Line #81 Main/InkblotTest


1	[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/InkblotTest.jpg]]
2	[[caption-width-right:350:[-What do you see? And no, [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Rorschach]] is not the answer.-]]]
3
4	->''"He said pepul see things in the ink. I said show me where. He said think. I told him I think a inkblot but that wasnt rite eather. He said what does it remind you—pretend something. I closd my eyes for a long time to pretend. I told him I pretend a fowntan pen with ink leeking all over a table cloth."''
5	-->-- '''Charlie Gordon''', ''Literature/FlowersForAlgernon''
6
7	The inkblot test, commonly known as the "Rorschach test" after its most famous iteration, is a [[TheShrink psychiatric tool]] where a patient looks at a blot of ink and says what they see. This will supposedly reveal the workings of the patient's subconscious and show the audience what they're ''really'' thinking. Almost all inkblot tests will be symmetrical, meant to imitate (if not actually ''be'') a puddle of ink on a folded sheet of paper, replicating the pattern on each side.
8
9	On TV, it matters very much what specifically the patient sees in the inkblot. If he sees a butterfly, he's innocent; if he sees a corpse, he's guilty. If he's obsessed with something or someone, that's what he sees. If he sees something naughty, it proves FreudWasRight. In some comedic situations, the inkblot will be created spontaneously, with a sheet of folder paper and whatever ink or ink-like substance may be handy; the results are no different. In ''very'' comedic situations, the inkblot will spontaneously form a perfectly clear image of whatever the patient is meant to see.
10
11	In RealLife, the Rorschach test is controversial, considered kind of outdated, and admitted to be limited in nature. Unlike on TV, psychiatrists who administer the test aren't looking for ''what'' the patient sees so much as ''how'' they see it -- how long did it take them to come up with something, how novel or common is their interpretation, how much does the inkblot actually resemble it, are they focusing on the colour or the shape of the inkblot, is the patient [[AskAStupidQuestion deliberately being obtuse]] -- things like that. Psychiatrists also rely on something called the "Exner scoring system" so that they don't have to use their personal judgment to interpret the results, unlike what you'd see on TV. And even with all of this, scientific criticism since the 40s has increasingly doubted the general usefulness of the Rorschach test, sometimes even purporting that almost none of its supposed personality correlates really holds up in careful research, which further explains why it's kind of disfavoured.
12
13	Incidentally, most inkblots seen on TV are not "real" Rorschach tests. The easy way to tell is that on TV, almost all inkblots are black on white paper, whereas actual Rorschach blots can be multicoloured. But more interestingly, there are only ten "real" Rorschach inkblots which are not spontaneously created like on TV. The American Psychiatric Association actually [[SpoilAtYourOwnRisk tries to keep them a secret]], so that people can be shown the blots without having seen them before on TV and thus come up with a more spontaneous response. But they're [[StreisandEffect easily found on the Internet]] if you're curious.
14
15	----
16	!!Examples:
17
18	[[foldercontrol]]
19
20	[[folder:Advertising]]
21	* A Pepsi commercial from TheNineties featured Creator/MichaelRichards as a psychoanalyst administering one of these to a young man.
22	-->'''Doctor:''' What do you see?
23	-->'''Patient:''' A cool, refreshing Pepsi.
24	-->'''Doctor:''' What do you see here?
25	-->'''Patient:''' A cool, refreshing Pepsi.
26	-->'''Doctor:''' What do you see here?
27	-->'''Patient:''' A cool, refreshing Pepsi.
28	-->'''Doctor:''' What do you see here?
29	-->'''Patient:''' It's my mother. She's browbeating me. She's making me take accordion lessons! I wanna play the drums!
30	* A car ad has a psychiatrist/psychoanalyst sitting with a patient conducting this test. After he gives quite extraordinary (nature-based) responses to each blot, the psych concludes, "You bought a Jeep."
31	* [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzhfT3X6OPk This commercial]] has superstars being tested when Wrestling/{{WWE SmackDown}} was returning to Thursdays.
32	* In a commercial for the Advertising/SeattleMariners baseball team, an opposing pitcher sent to therapy over psychological trauma from having to pitch to Ken Griffey Jr. is shown a variety of inkblots, [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kle6WB9xpbQ and sees Griffey in all of them.]]
33	* One commercial for The American Dairy Commission has a man being given a Rorschach inkblot test see the usual odds and ends, but the ''psychiatrist'' sees different types of cheese in all of them.
34	[[/folder]]
35
36	[[folder:Anime and Manga]]
37	* A Rorschach test featured prominently in ''Manga/TokyoMewMew a la mode''. The villain started using the regular tests on Berii's classmates, then moved to the "special tests" - blindingly obvious pictures of the QuirkyMinibossSquad's namesake items - to mind control them.
38	* An antagonistic duelist in ''Anime/YuGiOh5Ds'' used a monster called [[http://yugioh.wikia.com/wiki/Symmetry_Rorschach Symmetry Rorschach,]] which essentially looked like a living ink blot. After summoning it, he asked Ruka what she saw; she saw a fairy, while Rua saw a butterfly, and Yanagi saw a crystal skull. After that, while the POV made it look like a fairy, it turned demonic and attacked.
39	* ''Manga/YuuutsuKunToSuccubusSan'': Chapter 7 features a variation called the Baum Test. Rather than the standard inkblot, the test involves the patient drawing a tree, usually a baum per the name of the test, and determining information about the patient from the drawing. Yuu draws a bare stump. Just as Sakuma is lamenting that she can't work anything out about Yuu from that, she notices something on the horizon line: two small dots that, on closer inspection, are Yuu and Sakuma holding hands. She declares the drawing perfect.
40	[[/folder]]
41
42	[[folder:Comic Books]]
43	* In ''Kid Eternity'', Kid is given the test by Dr. Pathos. Pathos doesn't question it but grows very frustrated when Kid claims that he sees every blot as "[[FreudWasRight a man being swallowed by a giant vagina]]".
