
aggressiveness, and of the manner in which the conflict is or is not resolved

Feelings of inferiority, jealousy, and response to being dominated are also

often described. Although the representation of aggressiveness in the
picture is quite explicit, subjects occasionally attempt to deny or avoid this
aggressiveness by creating a story in which one figure is attempting to help
the other one up the stairs. This may point to general denial and repression
of hostility on the part of the subject.
Picture 19 : A surreal depiction of clouds and
a home covered with snow.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION
• Because this is one of the more unstructured cards,
the subject’s ability to integrate disparate visual
stimuli is tested. For certain subjects, the ambiguous
nature of this picture can create anxiety and
insecurity. The examiner can then observe how the
subject handles his or her anxiety in the context of
the story. Often the stories produced deal with
impersonal aggression from forces such as nature or
the supernatural.
Picture 20 : A hazy, nighttime picture of a
man leaning against a lamppost.
 GENERAL DISCUSSION

• The picture often elicits information regarding a

subject’s attitudes toward loneliness, darkness, and
uncertainty. Fears may be stated explicitly through
gangster stories. As with Picture 18 BM, the method of
handling these fears and the examinee’s response to
physical danger should be noted.