Schafer and Holt - Formal Aspects of the TAT

Richard Niolon, Ph.D.
Schafer points out that just as poetry has meter and verse, a structure to it, so does the TAT story as told by the client. Thus, we must analyze what is told as well as how the story is told.

He suggests listening for:
ambiguity -- both in the sense of an inability to make a decision about some person, event, or thing, as well as a sort of Freudian ambiguity as if the ego has chosen this word to let us know something else is possible

disruptions to the story -- this covers losing one's way through the story, changing the story line, failing to maintain a consistent story line, changing the elements without incorporating the changes into the plot, shifting to the end too quickly

distance from the story -- by comments, behaviors, and attitudes conveyed toward the testing and tester, the same toward the characters in the story and the degree to which he acknowledges any similarity to them, any attempts to diminish the task or its importance

Schafer, being psychoanalytic, also analyzes:
identification with different genders,
oral and other psychosexual needs introduced,
the failure to match their affect to that of the story (defensive processes)

Holt - Formal Aspects of the TAT -- A Neglected Resource
He suggests evaluating form as well as content, and distinguishes between them in some clear ways, suggesting, for example, that content is what a hero does, form is whether he is successful.

According to Henry, judge:
story qualities, like length of story, amount of content, amount of original content, originality, vividness, and smoothness of the story telling
organization and coherence in the story
acuity, or the clarity and sharpness of the story, its plot, and its characters
language use, or choice of words and ability to command the language

Schafer suggests a newer model though. His data showed that
originality of the story
degree and complexity of characterization of the people in the story
facade or genuine emotional character of the story
adequacy of the hero
were effective