Materials and the Diagnostic Triad

Technical Specifications of the Materials

Standardization in psychological evaluation reaches the level of the materials used.

For graphical and pencil and paper tests, the use of white, clean, unlined, letter-size paper (or A4 according to the test standard) is required.

The use of recycled paper is ethically and technically contraindicated; the content of the reverse side may become transparent, distracting the patient or altering the perception of the figure-background relationship.

Pencils should be of standard graphite (type No. 2 or HB); very hard pencils do not mark well and very soft pencils smudge, making it difficult to interpret the pressure of the stroke and the "cleanliness" of the protocol, key factors in projective interpretation.

Erasers should be made of soft white rubber to avoid smudging or tearing the sheet.

The Concept of the Diagnostic Triad

In clinical practice, a diagnosis should never be made on the basis of a single test.

The use of a "battery of tests" organized under the principle of the Diagnostic Triad is recommended.

This implies selecting at least three types of instruments that evaluate different dimensions of the psyche to cross-check information:

Projective Tests: (e.g. Human Figure Drawing, HTP) To explore personality dynamics, unconscious conflicts and self-image.

Psychometric Tests: (e.g. MMPI, Millon) To obtain objective and comparable measures of personality traits or pathologies.

Intelligence or Neuropsychological Tests: (e.g. Bender, Raven) To assess cognitive functioning, organicity and intellectual resources.

Justification of the Battery

The application of this triad allows to verify hypotheses. If an indicator of aggressiveness appears in a projective test, its correlate is sought in the psychometric test and it is ruled out that it is the product of organic disinhibition by means of the neuropsychological test.

This triangulation of data offers a robust and scientifically defensible diagnosis, avoiding hasty labels based on a single isolated result.

The selection of tests should always respond to the reason for consultation and the specific characteristics of the patient (age, educational level, physical limitations).

Summary

Technical standardization requires the use of specific materials, such as white sheets without stripes and medium graphite pencils, avoiding recycled paper that alters visual perception.

In order to make an accurate clinical diagnosis, a single test should never be used, but a battery of instruments organized under the methodological principle of the Diagnostic Triad should be applied.

This triad integrates projective, psychometric and intelligence tests to cross-check information, verify hypotheses and rule out organicity, offering a robust and scientifically defensible diagnosis to the patient.