44	* ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}'':
45	** Rorschach is given an inkblot test at one point, though not with the normal Rorschach images. What the cards suggest to him is revealed by flashbacks, and it is ''wildly'' divergent from the lighthearted carefree images he ''tells'' the psychiatrist he sees (example: the image that causes him to flash back to the severed head of a dead dog is said to be "a butterfly"). It's implied that the psychiatrist knows Rorschach is lying but is playing along in the hopes that Rorschach will eventually open up towards him. After a while, the psychiatrist shows Rorschach the first one again and asks what he ''actually'' sees, leading Rorschach to describe his first outing as a vigilante.
46	** Naturally, given his name, the character of Rorschach is heavily inspired by the Rorschach test. Most obviously, he wears a white mask with black "inkblots" that constantly shift into different symmetrical patterns. This symbolizes not only his BlackAndWhiteInsanity but also his philosophy that [[TheAntiNihilist the world has no more meaning than what people choose to impose on it]] -- much like how people look at a blot of ink and see a pattern in it.
47	* Early on in ''ComicBook/DoomsdayClock'', it's revealed that Bruce Wayne has been forced to take one every year by his board of directors due to his eccentric behavior (the board, not realizing he's Batman, think he's just unstable and have taken out Critical Personnel Insurance on him in case he checks out of reality). He uses the opportunity to polish up his IdleRich persona by [[ObfuscatingStupidity saying that each and every blot looks to him like a yacht]].
48	* While on Batman and inkblots, in an issue of ''Comicbook/{{Animaniacs}}'' where the Warners are on an ''Series/{{ER}}'' parody, the Dr. Ross copy shows a blot resembling Batman's symbol to Yakko and asks what he sees. Given it's Creator/GeorgeClooney and it was 1997, Yakko responds, "[[Film/BatmanAndRobin You]]."
49	[[/folder]]
50
51	[[folder:Fan Works]]
52	* In chapter 11 of ''Fanfic/TheUtoniumTrials'', the Powerpuff Girls are each given the Rorschach inkblot test individually. Blossom already knows the answers from using the internet, Bubbles can barely make out the test with her poor vision, and Buttercup just sees blotches of ink.
53	* In chapter 10 of ''Fanfic/ProperDiscipline'', D.W. takes the inkblot test at her first therapy session. She sees three butterflies on one of them.
54	[[/folder]]
55
56	[[folder:Films -- Live-Action]]
57	* In ''Film/ProblemChild'', the prison psychiatrist is giving a Rorschach test to the Bow Tie Killer, only the "inkblots" are actually bloodstains left by his victims. While the warden is in the room he lies, saying he sees things like butterflies and bunnies hopping across fields. This enrages the warden, and the psychiatrist forces him to leave. Once the warden leaves, the psychiatrist continues the test, and the Bow Tie Killer says he sees blood, and kills the psychiatrist, puts on his clothes and drives out of prison. Why no one was watching what was going on from behind a two-way mirror [[FridgeLogic is anyone's guess]].
58	* In ''Film/TakeTheMoneyAndRun,'' Creator/WoodyAllen's character's troubled youth is highlighted when he interprets an inkblot drawing as "Two ostriches making love to a glee club."
59	* Parodied in ''Film/BlankMan'', which injects an upper chest into the set of blots. Even better, Damon Wayans' character has no idea what the obvious breasts are, even when the man administering the test holds the card against his own chest as visual reference.
60	* TruthInTelevision for quite a long time, as shown in ''Film/LetThereBeLight1946''. The inkblot test is part of the therapy that psychiatrists used with the deeply damaged [[ShellShockedVeteran PTSD victims]] at the hospital.
61	* A viral ad for ''Film/{{Prometheus}}'' takes the form of a Weyland Industries advertisement for the David 8 model of ArtificialHuman. This includes David taking a futuristic version of the test; {{subverted\|Trope}} in that his bland corporate-approved responses give [[AIIsACrapshoot no indication of his true nature]] as revealed in the movie and [[Film/AlienCovenant its sequel]].
62	-->'''Narrator:''' David, what do you think about?\
63	'''David:''' I think about anything. ''[test images]'' Children playing... angel... the universe... robots...
64	* ''Film/{{Watchmen}}'':
65	** The vigilante Rorschach naturally gets the Rorschach test after his arrest. He responds with BlatantLies about what he's seeing in the images, when they actually remind him of his DarkAndTroubledPast.
66	--->'''Psychiatrist:''' Tell me what you see.\
67	'''Rorschach:''' ''[flashback of dog with head split apart]'' A pretty butterfly. ''[witnessing his mother prostituting herself]'' Some nice flowers. ''[biting a school bully's face open]'' Clouds.
68	** Later, after Rorschach forces the psychiatrist to give him his mask back:
69	--->'''Rorschach:''' Your turn, Doctor. Tell me... ''[pulls on mask]'' What do you see?
70	* The roughnecks in ''Film/Armageddon1998'' receive one of these to see if they are mentally stable enough to fly into space. Instead it proves that Rockhound sees breasts everywhere and A.J. constantly sees Harry Stamper's disapproval of him.
71	* ''Film/Europe51'': Irene does not think much of them while she's in the asylum, describing a couple but then pronouncing them all meaningless blobs and refusing to look at any more.
72	* ''Film/ShortCircuit'': Newton does an impromptu test with some soup and gives it to Number 5 to analyze. He first gives the contents of the soup...and then gives what it resembles, meaning the robot can do spontaneous interpretations.
73	* One of the {{Visual Pun}}s in ''Film/AirplaneIITheSequel''. While on TheBridge, one of [[Creator/WilliamShatner Commander Murdock]]'s men shows him the result of some tests he's ordered. The man's name is Rorschach and they're inkblot tests.
74	* ''Film/TheDarkMirror'': Dr. Elliot administers the inkblot test to twins Terry and Ruth Collins. Terry's answers are just a little bit off, a little bit weird--turns out she's the EvilTwin and TheSociopath.
75	* ''Film/BorisAndNatasha'': When Boris and Natasha defect, a physiatrist shows them some inkblots. They see a bomb explosion, a machine gun attack at a small embassy, and a little puppy with floppy ears... carrying a letter bomb into a small embassy.
76	* ''Film/BatmanForever:'' When Bruce Wayne breaks into Dr. Chase Meridian's office because he mistakenly thought she was being attacked, he attempts to change the subject by turning attention to her various psychiatric tools. This backfires when he asks why she has [[https://i.ytimg.com/vi/yQoLDRG0KGU/maxresdefault.jpg a picture of a bat]] hanging on her wall, only for Chase to answer that it's an inkblot.
