Rorschach assessment of primitive defenses: a review

Area of Science:

• Psychological assessment
• Clinical psychology
• Personality disorders

Background:

• Primitive defenses are key indicators in psychological functioning.
• The Lerner & Lerner Scale was developed to assess these primitive defenses.
• Previous research has explored its utility in various clinical populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the Lerner & Lerner Scale for assessing primitive defenses.
• To evaluate its efficacy in distinguishing diagnostic groups.
• To compare it with another Rorschach scale for primitive defenses.

Main Methods:

• Review of existing studies on the Lerner & Lerner Scale.
• Assessment of interrater reliability.
• Validation studies comparing different patient groups and controls.

Main Results:

• The scale demonstrates high interrater reliability.
• It is valid in differentiating borderline patients from other diagnostic entities.
• The scale effectively distinguishes eating-disordered patients and gender-disturbed children from controls.

Conclusions:

• The Lerner & Lerner Scale is a reliable and valid instrument for assessing primitive defenses.
• Its application extends to identifying specific clinical and diagnostic groups.
• Further comparison with other Rorschach scales is noted.