Book Description

For forty years this book has been the leading source of training for clinicians interested in learning how to use thematic apperception techniques in clinical practice. Interest in these techniques is on the rise; numerous surveys conducted over the last 10 years have found the Thematic Apperception Test to be among the most frequently used instruments across a variety of clinical settings. Dr. Bellak has written this new edition to reflect the current renewal of interest in the T.A.T and related techniques. Like its predecessors, the fifth edition shows the reader in an easy, orderly way how to progress from primary data to clinical diagnosis. With a rich selection of case material and many sample interpretations, Dr. Bellak provides a wealth of examples and actual analyzed test records. He also provides a card-by-card analysis of which T.A.T cards are most likely to be helpful for specific purposes. The fifth edition has been completely updated to reflect the newest research; in addition to earlier research, the annotated bibliography contains descriptive entries on more than 120 papers and studies published since 1980. Current issues and trends are also discussed. Dr. Bellak notes the increasing role of brief psychotherapy and points out the important contribution apperceptive techniques can make in this field. He explains how apperceptive tests can be used to assist in neuropsychological assessment (such as in attention deficit disorder) by analyzing the subject's organization, language use, and attention to pertinent picture details in T.A.T stories. And he shows how the Senior Apperception Technique (S.A.T) may prove helpful in pinpointing problems in the elderly that can be successfully addressed by physicians, social workers, and nurses not specifically trained in clinical psychology. Once again Dr. Bellak has produced a major contribution to the literature of apperceptive techniques, one that will enhance the work of a new generation of psychologists, psychiatrists, psychoanalysts, social workers, and other clinicians.