Acta Univ. Palacki. Olomuc., Gymn. 2009 39(3): 31-42

The administration of the Rorschach inkblot method and changes in autonomic nervous system activity

Emil Šiška1, Martin Kudláček2, Dana Štěrbová2, Pavel Stejskal2
1 Philosophical Faculty, Palacky University, Olomouc
2 Faculty of Physical Culture, Palacky University, Olomouc

Background: The administration of some psychological methods can be a temporary source of stress and evoke in some patients a pathophysiological reaction with a negative health outcome.

Objective: The aim of the study was to find out whether the administration of the Rorschach Inkblot Method (RIM) can change the autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity in terms of shifting the sympathovagal balance towards sympathetic activity.

Methods: The RIM test was applied to 39 healthy females (22.8 ± 2.4 years). ANS activity was measured by the spectral analysis of heart rate variability (SA HRV) before, during, and after the RIM test. The same algorithm as in the previous procedure was employed in 30 healthy females (21.41 ± 1.7 years), however the Stroop color word test (SCWD), a very powerful stressor with a marked impact on ANS activity, instead of the RIM, was administered. Five relative parameters of SA HRV were used: percentages of VLF (very low frequency), LF (low frequency) and HF (high frequency) components (from the spectral power total) and VLF/HF and LF/HF ratios. Changes in VLF/HF and LF/HF during the RIM and SCWT tests were used to compare the tests.

Results: During the RIM administration, a significant decrease in spectral power in HF (%), a significant increase in VLF (%) and LF (%), and a significant increase in LF/HF and VLF/HF ratios have been shown. No significant differences in VLF/HF (markers of stressful situations) among the RIM and the SCWT were found.

Conclusions: The administration of the RIM can act as a powerful stressor and causes a significant decrease in parasympathetic activity and the shift of sympathovagal balance towards sympathetic activity. Administration of RIM and SCWT tests can produce stress of comparable intensity, with a similar impact on ANS activity.

Keywords: Rorschach test, psychological stress, heart rate variability, spectral analysis, vagal activity, sympathetic activity, sympathovagal balance

Prepublished online: February 3, 2010; Published: June 1, 2009  Show citation

ACS AIP APA ASA Harvard Chicago Chicago Notes IEEE ISO690 MLA NLM Turabian Vancouver
Šiška, E., Kudláček, M., Štěrbová, D., & Stejskal, P. (2009). The administration of the Rorschach inkblot method and changes in autonomic nervous system activity. Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Gymnica, 39(3), 31-42
Share...
Download citation
  • BibTeX (.bib)
  • Bookends (.ris)
  • EasyBib (.ris)
  • EndNote (.enw)
  • EndNote 8 (.xml)
  • ISI WoS (.isi)
  • Medlars (.medlars)
  • Mendeley (.ris)
  • MODS (.xml)
  • Papers (.ris)
  • RefWorks (.txt)
  • RefManager (.ris)
  • RIS (.ris)
  • MS Word (.xml)
  • Zotero (.ris)
    • Open full article

