The Most Obvious Development of “The "Basic Idea”

Abstract: In a 1955 correspondence with Bruno Klopfer, C. G. Jung described his Word Association Test as “the first feeble attempt to examine complex mental attitudes by an experimental method” and Rorschach’s inkblot test as “the most obvious development of the basic idea.” We explore what Jung may have meant by “the basic idea,” in the context of what was happening in the new field of psychology in the 1890s and early 1900s. We suggest that in order to understand the significance of both tests, it is important to become aware of the “individual psychology” program of Alfred Binet and Victor Henri (1896) , and the “differential psychology” advocated by William Stern (1911) . We conclude that there are at least three aspects to the basic idea: (1) a commitment to a scientific approach, with “experiments” from which “tests” were derived; (2) a focus on the study of the individual differences; and (3) an examination of “higher” or more “complex” aspects of the individual. We agree with Fierro (2022) that Jung’s Word Association Test was the first “personality” test to come to North America and add that Rorschach’s inkblot test was the second major personality, reaching not only North America but spreading around the world.