77	-->'''Bruce:''' Do you have a thing for bats, Doctor?\
78	'''Chase:''' That's a Rorschach, Mr. Wayne. An inkblot. People see what they want.\
79	''[{{Beat}}]''\
80	'''Chase:''' I think the question would be, do ''you'' have a thing for bats?
81	* In ''Film/MagicInTheWater'', Wanda shows Jack a piece of paper and asks what he sees. Jack says that he sees thousands of children and that one of them is missing, and asks Wanda, "Did you draw this yourself? Because this is really good." The paper shows only a tiny ink dot.
82	[[/folder]]
83
84	[[folder:Jokes]]
85	* A very old joke involves a man being shown a set of inkblots, and interpreting them all as pictures of people having sex. When the tester announces that he's clearly obsessed with sex, he says, "Me? You're the one with the collection of dirty pictures."
86	** ''Series/GetSmart'' did a version of this joke, as did ''Film/WhatAboutBob'' And ''Series/{{MASH}}''
87	** Parodied in [[http://wondermark.com/395/ this]] ''Webcomic/{{Wondermark}}'' strip.
88	** ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' did the same thing, but specifically mentioned girls.
89	[[/folder]]
90
91	[[folder:Literature]]
92	* In Robert Pirsig's novel ''Literature/{{Lila}}'', Phaedrus claims that the true purpose of the Rorschach test is to gauge the subject's imaginative ability, such that if the person says "I don't see anything," or "I see an inkblot," that's allegedly a potential sign of severe mental illness. It should be noted that there is no evidence to support this claim. At most, such responses would indicate a lack of creativity.
93	* Played dead straight in ''Literature/AlexRider'', when Alex is being assessed for suitability as an [[IfYoureSoEvilEatThisKitten assassin.]] Most applicants saw a man lying in a pool of blood. Alex saw a guy with a bookbag.
94	* In ''Literature/FlowersForAlgernon'', Charlie is given a Rorschach early in the story, and to highlight his severe mental retardation, he's unable to understand the concept, thinking that he's supposed to find some sort of hidden picture. A few weeks later, he's given the test again, and gets angry because he thinks they changed the test on him. [[spoiler: He's given a third one after he concludes that he will eventually lose his intelligence, and realizes to his horror he can't remember what he's supposed to do.]]
95	* ''Literature/BigSecrets'' by William Poundstone had black-and-white illustrations of each blot, with full descriptions, including colors. Published 1985.
96	* ''Literature/TheSilenceOfTheLambs'' : Rorschach is mentioned in passing as one test Billy likely took while seeking gender-reassignment. A whole scene is devoted to describing "House, Tree, Person."
97	* In ''Literature/GravityFallsJournal3'', after the events of "Not What He Seems" and "A Tale of Two Stans", [[ScienceHero Ford]] gives [[GenkiGirl Mabel]] an inkblot test. Her responses:
98	-->'''Inkblot that looks like a skull:''' Bunny.
99	-->'''Inkblot that looks like an explosion:''' Lollipop.
100	-->'''Inkblot that looks like a dagger:''' Friendship wand.
101	-->'''Ford:''' [[{{Understatement}} These interpretations are... unusual]].
102	* ''Literature/TheTribe'': In the second book, ''Camp Cannibal'', Spencer is given an inkblot test near the beginning of the book. He thinks the first inkblot looks like a butterfly, but he describes it to the doctor as a teenage kids holding protractors lined with X-[=ACTO=] razors. He thinks the second one looks like a long-eared rabbit, but he describes it as Sully Tulliver about to shoot him with her slingshot.
103	* Ronald from ''Literature/EyeOfAFly'' eagerly describes how his analyst gave him a Rorschach test, which showed him that he sees the world as a giant breast. Harry mutters, "You need an analyst to tell you that?"
104	* In ''Literature/MeWhoDoveIntoTheHeartOfTheWorld'', autistic savant Karen Nieto is brought into a Quantitative Psychology class so the students can study her. The professor gives her an inkblot test, and she describes what she sees: inkblot, bigger inkblot, two inkblots, several inkblots.
105	* In ''Literature/OurWivesUnderTheSea'', Miri and Leah undergo an inkblot test during couples therapy. Leah [[{{Foreshadowing}} just sees eyes]]. Miri responds with a series of random objects, [[DeadpanSnarker stopping in the middle to remind the counselor that she's pretty sure the test was widely discredited in the 60s]] before continuing anyway.
106	[[/folder]]
107
108	[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
109	* One episode of ''Series/TheAddamsFamily'' had Cousin It administer inkblots as part of an intelligence test. He gives a series of odd answers (like a sunset over Phoenix), and the tester is astonished that It "got them all correct".
110	* The titular character in ''Series/SledgeHammer'' received one, where he identified each picture as some violent scene... except for the last, which he claims is "A duck handcuffing a naked woman." The psychologist remarks, "Funny, I've never seen the duck."
111	* On ''Series/TheGoldenGirls'', Sophia is taking an inkblot test in an attempt to become a nun. She identifies all the blots as increasingly elaborate religious imagery: an angel, a dove perched upon the throne of God, the Blessed Virgin smiling as she pours love upon the hearts of the righteous, until Dorothy interrupts exasperatedly that the blot is obviously "Creator/JohnForsythe lying naked in a pool of honey." The nun administering the test agrees.
112	* A doctor attempts to give Vala one on ''Series/StargateSG1'', but abandons it when she keeps claiming to see abstract concepts like courage in the blots.
113	* On ''Series/EmptyNest,'' [[TheCasanova Charley]] finds Carol's inkblots and asks why she has pictures of naked women (before putting them in his pocket for later).
114	* Creator/StephenColbert blames his therapist for giving him inkblots that all look like the same thing - either a butterfly in bondage, or a mushroom cloud. He sees the same things in the outlines of countries (except for Italy, which doesn't look like anything at all, and Canada, which is ShapedLikeItself).
115	* In one ''Series/MysteryScienceTheater3000'' episode, Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank invent "erotic Rorschach blots": they look just as indistinct as regular inkblots, but they suggest {{Filth}}. Things get awkward when one of them reminds Frank of his mom.
