On the use of projective measures in family law psychology: a contribution to the discussion

Abstract

Projective measures are still used today in forensic psychology in family law. Three different types of application can be distinguished: a) as a classical diagnostic test, b) as an informal behavior probe or c) as an exploration aid for building rapport. In the following overview, these three types of application are presented and their value for the assessment in family law cases is critically discussed. For this purpose, first an overview of the empirical foundation of the most commonly used projective tests (the Thematic Apperception Test, and projective drawings in general) is given. It is then discussed whether the classical psychometric criteria are applicable to projective tests. With respect to the use of projective measures as an informal behavior probe, attention is drawn to possible judgment biases, in particular confirmation bias, the effect of illusory correlations and the possible influence of irrelevant information on the diagnostic process. Given the potential negative impact on diagnostic validity, we recommend that projective measures should not be used in single case diagnostics unless there is clear empirical evidence for the validity of the specific measure, the type of coding used and the construct to be diagnosed.