The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, His Iconic Test, And The Power Of Seeing

"Who can resist a quickie quiz that promises to reveal the secrets of our psyches? Especially when the quiz includes those arresting, mysterious inkblots. For decades, courts, the military and prospective employers relied on the personality test devised in 1921 by Hermann Rorschach, a dashing young Swiss psychiatrist and artist. Thanks to author Damion Searls, I now know that the eminent Dr. Rorschach was a Ryan Gosling lookalike who died tragically young. Searls also points out that the Rorschach test has proved to be pretty much worthless, even though it’s still in use. Given the current replication crisis in social science research, it’s good to be reminded that the problem of alluring but sketchy science has deep roots."