Jung’s Word Association Test
Jung’s word association test is one of the most interesting psychological tests. It is based on the idea that our unconscious is capable, at times, of assuming control of the conscious will. In this way, a word can trigger the evocation of past traumas or give rise to the visibility of an unresolved internal conflict.
This instrument was widely accepted for several decades and was applied, in turn, in multiple contexts. However, it should be noted that we are facing a projective test. As such, and used exclusively, it does not by itself have reliable diagnostic value. It should be used in conjunction with other resources, other tests, and interviews to reach clearer and more accurate conclusions.
The experiment or test of the association of words was created in the middle of the 20th century by Carl Jung and had a very clear objective: to unravel the unconscious. Understand its manifestations and give it adequate channels to be able to read it, understand it and, ultimately, bring to light those problems that vetoed the freedom and well-being of the patient.
The technique couldn’t be easier. The person is presented with a stimulus word to which they must respond with the first term that comes to mind. It is understood that these stimulus concepts almost always arouse a specific emotional charge.
On the other hand, the therapist must also read the physical and emotional responses that he will later interpret once the test is finished with his 100 words. Likewise, and despite the fact that this test is more than a century old, neuroscience today has found evidence that supports its premises.
Jung’s word association test: objectives, characteristics and application
At first glance it may seem little more than a game: someone says a word and the other responds the first thing that comes to mind. Now, behind this dynamic, not only the word evoked is addressed. The physiological reaction must also be interpreted. Thus, Jung’s Word Association Test is based on a broad theoretical fabric that is worth knowing.
The conscious mind and sore spots
Carl Gustav Jung worked early in his career at the Burgh รถ lzli psychiatric clinic at the University of Zurich under the direction of Eugen Bleuler. Let us remember that this figure was key to establishing many of the concepts that we use today in the field of clinical psychology and psychiatry.
In this context Jung began to study the processes that accompany trauma and complexes. According to him, one way of understanding and bringing them to light was through dreams, active imagination or through fantasy. In his day-to-day work with patients, he realized that certain words and expressions acted as stimulatory impulses from the unconscious.
One way of promoting this activation, of making contact with the psychic universe of trauma, fear and conflict was through the evocation of a set of keywords. To test this theory he devised the Word Association test (WAT) or Jung’s word association tests .
How does it apply?
First of all, something Jung himself made clear is that this test is not useful for everyone. There will be those who present excessive resistance, those who do not take the test seriously and those who do not have adequate language skills (either due to age, understanding or other neurological problems, developmental deficits, etc.)
- The test consists of presenting the patient with 100 stimulus words.
- Before each word, the person must say out loud the first thing that comes to mind quickly and automatically.
- The therapist writes the evoked term and must also be attentive to other factors. Response time, discomfort, facial expression, posture, silence, whether or not to repeat the stimulus word itself …
Reliability of Jung’s word association test
Carl Jung realized that this instrument was very suitable for use in family groups. Similar response patterns could thus be observed, thus identifying the origin of multiple problems.
However, Jung himself abandoned this instrument and his interest in the experimental field of psychiatry later. Later, his theories about the collective unconscious or archetypes would arrive. However, this test continued to be applied until 2005 when its use fell dramatically. It is only used in Jungian therapy programs and as a complementary projective technique in some therapeutic processes.
Now, in 2013, Dr. Leon Petchkowsky conducted an interesting study on the subject. He demonstrated using MRIs how the words of the Jung test generated very revealing neurological responses in people. Before words like father, family, abuse, fear, child, etc., the mirror neurons were activated.
There was also activity in areas such as the brain amygdala, insula, hippocampus, etc. The results were also very striking in people with post-traumatic stress disorder. All of this shows us how words evoke emotions, memories and those fragments that we often choose not to consider. In this way, despite the fact that Jung’s word association test continues to receive criticism, it is still an interesting resource that has the support of several studies.
