The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) is a systematic approach to storytelling that offers insight into the unique psychological reality of each individual. This book integrates a variety of interpretive approaches to the TAT to illuminate the meaning of narratives and explore their clinical implications. Informed by psychodynamic theory and empirical research, the book addresses such topics as the ways narratives reveal different personality organizations; how stories change over the course of therapy; the influence of age, gender, and defense mechanisms on narratives; and the use of the TAT in clinical studies. A new preface to the paperback edition situates the book within the contemporary landscape of personality research.


Phebe Cramer, PhD, is Professor of Psychology at Williams College, in Williamstown, Massachusetts, and a practicing clinical psychologist.