Ink Blot Argumentative Essay

nk Blot Argumentative Essay (Rough Draft)

Mental stability is an important part of living a normal life, but identifying mental illnesses can be a difficult task. One way to identify these illnesses is the Rorschach test, a series of ink blots that supposedly detects these illnesses. However, there is controversy around validity of the Rorschach. In “What’s in an Ink Blot? Some Say Not Much” by Erica Goode, Goode writes about this controversy, where it stemmed from, and where the scientific community stands on it. The Rorschach test should not be used to diagnose mental illness because the test subject has the ability to alter the results, it takes a lot of time to interpret and learn how to interpret, and there are many doctors that are not

The text states,” But even Dr. Exner, the developer of the comprehensive system, agreed that the test "can be abused unwittingly by the ill-trained person," and he said he was uncomfortable with the use of the test in "adversarial" settings, like custody disputes.” The accuracy of these tests can definitely vary with the experience and training of the doctor who is distributing it, so only a few professionals have mastered being able to score the test properly. This clearly shows that the validity of these tests is questionable at best. Supporters of the Rorschach test say that the test is valid because it can delve into the mind of patient without requiring the patient to give up information they are not comfortable exposing. While this argument has some merit, the patient still has the ability to cheat the test by simply responding with the answers that make them look more mentally stable.

It is clearly seen that the Rorschach test should not be used to diagnose mental illnesses. There is much more evidence that supports other more effective tests. Doctors should use these other tests to diagnose mental illness to ensure the mental health of America and the rest of the