116	** During the abstract credits of ''Film/TheLeechWoman'':
117	--->'''Crow:''' Ah, it's a Rorschach test.\
118	'''Mike:''' I see a lot of spilled ink, congealing in random patterns.\
119	'''Servo:''' That means you're a sexual predator.
120	* Parodied and then some in ''Series/{{Scrubs}}'' where Turk asks his marriage counselor if the image hanging above him is one of those psychological inkblot things, because if it is, then Turk sees a duck. Cut to a view of the image, and it's actually a perfectly normal portrait of a duck.
121	* ''Series/TheDrewCareyShow'': Drew sees a psychologist ("Bring out the inkblots but I can tell you right now, they're all gonna be vaginas.") who tells him that he has low self-esteem.
122	-->I don't have any self-esteem issues...''[sees an inkblot]'' hey, where'd you get this picture of my mom making fun of me?
123	* Parodied in ''Series/{{Spaced}}''; as part of his psychological evaluation to re-enter the Territorial Army, Mike is administered an inkblot test... and identifies everything (including a card that clearly represents two people having sex) as being related to war, killing, guts and / or guns. Except for the last one, which he associates with a butterfly, until the disapproving look he gets from the panel inspires him to amend it to "Butterfly with a ''bomb''!" Needless to say, this demonstration of psychological maladjustment makes him perfect material for the TA, and he is re-admitted.
124	* ''Series/BigWolfOnCampus'' [[Funny/BigWolfOnCampus had this rather humorous example]]-
125	-->'''Merton:''' (Looking at the ink blot tests) Bat....bat....A lonely boy who failed to please his father at every turn...
126	-->'''Giger:''' Oh, sorry, that one was upside down.
127	-->'''Merton:'''...Bat....
128	* Parodied in an episode of ''TheDetectives''
129	-->'''Dave:''' Well, it's upside down... but that's Greater Manchester, that is.
130	* An episode of ''Series/FTroop'' had an Indian acting as a psychiatrist give Corporal Agarn the "Roaring Chicken" or "[[{{Pun}} Roar-Chick]]" test.
131	-->'''Agarn:''' I see a beautiful Indian girl in a short skirt bending over a campfire.\
132	'''Roaring Chicken:''' (grabbing the paper and staring at it) Where?! Where?!\
133	'''Agarn:''' (who'd looked ''past'' the paper, points) Right over there.\
134	'''Roaring Chicken:''' I like your ink blot better than my ink blot.
135	* In ''Series/PeepShow'', Mark is subjected to an inkblot test after being sent to therapy for [[DontAsk pissing on his employer's desk.]]
136	-->'''Doctor:''' What do you see?
137	-->'''Mark (thinking):''' A hairy twat. A hungry, devouring twat.
138	-->'''Mark:''' A kitten
139	* In ''Series/TheAmandaShow'', Penelope Taynt is seeing a psychiatrist about her obsession with Amanda, and when given an inkblot test, she answers all of them as "Amanda", except the last one as "Judge Trudy"- much to the psychiatrist's relief until Penelope mentions that it's a character ''played'' by Amanda.
140	* On ''Series/BarneyMiller'' episode "[[Recap/BarneyMillerS2E20 The Psychiatrist]]", a psychiatrist has the squad look at inkblots. Yemana sees an elephant wearing a hat. "Now turn the picture upside down and tell me what you see." "An elephant standing on his head. Wearing a hat."
141	* One episode of ''Series/TheATeam'' had Hannibal, B.A, and Murdock intentionally get arrested and thrown in prison. The prison psychologist gives Murdock one of these while psychoanalyzing him. At first, Murdock can't see anything until the psychologist explains how the test works and he immediately sees something. He's shown the next inkblot and identifies it as a "trash bag". The next time we see him, he's repeatedly chanting "I want my trash BAGS!"
142	* The class from ''Series/HeadOfTheClass'' was given a group psychoanalysis in one episode. Afterwards, Mr. Moore takes it himself. When they get to the inkblots...
143	-->'''Mr. Moore:''' Fly...fly...fly...screen door.
144	-->'''Psychologist:''' Why a screen door?
145	-->'''Mr. Moore:''' Too many flies.
146	* Played with in a ''Series/TheBigBangTheory'' episode "[=S03E08 The Pants Alternative=]" - when Leonard is counselling Sheldon ([[ItMakesSenseInContext as a part of collective effort to overcome Sheldon's stagefright]]), Sheldon almost [[InvokedTrope immediately says]]: ''"If it will help speed things along, uh, my answers to the standard Rorschach ink blot test are [[BreadEggsMilkSquick A, a bat, B, a bat, C, a bat, and D, my father killing my mother with a hypodermic needle]]."''
147	* An episode of ''Series/{{Eureka}}'' has Fargo undergo a periodical evaluation by a psychiatrist sent by the [=DoD=]. Unfortunately, this episode also involves {{Freaky Friday Flip}}s. As the psychiatrist is administering the inkblot test, [[TheEveryman Carter]], who is currently in Fargo's head, starts to answer in the typical manner, seeing ordinary things. The psychiatrist is about to fail his evaluation, when Carter and Fargo flip back, and Fargo answers in his own manner, involving some deeply scientific concepts. The psychiatrist passes him, although it's likely that the issue here was that "Fargo"'s original answer didn't fit his typical personality, making the psychiatrist suspicious.
148	* ''Series/CitizenSmith'': At one point, Tucker is having marital problems, and for some reason the others deduce that he is becoming mentally unstable. They borrow a psychoanalysis book from the library which has some inkblot tests in it. Tucker reports that all the cards remind him of sex.
149	-->'''Tucker:''' Well, what d'you expect when you keep showing me dirty pictures?\
150	'''Wolfie:''' They're not dirty pictures, they're inkblots! ''[Looks at the card]'' Sex? Looks more like a spider with antlers!\
151	'''Ken:''' ''[Reading from book]'' A profound tendency towards megalomania.\
152	'''Wolfie:''' You see, Tucker? Megalomania! You are warped, son, ''warped''!\
153	'''Ken:''' No, that's for if you see a spider with antlers.
154	* In the ''Series/GetSmart'' episode "All in the Mind," Maxwell Smart is given this test and sees every picture as a man and a woman either hugging or kissing. When called on this, he gives the "You're the one with the dirty pictures" response.
