Hermann Rorschach (1884 - 1922)

Born 8 Nov 1884 in Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz

Husband of Olga (Stempelin) Rorschach — married 21 Apr 1910 in Zürich, Zürich, Schweiz

Died 2 Apr 1922 at age 37 in Herisau, Appenzell Ausserrhoden, Schweiz

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Biography

Hermann Rorschach is Notable.

Every age, every culture, every custom and tradition has its own character, its own weakness and its own strength, its beauties and cruelties; it accepts certain sufferings as matters of course, puts up patiently with certain evils. -- Hermann Rorschach.

Hermann Rorschach was a psychiatrist perhaps best known for having developed the inkblot test, which was later named the Rorschach Test, used to ascertain aspects of an individual's personality traits. The test is still used today for psychological evaluation and diagnosis.^[1]

Hermann was born in 8 November 1884 in Zurich, Switzerland, the son of Ulrich Rorschach, an artist and art teacher, and Phillippine Wiedenkeller. He was one of four children.^[2] His mother died when Hermann was 12 years of age, and his father died when Hermann was 18.

He spent his formative years at Schaffhausen, Switzerland, where he attended school. He later enrolled in medical school at the University of Zurich and then took his first professional job at a Cantonal Mental Hospital. He finished his doctoral dissertation in 1912 under the psychiatrist Eugen Bleuler, who had taught Carl Jung. He spent about a year in Russia on a fellowship. After his return to Switzerland, he worked at the Waldeau University Hospital in Bern and a regional psychiatric hospital in Herisau. In 1921, he wrote his famous book Psychodiagnostik, which was the basis of the inkblot test he develop and which made him famous.^[3]

At the age of 25, he married Olga Stempelin, a physician, in 21 April 1910 in Zurich.^[4] They were the parents of two children: Elizabeth (1917 - 2006) and Wadim (1919-2010). Neither of his children had children of their own, so Hermann has no descendants.

One year after publishing his book, Hermann died of peritonitis, most likely a result of a ruptured appendix, on 1 April 1922 at the age of 37. ^[5]

His life is still of great interest in the field of psychiatry and in popular culture. Recently, a biography was published about him called "The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, His Iconic Test and The Power of Seeing", by Damion Searls, which to date is the most authoritative and comprehensive examination of Hermann's life and work.^[6]

Wikipedia has a great summary of Hermann's life, which can be found here.

There is a good biography online for Hermann that appears on Famous Scientists, The Art of Genius, which can be found here.^[7]

Another biography appears online at Encyclopedia.com, which can be found here.^[8]

Due to Hermann's naturally good looks, he has been compared to the actor Brad Pitt and as a result Hermann's image can be readily found on the internet and in popular memes on social media. This phenomenon is briefly touched on in an article online entitled "People are so thirsty for Hermann Roschach, creator of the Rorschach test," which can be found here.^[9]

Sources

1. ↑ Hermann Rorschach on Wikipedia.
2. ↑ Most online sources state that Hermann was the eldest of three children; however, Hermann had a sister who was his parents' first born, Klara, a daughter, who was born and died in 1883.
3. ↑ Hermann Rorschach on Wikipedia.
4. ↑ The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, His Iconic Test, by Damion Searls, 2017, location 1285.
5. ↑ Find a Grave Memorial for Hermann Rorschach.
6. ↑ The Inkblots: Hermann Rorschach, His Iconic Test and The Power of Seeing", by Damion Searls, Crown Publishing,, Penguin Random House, 2017.
7. ↑ Hermann Rorschach on Famous Scientists The Art of Genius.
8. ↑ Hermann Rorschach on Enclyclopedia.com.
9. ↑ People are so thirsty for Hermann Roschach, creator of the Rorschach test, on Mashable.

• see also Wikidata: Item Q122279, en:Wikipedia