The Rorschach Egocentricity Index in subjects with intellectual disability: a study on the incidence of different psychological pathologies.
Adults with ID usually post very low Rorschach Egocentricity scores, so treat low numbers as baseline, not deficit, and factor in any comorbid mental-health condition.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Sutphin et al. (1998) gave the Rorschach inkblot test to adults with intellectual disability. They looked at the Egocentricity Index, a score that shows how much a person thinks about themselves.
The team also noted who had extra mental-health diagnoses like depression or anxiety. They wanted to see if those extra conditions changed the ego score.
What they found
Almost every adult with ID scored very low on the Egocentricity Index. The scores were much lower than the usual range seen in typical adults.
When a participant also had another psychiatric diagnosis, the ego score moved a little, but it stayed low. Comorbid conditions shift the number, yet the overall picture stays the same.
How this fits with other research
McGeown et al. (2013) checked that the WAIS-IV keeps its four-factor structure in adults with ID. Like G et al., they showed that a mainstream test keeps its meaning when used with this group.
Schaaf et al. (2015) built the PIMRA-II to track psychopathology in the same population. Their work extends G et al. by giving you a second tool that is purpose-built for ID, while the Rorschach remains valid yet needs careful reading.
McIntyre et al. (2017) tracked self-esteem in teens with ID and found typical growth curves. At first glance, stable self-esteem seems to clash with very low egocentricity. The difference is in the measure: self-esteem scales ask teens how they feel about themselves, while the Egocentricity Index counts how often their thoughts turn inward on a projective test. Both can be true—kids feel okay about themselves, yet their free responses show little self-focus.
Why it matters
When you give a Rorschach to an adult with ID, expect an ego score near the bottom of the table. Do not read this as pathological self-neglect; it is the normal baseline for this group. If the person also carries a mood or anxiety disorder, adjust the number slightly upward before you interpret. Keep a second tool like PIMRA-II handy so you can describe both self-focus and wider psychopathology without over-pathologizing.
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Join Free →Pull your last Rorschach report for an ID client—if the Egocentricity Index is flagged as low, add a note that this is typical for adults with ID and mention any diagnosed comorbidity that may nudge the score.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
The aims of the present research were to assess the level of self-concern in people with intellectual disability using the Rorschach Egocentricity Index, to correlate the Index with other Rorschach and IQ variables, and to study the effect of associated psychological pathology. The Rorschach Inkblot Test and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale were administered to a group of 75 subjects with intellectual disability, aged between 18 and 38 years, who were divided into subgroups according to their additional diagnosis (i.e. personality disorders, psychosis and depression). A fourth subgroup was composed of people with intellectual disability but without other pathologies. The Egocentricity Index was very low in the subjects with intellectual disability and differences were a result of the effects of additional psychological pathologies. The meaning of the measurement of egocentricity in people with intellectual disability is discussed.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 1998 · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2788.1998.00137.x