A Practical Guide to the Thematic Apperception Test

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CHAPTER

Research Findings

Research studies that have utilized the TAT are quite numerous. The present chapter will concern itself with areas that have been researched in some depth and have significant clinical relevance.

    Need for Achievement

David McClelland’s need for achievement research has been one of the more famous and creative efforts in TAT research. McClelland and his co-workers somewhat narrowed Murray’s definition of the nAch to, essentially, desire to do a good job; that is, to attain a standard of excellence (McClelland et al., 1953; McClelland, 1961a, 1961b).

McClelland used several TAT pictures, but also included stimuli ...