Bruno Klopfer
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Bruno Klopfer (1 October 1900 – 23 October 1971) was a German psychologist, born in
Bavaria Bavaria, officially the Free State of Bavaria, is a States of Germany, state in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the list of German states by area, largest German state by land area, comprising approximately 1/5 of the total l ...
. He had a profound impact on the development of psychological
personality testing A personality test is a method of assessing human personality constructs. Most personality assessment instruments (despite being loosely referred to as "personality tests") are in fact introspective (i.e., subjective) self-report questionnaire ( ...
, and was an important pioneer and innovator in the development, scoring and popularization of projective techniques, especially the
Rorschach inkblot test The Rorschach test is a projective psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists use this test to examine a ...
.


Career

He was awarded a Ph.D. from the
University of Munich The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich, LMU or LMU Munich; ) is a public university, public research university in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Originally established as the University of Ingolstadt in 1472 by Duke ...
in 1923. Klopfer, a
Jew Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, religion, and community are highly inte ...
, left Germany in 1933; and on his way to the US, spent a year in
Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
where he studied with
Carl Jung Carl Gustav Jung ( ; ; 26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of Carl Jung publications, over 20 books, illustrator, and corr ...
at the Zurich Psychotechnic Institute (this was where he first encountered the
Rorschach test The Rorschach test is a projective test, projective psychological test in which subjects' perceptions of inkblots are recorded and then analyzed using psychology, psychological interpretation, complex algorithms, or both. Some psychologists u ...
). His first job in the USA was at
Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...
where he conducted research with the famous anthropologist
Franz Boas Franz Uri Boas (July 9, 1858 – December 21, 1942) was a German-American anthropologist and ethnomusicologist. He was a pioneer of modern anthropology who has been called the "Father of American Anthropology". His work is associated with the mov ...
. He was founding editor of the ''Rorschach Research Exchange and Journal of Projective Techniques'' in 1936. This Journal became the "Journal of Projective Techniques" in 1950, ''The Journal of Projective Techniques & Personality Assessment'' in 1963, and eventually became the '' Journal of Personality Assessment'' in 1971. He was the Director of the '' Rorschach Institute'' from 1939 to 1947, and was the President of the ''Society of Projective Techniques'' from 1947 until his death in 1971. In 1947, he was appointed Clinical Professor of Psychology at the
University of California at Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the Ca ...
. He remained at
UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school then known as the southern branch of the C ...
until he retired in 1963. Klopfer performed workshops on the interpretation of the Rorschach test.
Mary Ainsworth Mary Dinsmore Ainsworth (; December 1, 1913 – March 21, 1999) was an American Canadian, American-Canadian Developmental psychology, developmental psychologist known for her work in the development of the attachment theory. She designed the stra ...
, a major contributor to the development of
attachment theory Attachment theory is a psychological and evolutionary framework, concerning the relationships between humans, particularly the importance of early bonds between infants and their primary caregivers. Developed by psychiatrist and psychoanalys ...
, attended one of these workshops. The meeting led to Klopfer and Ainsworth collaborating to coauthor a book on the Rorschach technique Bretherton, 1992.


Works

*"Psychological Variables in Human Cancer", ''Journal of Projective Techniques'', vol. 21, no. 4 (December 1957), pp. 331–340. (This paper is also significant because it contains an account of the impact of the treatment of a lymphosarcoma upon a patient of one of Klopfer's colleagues (Philip West) with a bogus medicine, ''
Krebiozen Krebiozen (aka Carcalon, creatine, substance X, or drug X) is a disproven alternative cancer treatment. While the substance has been marketed as a cure for cancer, originally sold for thousands of dollars per dose in the 1950s and early '60s, Kreb ...
''. Klopfer's account of Wright's progress is often referred to in the cancer literature, but the actual reference is seldom cited.) *''The Rorschach Technique: A Manual for a Projective Method of Personality Diagnosis'', World Book Co, (Yonkers-on-Hudson), 1946. * With Ainsworth, M.D., Klopfer, W.G. & Holt, R.R., ''Developments in the Rorschach Technique: Vol.1, Technique and Theory'', World Book Co, (Yonkers-on-Hudson), 1954. * With Ainsworth, M.D., Klopfer, W.G. & Holt, R.R.(eds.), ''Developments in the Rorschach Technique: Vol.2, Fields of Application'', World Book Co, (Yonkers-on-Hudson), 1956. * With & Davidson, H.H., ''The Rorschach Technique; an Introductory Manual'', Harcourt, Brace & World, (New York), 1962. * With Meyer, M., Brawer, F. & Klopfer, W.G. (eds.), ''Developments in the Rorschach Technique: Vol.3, Aspects of Personality Structure'', Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, (New York), 1970.


Notes


References

*Exner, J.E. & Exner, D.E., "How clinicians use the Rorschach", ''Journal of Personality Assessment'', vol. 36, no. 5 (October 1972), pp. 403–408. *Skadeland, D.R., "Bruno Klopfer: A Rorschach Pioneer", ''Journal of Personality Assessment'', vol. 50, no. 3 (Fall 1986), pp. 358–361. (Obituary) {{DEFAULTSORT:Klopfer, Bruno 1900 births 1971 deaths Jewish emigrants from Nazi Germany to the United States Scientists from Bavaria 20th-century American psychologists Columbia University faculty 20th-century German psychologists 20th-century American Jews