The conjoint Rorschach comprehensive system: reliability and validity in clinical and nonclinical couples

This article presents the comparison of 2 paired groups of satisfied (n = 22) and distressed (n = 22) couples using a conjoint version of the Rorschach Comprehensive System (CS; Exner, 2003). The aim of the study was to evaluate if the couples' verbalizations could be coded reliably using standard CS variables and if the 2 groups of protocols differed on several dimensions hypothesized to reflect relational dissatisfaction. The results showed good to excellent interrater reliability for the selected CS variables. Comparisons revealed expected moderate to large differences between the satisfied and distressed groups with regard to communication (R), some of the affective variables (DEPI%, Afr, SumV%, Col-Shading Blends%), and cognitive variables (X-%, WDA% Sum6%, WSum6%). Among variables connected with aggression, only AgPast% was moderately higher in the distressed group of couples. Overall, the results support the use of the Conjoint Rorschach Comprehensive System (ConRCS) in couples' assessments.