    References

    1. Anderzén, I., & Arnetz, B. B. (1999). Psychophysiological reactions to international adjustment. Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics, 68, 67-75. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    2. Aubert, A. E., & Ramaekers, D. (1999). Neurocardiology: The benefits of irregularity. The basics of methodology, physiology and current clinical applications. Acta Cardiologica, 54, 107-120. Go to PubMed...
    3. Becker, L. C., Pepine, C. J., Bonsall, R., Cohen, J. D., Goldberg, A. D., Coghlan, C., Stone, P. H., Forman, S., Knatterud, G., Sheps, D. S., & Kaufmann, P. G. (1996). Left ventricular, peripheral vascular, and neurohumoral responses to mental stress in normal middle aged men and women. Reference group for the Psychophysiological Investigations of Myocardial Ischemia (PIMI) Study. Circulation, 94, 2768-2777. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    4. Berntson, G. G., Bigger, J. T. Jr., Eckberg, D. L., Grossman, P., Kaufmann, P. G., Malik, M., Nagaraja, H. N., Porges, S. W., Saul, J. P., Stone, P. H., & van der Molen, M. W. (1997). Heart rate variability: Origins, methods, and interpretive caveats. Psychophysiology, 34, 623-648. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    5. Cherrington, C. C., Moser, D. K., & Lennie, T. A. (2002). The psychological response in patients with acute myocardial infarction to the administration of psychological instruments. Biological research for nursing, 4, 85-91. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    6. Del Rio, G., Velardo, A., Menozzi, R., Zizzo, G., Tavernari, V., Venneri, M. G., Marrama, P., & Petraglia, F. (1998). Acute estradiol and progesterone administration reduced cardiovascular and catecholamine responses to mental stress in menopausal women. Neuroendocrinology, 67, 269-274. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    7. Eckberg, D. L. (1997). Sympathovagal balance. A critical appraisal. Circulation, 96, 3224-3232. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    8. Engel, G. L. (1977). The need for a new medical model: A challenge for biomedicine. Science, 196, 129-136. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    9. Ewing, D. J., Martyn, C. N., Young, R. J., & Clarke, B. F. (1985). The value of cardiovascular autonomic function tests: 10 years experience in diabetes. Diabetes Care, 8, 491-498. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    10. Fagard, R. H., Pardaens, K., & Staessen, J. A. (1999). Influence of demographic, anthropometric and lifestyle characteristics on heart rate and its variability in the population. Journal of Hypertension, 17, 1589-1599. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    11. Fauvel, J. P., Bernard, N., Laville, M., Daoud, S., Pozet, N., & Zech, P. (1996). Reproducibility of the cardiovascular reactivity to a computerized version of the Stroop stress test in normotensive and hypertensive subjects. Clinical Autonomic Research, 6, 219-224. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    12. Grillot, M., Fauvel, J. P., Cottet-Emard, J. M., Laville, M., Peyrin, L., Pozet, N., & Zech, P. (1995). Spectral analysis of stress induced change in blood pressure and heart rate in normotensive subjects. Journal of Cardiovascular Pharmacology, 25, 448-452. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    13. Hamill, R. W. (1996). Peripheral autonomic nervous system. In D. Robertson, P. A. Low, & R. J. Polinsky (Eds.), Primer on the Autonomic Nervous System (pp. 12-25). San Diego: Academic Press.
    14. Hoshikawa, Y., & Yamamoto, Y. (1997). Effects of Stroop color word conflict test on the autonomic nervous system responses. American Journal of Physiology, 272, 1113-1121. Go to original source...
    15. Keltikangas-Järvinen, L., Kettunen, J., Ravaja, & N., Näätänen, P. (1999). Inhibited and desinhibited temperament and autonomic stress reactivity. International Journal of Psychophysiology, 33, 185-196. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    16. Kernbeiss, G., Tinchon, H.-J., & Vitouch, P. (1997). Psychophysiology in media effect research - problem of data analysis. Studia Psychologica, 39, 197-211.
    17. Kettunen, J., Ravaja, N., Näätänen, P., Keskivaara, P., & Keltikangas-Järvinen, L. (1998). The synchronization of electrodermal activity and heart rate and its relationship to energetic arousal: A time series approach. Biological Psychology, 48, 209-225. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    18. Kettunen, J., Ravaja, N., Näätänen, P., & Keltikangas- Järvinen, L. (2000). The relationship of respiratory sinus arrhythmia to the coactivation of autonomic and facial responses during the Rorschach test. Psychophysiology, 37, 242-250. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    19. Klopfer, B., & Davidson, H. H. (1962). The Rorschach technique: An introductory manual. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World.
    20. Lindqvist, M., Kahan, T., Melcher, A., & Hjemdahl, P. (1993). Cardiovascular and sympatho adrenal responses to mental stress in primary hypertension. Clinical Science, 85, 401-409. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    21. Malik, M., & Camm, A. J. (1993). Components of heart rate variability - what they really mean and what we really measure. American Journal of Cardiology, 72, 821-822. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    22. Manuck, S. B., Olsson G., Hjemdahl, P., & Rehnqvist, N. (1992). Does cardiovascular reactivity to mental stress have prognostic value in postinfarction patients? A pilot study. Psychosomatic Medicine, 54, 102-108. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    23. Masling, J., Price, J., Goldband, S., & Katkin, E. S. (1981). Oral imagery and autonomic arousal in social isolation. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 40, 395-400. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    24. McEwen, B. S., & Stellar, E. (1994). Stress and the individual. Mechanisms leading to disease. JAMA CS, 2, 41-47.
    25. Pagani, M., Rimoldi, O., Pizzinelli, P., Furlan, R., Crivellaro, W., Liberati, D., Cerutti, S., & Malliani, A. (1991). Assessment of the neural control of the circulation during psychological stress. Journal of Autonomic Nervous System, 35, 33-41. Go to original source...
    26. Ruiselová, Z., & Prokopčáková, A. (2005). Coping with demanding life situations in relation to anxiety and self mastery. Studia Psychologica, 49(3), 213-220.
    27. Salinger, J., Opavský, J., Bůla, J., Vychodil, R., Novotný, J., & Vaverka, F. (1994). Programové vybavení měřicího systému, typ TF - 2, určené pro spektrální analýzu variací R-R intervalů v kardiologii. Lékař a technika, 25, 58-62.
    28. Salinger, J., Opavský, J., Stejskal, P., Vychodil, R., Olšák, S., & Janura, M. (1998). The evaluation of heart rate variability in physical exercise by using the telemetric VariaPulse TF3 system. Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Gymnica, 28, 13-23.
    29. Shalev, A. Y., Peri, T., Gelpin, E., Orr, S. P., & Pitman, R. K. (1997). Psychophysiological assessment of mental imagery of stressful events in Israeli civilian posttraumatic stress disorder patients. Comprehensive Psychiatry, 38, 269-273. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    30. Svoboda, M. (1999). Psychologická diagnostika dospělých. Praha: Portál.
    31. Šiška, E. (2002a). New methods for assessment of the functions of the autonomic nervous system and their possible usage in psychophysiological research. Studia Psychologica, 44, 211-218.
    32. Šiška, E. (2002b). The Stroop colour word test in psychology and biomedicine. Acta Universitatis Palackianae Olomucensis. Gymnica, 32, 45-52.
    33. Štěrbová, D. (2003). Některé aspekty péče o hluchoslepé osoby a možnost jejich ovlivnění pohybovými aktivitami. Studia Kinanthropologica, 4, 83-87.
    34. Task Force of the European Society of Cardiology and the North American Society of Pacing and Electrophysiology (1996). Heart rate variability. Standards of measurement, physiological interpretation, and clinical use. Circulation, 93, 1043-1065. Go to original source... Go to PubMed...
    35. Tonhajzerová, I. (2008). Mentálna aktivita a variabilita frekvencie srdca. In K. Javorka (Ed.), Variabilita frekvencie srdca. Mechanizmy, hodnotenie, klinické využitie. Martin: Osveta.
    36. Tonhajzerová, I., Javorka, K., & Petrášková, M. (2000). Zmeny variability frekvencie srdca (VFS) pri mentálnej záťaži. Česko-slovenská pediatrie, 55, 562-567.

    This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original publication is properly cited. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.


    Return to the content