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How does the Rorschach inkblot test work? - Damion Searls

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For nearly a century, ten inkblots have been used as an almost mystical personality test. Long kept confidential for psychologists and their patients, the mysterious images were said to draw out the workings of a person’s mind. But what can inkblots really tell us, and how does this test work? Damion Searls details how the Rorschach Test can help us understand the patterns of our perceptions.


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TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Damion Searls
  • Director Serin İnan, Tolga Yıldız
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Producer Serin İnan
  • Designer İbrahim Hakkı Uslu
  • Illustrator İbrahim Hakkı Uslu
  • Animator Gökhan Gürkan
  • Sound Designer Deniz Doğançay
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Joseph Isaac
Additional Resources for you to Explore
The Rorschach Test continues to be controversial, and it’s hard to find accurate information that doesn’t take one side or another about the Test’s validity. It has also been kept secret for much of its history, and the usual online sources of information, both about the test and about Hermann Rorschach, are often wrong or unreliable. The very first biography of Rorschach by educator Damion Searls, includes a history of the test after Rorschach’s death, was published in 2017. Here is an excerpt.

The latest science on the Rorschach (although other camps would disagree about this too!) can be found here.

Customize this lesson

Create and share a new lesson based on this one.

About TED-Ed Animations

TED-Ed Animations feature the words and ideas of educators brought to life by professional animators. Are you an educator or animator interested in creating a TED-Ed Animation? Nominate yourself here »

Meet The Creators

  • Educator Damion Searls
  • Director Serin İnan, Tolga Yıldız
  • Narrator Addison Anderson
  • Producer Serin İnan
  • Designer İbrahim Hakkı Uslu
  • Illustrator İbrahim Hakkı Uslu
  • Animator Gökhan Gürkan
  • Sound Designer Deniz Doğançay
  • Content Producer Gerta Xhelo
  • Editorial Producer Alex Rosenthal
  • Associate Producer Bethany Cutmore-Scott
  • Associate Editorial Producer Dan Kwartler
  • Script Editor Alex Gendler
  • Fact-Checker Joseph Isaac

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