[Differences in sentence completion test responses based on degree of self-disclosure]

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Personality Assessment
• Clinical Psychology

Context:

• Projective tests are utilized to explore unconscious emotions, aiming to bypass conscious defenses.
• However, conscious factors, such as self-disclosure, may influence the validity and interpretation of projective test results.
• The sentence completion test (SCT) is a widely used projective technique.

Purpose:

• To investigate the influence of self-disclosure, a conscious psychological trait, on the outcomes of the sentence completion test (SCT).
• To determine if varying levels of self-disclosure correlate with specific response patterns in projective testing.

Summary:

• Eighty-five university students completed a self-disclosure questionnaire and an SCT.
• Results indicated that low self-disclosers produced more negative and defensive SCT responses (e.g., denial, short responses) compared to high self-disclosers.
• High self-disclosers demonstrated greater expression of emotions, thoughts, and positive self-perceptions on the SCT.

Impact:

• Findings suggest that conscious factors like self-disclosure can significantly affect projective test results, challenging the assumption of minimal psychological resistance.
• This highlights the importance of considering individual differences in self-disclosure when interpreting SCT and similar projective assessments.
• The study underscores the interplay between conscious and unconscious processes in psychological assessment.