ABSTRACT
The Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) instrument described here was designed to measure a broad, yet relatively specific, type of character structure or personality style, a characteristic way of experiencing and presenting the self, termed ambitious-narcissism. This style has many characteristics that, in extreme form, merit a DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association, 1994) diagnosis of narcissistic personality disorder but can also
occur in much milder form. Because this narcissistic style involves so much ambitious striving, it seems to propel its possessors toward positions of prominence and thus often appears in well-known figures. In some cases, however, these tendencies can be problematic, either for the individual or those around him or her. A more systematic means of assessing ambitious-narcissistic tendencies can aid in understanding the origin and maintenance of the style and its components and in the prevention of ill-advised choices that might result from them.