155	* ''Series/HomeImprovement'': In one episode, Tim and Al are considered for a guest ride on a space shuttle. As part of the NASA testing, Al is shown being given an inkblot test. [[MamasBoy Unsurprisingly]], every single one looks like his mother to him, except the last one, which he says is "a beautiful summer's day... ''ruined'' by mother!"
156	* [[DiscussedTrope Discussed]] and [[DefiedTrope denied]] by Col. Potter in an episode of ''Series/{{MASH}}''. Dr. Sidney Freedman has been called in to help Potter with a bout of depression, and Potter tells him to not bother with the Rohrschach Test as all the inkblots look like horses to him.
157	* ''Series/{{Frasier}}'': When Daphne is sent to court-mandated anger management for causing a traffic accident the therapist starts the session by administering this test. Her answers use violent imagery ("two bunnies clawing each other to death" and "a woman skinning a pigeon with a hatchet") which hint at her conflicting feelings for Niles and her fiancé Donny.
158	* In one episode of ''Series/AllAmericanGirl'', Margaret poses for a nude sculpture, and her younger brother is traumatized by the sight of it. By the end of the episode, he's been put into therapy and is reviewing a series of inkblots, claiming that all of them look like "my sister, naked."
159	[[/folder]]
160
161	[[folder:Newspaper Comics]]
162	* In a ''Comicstrip/{{Dilbert}}'' StoryArc, the PointyHairedBoss put Alice in the company's drug rehab program, despite her not having a drug problem, so that he would look productive. The doctor gives her an inkblot test at one point, the image on the first card clearly being a profile of the Pointy Haired Boss.
163	* Gary Larson did a ''ComicStrip/TheFarSide'' cartoon in which a hulking individual is being given the test, and all the blots look like a silhouette of him strangling the tester.
164	* A Creator/GahanWilson cartoon has the patient addressing a weird blobby shape -- "No, doctor, the resemblance is ''amazing!''"
165	* A cartoon in ''Reader's Digest'' had an insect interpreting a big splotch: "Windshield."
166	* ''ComicStrip/MadamAndEve'' :
167	** An early weekend strip had the characters watching a television interview with white supremacist spree killer [[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barend_Strydom Barend Strydom]] after he was released from prison as part of F. W. De Klerk's 1992 amnesty:
168	--->'''Interviewer:''' I have here some Rorschach ink-blot tests. Would you mind taking a look and tell me what you see?
169	--->'''Strydom:''' For sure. No problem. Let me see... I've got it! It's a picture of a white man beating up a black man.
170	--->'''Interviewer:''' Uh-huh... and this one?
171	--->'''Strydom:''' ...I would say this is a black man flattened by a steamroller... and this one is a dead black man surrounded by butterflies... Got any more?
172	--->'''Interviewer:''' Well, Barend, I think you have a serious problem.
173	--->'''Strydom:''' ''ME?!! You're'' the one showing me all these racist pictures!
174	** [[http://www.madamandeve.co.za/cartoons/me007044.jpg This strip]] has Former SABC executive Hlaudi Motsoeneng interpreting inkblots into a self-aggrandizing reality.
175	--->'''Hlaudi:''' That's me receiving the Nobel Prize for ''genius!''
176	[[/folder]]
177
178	[[folder:Music]]
179	* Creator/BrianDavidGilbert and Creator/TomCardy's "Beautiful Mind" centers around all the weird shapes a patient can see in the inkblots while his psychiatrist enthusiastically listens in. The psychiatrist participates too, with both men quickly discovering they have similar thought patterns, ''liking'' that, and getting their collective minds blown by the experience.
180	* In the video for Music/PoetsOfTheFall's [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ompevuR1644&list=PLjACqN5i5sDWjx8wkdUyCl4MjctV4SE6o "Lift,"]] Poet County Jail inmate and MadDreamer Mark thinks he sees a highly defined image of a pinned [[MacabreMothMotif moth]] in an inkblot during his psych screening. The video's final seconds confirm we've been looking ThroughTheEyesOfMadness, as the image resolves into an ordinary inkblot with a very dissimilar shape.
181	* The video for Gnarls Barkley's "[[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-N4jf6rtyuw Crazy]]" revolves around those, fitting the title.
182	[[/folder]]
183
184	[[folder:Professional Wrestling]]
185	* During Wrestling/{{TNA}}'s Paparazzi Championship Series, when the X-division guys were made to jump through all sorts of comedic hoops, Wrestling/KevinNash administered an inkblot test, browbeating Sonjay Dutt by suggesting the images reminded him of steroids, and reacting with incredulity when [[ProudWarriorRaceGuy resident obsessed martial artist]] [[Wrestling/LowKi Senshi]] saw every blot as being a warrior.
186	* On an episode of ''Wrestling/WWERaw'', [[Wrestling/BryanDanielson Daniel Bryan]] is given this test, and goes berserk when he sees a blot that clearly looks like a goat (people tease him by calling him [=GoatFace=]).[[/folder]]
187
188	[[folder:Radio]]
189	* Parodied in the ''Radio/AdventuresInOdyssey'' episode "Eggshells", where Jared, a middle-schooler convinced of his own psychiatric prowess after a health class, becomes convinced that one of the main characters is in denial after a last-minute breakup. He starts with something that is clearly a hand-drawn "broken heart" symbol (interpreted as "a heart-shaped cookie") and they get more... overt from there.
190	-->"That's... a garbage dump."
191	-->"'Dump'... very interesting. Next?"
192	-->"A dead flower... [[BrokenBird a bird with an injured wing]]... ''(incredulously)'' a chainsaw cutting through a wedding cake... an engagement ring that's been run over by a steamroller -- Jared, what are you doing?"
193	[[/folder]]
194
195	[[folder:Stand-Up Comedy]]
196	* A classic Emo Philips routine:
197	-->'''Doctor:''' What do you see?
198	-->'''Patient:''' I see a horrible, ugly blob of pure evil that sucks the souls of men into a vortex of sin and degradation.
199	-->'''Doctor:''' No, the inkblot's over here; that's a picture of my wife you're looking at.
200	-->'''Patient:''' Was I far off?
