A review by szeglin
The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, His Iconic Test, and the Power of Seeing by Damion Searls

4.0

I received an ARC of this book through a Goodreads giveaway.

The Inkblots is really two books in one. The first section is a biography of Hermann Rorschach the man. It provides insight into his scientific and artistic background, both of which contributed to his development of the inkblots. Rorschach never saw the blots as a "test," but rather an experiment--a tool to gain a deeper understanding on a patient's outlook on the world. Unfortunately, Rorschach died at the young age of 37, a mere year after publishing his book on his inkblots.

At this point the book switches gears and becomes a history of the use of the inkblot test, particularly in the United States. Searls relates the shifting attitudes towards psychiatry (and authority figures more broadly) to the changes in the way the Rorschach test has been regarded.

The book is well written and engaging. Recommended for those interested in the development of psychiatry.