Bits of Psychology – How did the Rorschach test came about?

Can we use inkblots to diagnose people and why is the test so controversial? I’ll try to formulate some answers to those questions. I’ll also describe the history of the Rorschach which an amusing story with a twist. We’ll start with bringing some clarity to the question ‘What is the test’? The Rorschach can tell …

Bits of Psychology. Enactment.

  In 'Bits of Psychology' I explain or describe terminology that I find to be interesting. Most of the time they are snippets from some kind of dictionairy or sometimes the concepts are described more in depth.   ---------------------------------------   Enactment.   A scene set in the original event and interaction, without being consciously remembered. …

The Inner Child and Peter Pan.

  Do you know what a ‘puer aeternus’ is? It is Latin for ‘eternal boy’ or we could use ‘puella aeterna’ for a girl. And that is what this post is about.   In mythology the puer refers to a child-god who is forever young. The phrase 'puer aeternus' was written by the Roman poet …

Bits of Psychology. False Self.

False Self. Winnicott used the term of False Self to refer to two situations: In the first one it is the structure that protects the self, it is the social façade. In the other situation the child will develop a personality (a false self) due to disturbing reactions from its surrounding and not based upon …

Word of the week. Wrecked by success.

  Wrecked by success.    Freud dedicated a dissertation to people wrecked by success. In the first place, those are people who achieved more success than their parents and they experience this (subconsciously) as unfair. This can result in so many feelings of guilt that they wipe this success out or sink away in a …