201	-->'''Doctor:''' [[AwfulWeddedLife No, that's the sad part.]]
202	[[/folder]]
203
204	[[folder:Video Games]]
205	* In the adventure game ''[[VideoGame/SamAndMaxFreelancePolice Sam and Max: Culture Shock]]'', Sam can get an inkblot test from Sybil Pandemik. Depending on the answers he gives, Sybil will diagnose him with an obsession with money, fame, violence, cars, or animals. This later forms part of a puzzle, where you have to get Sam diagnosed with the fictional psychosis Artificial Personality Disorder.
206	* ''VideoGame/HeavyRain'' has Ethan see 4 blots. During each blot, you get to choose what image out of 3 option you choose. The first 3 are innocent, while the last one is all death related options.
207	* In the tutorial/character creation part of ''VideoGame/FalloutNewVegas'', inkblots are one of the tests Doc Mitchell gives the player character in order to determine your tag skills, along with a word association test. He freely admits that he has no professional training in how to ''analyze'' your answers, and you're given the chance to change your tag skills afterwards.
208	* Parodied in ''VideoGame/{{Obsidian}}'', where one of the offices in the [[TheMaze cubicle maze]] has a [[TVHeadRobot vidbot]] psychiatrist who shows you a picture of a dog twice, but with different fixed answers to choose each time (such as "Does this remind you of A) Shiny blades of grass covered with the blood of a strangled witch, or B) A freshly baked scone laced with poison frosting?"), and a straight inkblot slide where the answers are "Nothing" and "Not sure", to which said psychiatrist tells you to leave for not seeing that it's a dog.
209	* In ''VideoGame/BatmanArkhamAsylum'' one of the Joker's interview tapes has him receiving one of these:
210	-->'''Joker:''' ''"Do you want me to look at the ink blots again? The first one is a kitten I had when I was a child, the second is, hmmm let's see... a dead elephant."''
211	* A variation occurs in one of the psych tests in ''VideoGame/SilentHillShatteredMemories''. The player is given a selection of ink blots and asked to sort them into two piles: sexual images and non-sexual images. After this is done, the psychiatrist reveals that each image has a second meaning: [[spoiler: death]].
212	** Which really speaks to how much he's 'helping' in that they ALL contain this second meaning so no matter what you pick he can claim you're making that association. And if you select none of them he just thinks you're being difficult on purpose.
213	* ''VideoGame/DeadSpace2'': Although the test is never given inkblot symbolism is rife in the games start up and promotional materials.
214	* A couple of these happen to lie on a table [[spoiler:in 2012]] in ''VideoGame/TheSilentAge''. If they're examined by the player, Joe comments that apparently someone has spilled ink, but the blot reminds him of his mother for some reason.
215	* ''Maze 3: Nightmare Realm'' has a hidden-object scene where you need to pick the item which most resembles an ink blot in a book.
216	* ''VideoGame/PaperChase'': The psychologist shows you some inkblots on paper and asks what they suggest to you.
217	* The tutorial mission in ''VideoGame/Prey2017'' has you sit down for a personality quiz followed by an inkblot test. Except that the inkblot test is just the game developers [[SchmuckBait tricking you into looking down]] so you [[FailedASpotCheck don't notice]] [[spoiler: a Mimic walking in front of you and [[ParanoiaFuel disguising itself]] as a scientist's coffee mug before attacking him.]]
218	* During ''VideoGame/Hitman2'''s DLC level [[TheCaper in New York's Milton-Fitzpatrick Bank]], one extended method of getting past the security measures is to get legitimately hired there, and in a crucial part of the interview process, you're given a series of inkblot tests to determine your personality and where you'll fit in. This is surprisingly important as there's a correct series of answers to give that will get you the highest-level clearance, and [[MeaningfulBackgroundEvent they're actually hidden in plain sight]][[note]]Specifically, the three portraits in the background of a pile of money, a bullseye, and an eagle represent the correct answers to give towards which prompt[[/note]]. Nonetheless, whichever ones you pick, [[ProfessionalKiller Agent 47's]] interpretations are... [[BlackComedy interesting]].
219	-->'''47''': [I see] a carcass. The scene is reflected in a pool of blood flowing from the body. It's a vulture, feeding on someone else's kill.\
220	'''Interviewer 1''': That's... very graphic, Mr. Thomas.\
221	'''47''': Yes. Brutal, even.\
222	'''Interviewer 1''': Riiiiight...\
223	'''Interviewer 2''': Hm, very interesting observation, Mr. Thomas. Not what we expected, but that's perfectly fine!
224	[[/folder]]
225
226	[[folder:Visual Novels]]
227	* ''VisualNovel/TherapyWithDrAlbertKrueger'' has this as the final therapy segment. The images start out normal, but suddenly become blood-splattered {{nightmare face}}s with the regular multiple-choice answers (e.g. "mask", "butterfly") changing into disturbing words (e.g. "slaughter", "suffering") when moused over.
228	[[/folder]]
229
230	[[folder:Webcomics]]
231	* ''Comicstrip/ThePerryBibleFellowship'' has a [[http://pbfcomics.com/comics/psychoanalyst/ twisted take.]]
232	* In ''Webcomic/ElGoonishShive'', Grace realizes that [[http://www.egscomics.com/?date=2004-06-20 Mr. Verres had run a series of stealth psychological evaluations on her]] with one test involving this.
233	* One of the unseen doctors in ''Webcomic/AwfulHospital'', Dr. [[PunnyName Rory Shock]] is a sentient, floating Rorschach test.
234	* ''Webcomic/DrFrost'' has the Rorschach Test in "The Empty Man", the very first episode. A man's date sees the ink blots as a mask, which leads Frost to believe she's being deceptive.
235	* Done for [[Franchise/SonicTheHedgehog Dr. Eggman]] in ''Webcomic/Level30Psychiatry''. All he sees is Sonic and friends being injured or a good evil scheme. For bonus points the [[http://lvl30psy.thecomicseries.com/comics/pl/184268 title]] and the rant refer to ''ComicBook/{{Watchmen}}''.
236	* ''Webcomic/PennyArcade'': In [[http://www.penny-arcade.com/comic/2003/08/29 this strip]], a psychiatrist tells Raikoh from ''VideoGame/OtogiMythOfDemons'' that he has an obsession with demons after he sees them in every inkblot… and the water cooler.
