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Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology pp 3449–3455Cite as

Thematic Apperception Test

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Synonyms

TAT

Description

The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a performance-based measure developed by Christiana Morgan and Henry Murray (1935). Described as a test of literary imagination, the TAT forms the basis of an intensive analytic study by psychologists who believe that stories reveal aspects of human nature that may otherwise remain unknown. According to Murray and Morgan, this systematic approach has provided a method to investigate those original, highly personal themes that constitute the unique personality of each individual. The core themes, subtle nuances, and even the omissions that emerge are variants of an underlying narrative or personal representation of the individual’s past and present experience (Cramer 1996).

The TAT consists of 31 black and white pictures printed on a bristol board and designed for use as follows – 11 were designed for all sexes and ages (MF cards), seven for only girls and women (GF cards), seven for only boys and men (BM cards), one for...

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References and Reading

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Rusk Rehabilitation, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA

    Robert M. Gordon

  2. Pace University, New York, NY, USA

    Erika M. Baron

  3. Rusk Rehabilitation, New York University Langone Health, New York, NY, USA

    Lucia Smith-Wexler

Authors
  1. Robert M. Gordon
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  2. Lucia Smith-Wexler
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  3. Erika M. Baron
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Robert M. Gordon .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA

    Jeffrey S. Kreutzer

  2. Kessler Foundation, Pleasant Valley Way, West Orange, NJ, USA

    John DeLuca

  3. Independent Practice, Wynnewood, PA, USA

    Bruce Caplan

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Gordon, R.M., Smith-Wexler, L., Baron, E.M. (2018). Thematic Apperception Test. In: Kreutzer, J.S., DeLuca, J., Caplan, B. (eds) Encyclopedia of Clinical Neuropsychology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-57111-9_2013

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