ABSTRACT
In an early qualitative study of adjusted married couples (Thomas, 1966), it was noticed that Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) stories evolved around one dominant interpersonal relationship. Subjects talked about a main figure interacting with one TAT figure perceived as a spouse, a parent, or a friend more than they did about the other figures. The
affective content could be positive or negative. This result was elaborated in a quantitative system to evaluate the two affective polarities. The relationship that obtained the highest net (positive minus negative) total score was considered the dominant interpersonal relationship. Comparisons were made among three relationships: spousal, parental, and nonspousal. It was hypothesited that interpersonal affect attributed to TAT figures interpreted as spousal, parental, and nonspousal figures would reflect the quality of affect directed toward spouse and parents in the married partners’ lives. This scoring system for interpersonal affect demonstrated its effectiveness with a group of married couples (Thomas, 1979; Thomas & Dudek, 1985). An “Other” category, such as brother-sister, included relations apart from spousal, parental, and nonspousal, but these relationships were not studied separately. An important subcategory, nonattributed affect, within the Other category, which reflects internal affect and a general affective disposition in the absence of an interpersonal relationship, was added (Thomas, 1994). The TAT Interpersonal Affective Scale became the TAT Affective Scale. The present work is a revision and expansion of the scale.