237	* ''Webcomic/TwistedTropes'': A girl has trouble dating [[ComicBook/{{Watchmen}} Rorschach]] because his face constantly shifts into skull shapes that add cynicism into everything he says.
238	* ''Webcomic/{{Wondermark}}'' features [[http://wondermark.com/395/ a variation on an old joke.]] The psychologist shows a bunch of pictures, but the patient just sees "Two dogs doin' it" in all of them. In the final panel:
239	-->'''Patient:''' When do we get to the ''inkblots?''\
240	'''Psychologist:''' Soon as we get through the rest of my vacation pictures.\
241	'''AltText:''' at this rate, sometime around thursday
242	* ''Webcomic/SaturdayMorningBreakfastCereal'': A woman is [[https://www.smbc-comics.com/comic/pseudoscience asked]] what she sees, and replies "I see a pseudoscientic 'testing' method with no empirical validity!" This is the correct answer, as the blot resembles someone using a DowsingDevice.
243	* ''Webcomic/DeanNalaVinny'': To prove to Vinny that he needs anger management classes, Nala shows him an ink blot that is unmistakably shaped like a butterfly. When Vinny correctly identifies it as such, [[{{Hypocrite}} Nala gets mad]], stating it was clearly an airport and a "FAIL".
244	[[/folder]]
245
246	[[folder:Web Original]]
247	* ''Literature/BastardOperatorFromHell'': The BOFH and his assistant got some ''analyst'' estimating them for ''security'' purposes. Naturally, they [[http://www.theregister.co.uk/2003/11/07/bofh_and_the_government_contract/ could not leave this insult unmocked]].
248	-->And what does this picture remind you of?\
249	[[ShapedLikeItself A symmetrical ink blot card, as designed by Rorschach]]?\
250	Yes, but what does that Ink Blot LOOK like?\
251	[[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Some spilt paint]]?
252	[[/folder]]
253
254	[[folder:Western Animation]]
255	* Parodied in ''WesternAnimation/DrawnTogether'', where a test of this kind is applied to Xandir. All the things he says he sees are homosexual innuendo, but all the "blots" of ink are also figurative representations of those {{Double Entendre}}s. For example, he is shown a picture of a chinese man to which he answers "Wang".
256	* Parodied on ''WesternAnimation/OneHundredAndOneDalmatiansTheSeries'', where a dog "actor" is given such a test. His response is "The destructive power of all mankind" (or something similar); the ink blot looks almost exactly like a ''daisy''.
257	* ''WesternAnimation/BuzzLightyearOfStarCommand'':
258	** Used several times: XL (While pretending to be his brother XR) sees several types of explosives (including a fluffy bunny- holding a ticking bomb).
259	** Earlier in the same episode, XR himself was subjected to an impromptu test with the help of Booster rubbing his face on a dirty serviette. All XR sees in that test are Sirenian Snake Dancers, including his teammate Mira as one, which Mira herself calls out XR for being "A Sexist Pig."
260	** In another episode, the titular character sees BigBad Zurg in every ink blot, then at the end of the test the administrator of it holds up a picture of a teammate, leading to one of the best lines of the series:
261	--->'''Buzz:''' That's Mira. She's happy. Cuz we got Zurg's pen.
262	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' pokes fun at the inkblot test often enough given that Dr. Scratchansniff fits into the role of the stereotypical psychologist. The first episode "De-Zanitized" has him giving Dot the test. When Dr. Scratchansniff gives the test to Yakko, every picture looks like "girls". (Except the last one, a completely black page that reminds him of "[[BreakingTheFourthWall The next cartoon!]]")
263	-->'''Scratchansniff:''' YOU ARE OBSESSED WITH GIRLS!
264	-->'''Yakko:''' Hey, you're the one showing me all the sexy pictures.
265	* PlayedForLaughs in one episode of ''WesternAnimation/TinyToonAdventures''. Babs subjects Buster to a series of tests, including asking him what he sees in the image she shows him.
266	-->'''Buster:''' [[MathematiciansAnswer An inkblot.]]
267	* Captain Black of ''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'' is given this test after being exposed to the supernatural. All he sees are "Demon. Demon. Demon. Socks...worn by a really big demon."
268	* This happens on ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'', where Homer is believed to be insane at one point. His first few answers are somewhat normal ("The devil with his fly open... uh, a spill on the floor with bugs going after it, they're gonna eat it...") before seeing one that looks very much like Bart, making him act hostile ("Let's see, it's...'''THE BOY!'''").
269	* In the ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' silly song "I Love My Lips", Dr Archibald applies the inkblot test to Larry. The first two slides are pictures of lips. Then every slide after that is an obvious picture of something completely unrelated (a flower, an airplane, Avogadro's Number, a photo of Sonny Bono, etc) yet Larry invariably identifies ''these'' as lips as well.
270	* In an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Duckman}}'', the titular detective accidentally gets a Rorschach-like stain on his chest:
271	-->"A picture of me and Vanna White frolicking naked with a tribe of pygmies!"\
272	"..Synchronized swimmers crocheting mittens in a pool filled with truffles.."\
273	"..A drag queen on a Shetland pony licking a flaming banjo.."\
274	"..Me, a rabbi, and six drunken longshoreman rolling around on a rubber bed.."
275	* The ''WesternAnimation/TwoStupidDogs'' episode "A Quarter" has the two dogs doing an inkblot test. The first few blots are consistently identified as a ball (Little Dog) and food (Big Dog). The final image, which was actually a picture of a ball and food, completely stumped them.
276	-->'''Psychiatrist:''' ''YOU ARE BOTH ENTIRELY TOO STUPID TO QUALIFY! STUPID! STUPID! STUPID!''
277	* {{Lampshade\|Hanging}}d on ''WesternAnimation/InvaderZim'', which combines this with a career aptitude test:
278	-->'''[[StraightMan Dib]]:''' What does identifying ink blotches have to do with determining our future careers?
279	-->'''Ms. Bitters:''' Oh you poor, doomed child.
280	** And naturally Dib puts everything down as [[ParanormalInvestigation a supernatural creature]], and [[VillainProtagonist Zim]] puts everything down as "Human slave". Though for some reason the last blob stymies him for a while.
