Fun with the Rorschach BUT MOSTLY A CONTEST

About a week ago, I was delighted and a little stunned to realize I now have over 200 blog followers. Thanks, everyone! Your insightful comments and emails have made blogging more rewarding than I ever thought it could be. And I guess it's time to have a contest to celebrate.

Next week, I'll do a few posts about projective tests, which are psychological tests in which a person responds to an ambiguous stimulus (either an image or word) by describing the first thing it brings to mind. Projective tests were originally developed as a way to unearth hidden emotions and internal conflicts (and there has been HUGE debate about whether they can do anything of the sort). One of the most famous projective tests is the Rorschach Inkblot Test. You've probably all heard of that one, right?

As I am a psychologist and eager to get my grubby paws on all your subconscious thoughts and wishes, I thought, for my first-ever blog contest, we could do a little Rorschaching.

Come on. It'll be fun.

(I'm kidding about my paws, by the way. They're actually quite clean.)

The prizes:

1. A $30 Amazon gift card
2. A 3-chapter crit from yours truly (if you're wondering what that might entail, check out this post)
3. A psychologisty reading pack: A Writer's Guide to Psychology by Carolyn Kaufman, Psy.D., and 50 Great Myths of Popular Psychology: Shattering Widespread Conceptions About Human Behavior by Scott Lilienfeld and colleagues. [Both of these books present a wealth of information that will 1) make you look like a super-smartypants and 2) help you avoid common mistakes if you're writing about anything related to psychology or psychological disorders]

Anyway, back to the Rorschach. For this projective test, the examiner shows you the inkblot and says, "What might this be?"

It's considered extremely unkosher to display the actual Rorschach Inkblots (I'll talk about why that is in my posts next week), so I made one myself. Or, more accurately, my five-year-old son and I made one:



 Now, to enter this contest, all you have to do is comment on this post and tell me: What might this be?

Just write the first thing that comes to mind. Or, yanno, since you're probably a writer, make something up. Go wild.

Extra entries can be had for:

1. Becoming a follower of this blog
2. Becoming a follower on Twitter (I have a button! I really hope it works!)
3. Linking to this contest on your blog
4. Tweeting the link to this contest (please mention @finesarah in the Tweet so I can give you credit for it; up to 5 extra entries)

OK, please keep in mind that I'm pretty new to this stuff, so let me know if you've done any of those things and I'll give you the extra entries. Winners will be chosen via random number generator.

Deadline to enter this contest: Saturday, April 23rd, 11:59pm EST. Winners announced on Monday, April 25th, when I will also reveal which of you is likely personality disordered and/or psychotic*. Now ... comment away.

And as always, check out Lydia's Medical Monday post and Laura's Mental Health Monday post!

*Just so you know, I can't actually do this based on your response to my homemade inkblot. If you believe you are personality disordered and/or psychotic, please seek professional (in-person) help. But feel free to enter the contest as well.