ABSTRACT
The past several decades have seen enormous changes in the psychoanalytic understanding of the individual, and central to this development have been equally important changes in the use of projective techniques. From a relatively narrow but solid base established initially by Rapaport, Gill and Schafer (1968) and subsequently advanced by Schafer, Holt, and Mayman, recent advances in both psychoanalytic theory and the psychoanalytic understanding of psychopathology and of treatment have provided new formulations for signi®cant and exciting theoretical, clinical and research efforts. Examples include the investigation and systematic assessment of core psychoanalytic concepts (e.g., object representation, defense, thought process and boundary representation) with the Rorschach and Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) as well as the development of new and creative assessment procedures like early memories, open-ended descriptions of self and signi®cant others, and semi-structured object relations pro®les. Collectively these endeavors have operationalized newer, more phenomenological concepts in psychoanalytic theory and provide methodologies and instruments for systematically assessing and evaluating the validity and clinical utility of constructs generated by this expanded body of knowledge.
