The Animal Metaphor Test is a projective psychological test created by Dr. Albert Levis, the director and founder of the Museum of the Creative Process [1]. The Animal Metaphor Test is one of many tests that are part of Levis' Conflict Analysis Battery, a book of psychological tests [2].
The Animal Metaphor test consists of a series of creative and analytical prompts. Unlike conventional projective tests, the Animal Metaphor works as both a diagnostic and therapeutic battery. Unlike the Rorschach test and TAT, the Animal Metaphor is premised on self-analysis via self-report questions. The test combines facets of art therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, and insight therapy, while also providing a theoretical platform of behavioral analysis.
The test has been used widely as a clinical tool, as an educational assessment, and in human resource selection. The test was developed at the Center for the Study of Normative Behavior in Hamden, CT, a clinical training and research center.
"Animal metaphors convey a wide range of meanings, from insulting slurs to expressions of love. Two studies examined factors contributing to the offensiveness of these metaphors. Study 1 examined 40 common metaphors, finding that their meanings were diverse but centered on depravity, disagreeableness, and stupidity. Their offensiveness was predicted by the revulsion felt toward the animal and by the dehumanizing view of the target that it implied. Study 2 examined contextual factors in metaphor use, finding that the offensiveness of animal metaphors varies with the tone of their expression and the gender and in-group/out-group status of their targets. These variations influence offensiveness by altering the extent to which the target is ascribed animalistic properties." [1]
Angus, L. E., & McLeod, J. (2004). The handbook of narrative and psychotherapy: practice, theory, and research. Thousand Oaks, Calif.: Sage Publications.
Bruner, J. (1998). Narrative and meta-narrative. In Ferrari, M. D., & Sternberg, R. J., Self-awareness: its nature and development. New York: Guilford Press.
Bruner, J. (2004). Life as Narrative. Social Research: An International Quarterly, 71(3), 691-710.
Levis, A. (1987). Conflict Analysis: The Formal Theory of Behavior. Manchester, Vermont: Normative Publications.
Levis, A. (1987). Conflict Analysis Training: A Concise Program of Emotional Education. Manchester, Vermont: Normative Publications.
Suzuki, L. A., Ponterotto, J. G., & Meller, P. J. (2001). Handbook of multicultural assessment clinical, psychological, and educational applications (2nd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.