Abstract
M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)
Due to the historical segregation of educational opportunities, the development of psychological assessment in South Africa took place in a racially segregated society, promoted by unequal allocation of resources based on racial class. Therefore, the development of psychological assessment made use of western models, where the development of similar but separate measures for the different language and racial groups in South Africa were implemented. As a result, current South African standardised, projective techniques are mostly based on western norms and exclude most of the South African population, potentially resulting in inaccurate, invalid test results. Psychological assessment in South Africa faces many challenges at present. Within the diverse nation of South Africa, when conducting psychological assessments, including projective techniques, one must be aware of an individual’s background, abilities, language and cultural background in order to gain a valid and holistic view of the individual.
This study intended to review psychological projective techniques within the South African context. This qualitative literature review study intends to review psychological projective techniques within the South African context. The aims of this research study were: (1) to determine and report on what projective techniques are available within the South African context, (2) to explore the challenges of projective techniques in the assessment process and (3) to provide recommendations for the use of projective technique in South Africa. There were limited current research and studies available on projective techniques in the South African context.
The two main themes that emerged from the literature include the limited research on projective techniques in the South African context and the non-appropriateness of projective techniques on the diverse South African populations. From the investigation conducted on past and current literature and research on projective techniques, very few projective techniques will be suitable for the South African population. Recommendations were made based on information gathered, that one should keep in mind in order to ensure the appropriateness and validity of projective techniques.