Input from the Adult Attachment Projective System for Clinical Assessment and the Rorschach

This paper aims to demonstrate how the principles of attachment theory as they emerge from the Adult Attachment Projective can be a powerful framework for structuring the psychological assessment and a meaningful lens for interpreting the results of the Rorschach Test. We review the Adult Attachment Projective Picture System (AAP), a new-generation performance-based personality test that describes clients' attachment status. First, we introduce the AAP codes connected to an internalized secure base and attachment defenses, illustrating their origins and rationale. Second, we describe how to employ the AAP concepts to conduct a psychological assessment more attuned to clients' emotional needs. Finally, this paper presents an overview of the correlations between attachment and Rorschach results and provides suggestions about how to interpret Rorschach results within an attachment-based theoretical framework.