281	* ''WesternAnimation/{{Daria}}'' has its iconic scene from the first episode: Ms. Manson shows her and [[LovableAlphaBitch Quinn]] a silhouette of two people, and asks them to make up what they're discussing. [[TheSnarkKnight Daria]], however, treats this like an inkblot test and insists that she sees "a herd of beautiful wild ponies, running free across the plains." When the psychologist insists that she do the test right, Daria claims that the people are ''talking about'' "a herd of beautiful wild ponies, running free across the plains."
282	** A tie-in book also includes a questionnaire that Ms. Manson gave them, which includes an actual inkblot. Quinn says it makes her think of how hard it is to [[TheFashionista get stains out of silk]]; Daria says it's either the darkness within or a butterfly contemplating the darkness within.
283	** This gets a CallBack in the show's final episode (not counting the GrandFinale movie): as a little girl, Daria gets an actual inkblot test from a different psychologist, who lists "herd of beautiful wild ponies" as one of the things Daria could imagine. Daria, however, is confused and insists that they don't look like anything.
284	* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/BeavisAndButtHead'' had the boys looking at some inkblots and constantly hinting that it looked like a guy masturbating. When shown a photo of a male singer holding a microphone in a suggestive manner, Butt-Head says "Uh...that's like, just a bunch of shapes."
285	* ''WesternAnimation/ReBoot'': Phong gives Bob one of these and asks him what he sees. Bob sees Dot with the haircut she used to have when they first met and she's smiling. Then Phong takes another look at it and says "Oh now I see."
286	* Used briefly in ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' during Helga's session with a child psychologist in "Helga On The Couch". After seeing Arnold in three inkblots, [[LoveMakesYouCrazy she grabs all the papers and frantically throws them out a window.]] Admittedly, the ones she sees as Arnold are pretty hard ''not'' to see as Arnold.
287	* Used in an episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Doug}}'' where Skeeter is given one after scoring very high on one of those Myers-Briggs type tests. He is given the option to skip ahead to college, but [[spoiler: chooses not to, because he doesn't fit in with the college crowd, who smoke and aren't fond of his air guitar]].
288	* Even ''WesternAnimation/JohnnyBravo'' got in on this. To the first four images he just calls them a "blob", and the final image reminds him of "Timmy, the little guy who lives in my mouth".
289	* ''WesternAnimation/TheVentureBrothers'': When Hank and Gary/21 need to get committed to [[{{Expy}} Dunwich Asylum]], they break into a bank, immediately surrender and demand a psych evaluation as licensed supervillains. When they undergo Hank keeps up his villain identity [[ThirdPersonPerson Enrico]] [[TheCasanova Mattasa]]. 21 is mocking his former boss, The Monarch, so he tells the doctor all he sees are butterflies.
290	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingWorldOfGumball'' episode "The Words", Mr. Small uses the inkblot test on Darwin to figure out why he suddenly becomes a [[BrutalHonesty brutally honest]] Jerkass. Darwin tells him that he sees a very sad middle-aged man wearing sandals, which is what the inkblot actually looks like (it is shown on-screen), but it angers Mr. Small because he ''is'' a (very sad) [[NewAgeRetroHippie middle-aged man wearing sandals]].
291	* In the ''WesternAnimation/StarVsTheForcesOfEvil'' episode "Sleep Spells", Marco gives this test to Star. Star says [[LiteralMinded it's an inkblot]]. Marco explains the test involves what the blots remind you of. Star says the first blot is a fat porcupine and the second is a little alien guy in a gnome cap. The third blot is just a little black dot, but Star says it reminds her of her overbearing mother.
292	* Dave is subjected to one of these during a psych evaluation in ''WesternAnimation/CodeMonkeys''. Of course, [[TheStoner Dave]] [[CloudCuckoolander being]] [[{{Jerkass}} Dave]], comes up with some rather... ''bizarre'' answers.
293	-->'''Dave:''' "Two turds hugging, no, fighting, no, just arguing, wait, no, they're definitely having sex, but it's ''angry'' sex."\
294	'''Dave:''' "Oh, that's easy: penis in a blender, or a turtle driving a pickup truck. Dealer's choice."\
295	'''Dave:''' "Oh, that's easy, it's a reggae band of ants, and bad news: the drummer, he sucks."\
296	'''Dave:''' "Hmm... Ooh, the two of us having dinner tonight. No, wait, having sex, and then you buy ''me'' dinner, and let me eat it off your ass."\
297	'''Dr. Masterson:''' "''Absolutely not''."\
298	'''Dave:''' "[[ComicallyMissingThePoint I thought there were no wrong answers!]]"
299	* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''. In "Joker's Millions", a psychiatrist is shown giving this test to the Joker, but the cards just show the Batman and Robin symbols. He's implied to be a hack that the Joker bribed to give him a clean bill of mental health.
300	* The ''WesternAnimation/ShaggyAndScoobyDooGetAClue'' episode "Cruisin' for a Bruisin'" has Dr. Phibes being shown inkblots by his moronic henchman Agent 2. Phibes identifies every inkblot as either "dog" (Scooby) or "hippy boy" (Shaggy).
301	* In ''WesternAnimation/TheHairBearBunch'' episode "Love Bug Bungle," Arnie the lovesick gorilla is getting checked by a psychiatrist who applies the inkblot test on him. Arnie turns the sheet around and says he sees Gloria, a gorilla at the zoo with whom he's in love.
302	* In the end credits of one episode of ''WesternAnimation/AmericanDragonJakeLong'', Spud is given an inkblot test as part of his enrollment into a prestigious school. He sees the first two images as a monkey riding a unicycle, but when the third image looks exactly like one, he's stumped, much to the professor's frustration.
303	* The last episode of ''WesternAnimation/XavierRenegadeAngel'' has Xavier infiltrate a mental hospital. He's subjected to an inkblot test, and ends up driving the inkblot insane. When ''it'' gets given the test, the inkblot is a picture of Xavier, sending it into a breakdown. The very end of the episode further reveals that [[spoiler:the entire series is the result of Xavier - who's actually a human - hallucinating while being given an inkblot test]].
304	[[/folder]]
305
306
307

Context Main / InkblotTest