Leopold Szondi, a prominent Hungarian-Swiss psychoanalyst and psychiatrist, in 1947 began his ambitious research in the field of mental disorders. As a result of detailed observations of patients with mental illnesses in medical institutions, Szondi discovered certain patterns in their interactions: there was a tendency for people with similar mental features to socialize with each other.
Based on this, Szondi formulated the hypothesis that people, often without even realizing it, feel attracted to other individuals with similar mental problems or disorders. He attributed this predisposition to inherited genetic factors.
Theory
In subsequent in-depth studies of the psychological profiles of various people, geneticists have also proposed a similar theory: it is hypothesized that each person, based on their genetically inherited traits, tends to choose those people who, in terms of personality and character traits, seem close and understandable to them throughout their lives.
To support this theory, endocrinologists have gathered extensive theoretical material and organized a collection of photographs of people suffering from various mental disorders and psychological problems.
The Basis of the Testing
After all the necessary materials and the results of numerous studies were accumulated, scientists developed a unique testing methodology. It is important to note that this methodology is based on Sigmund Freud's ideas about the unconscious, which served as a foundation for the creation of the Eight Drives Test.
The main purpose of this test is to identify people with mental disorders and strengthen the social structures of society. Ultimately, the healthy psyche of individuals serves as the foundation for a strong and stable social body.
Personality Experiment
The procedure for the Szondi's test is similar to most psychological tests. The participant is asked to select the most attractive and least attractive portraits of people of both sexes that he or she believes best reflect certain human attractions out of eight possible portraits.
The selection of certain portraits can help reveal underlying contradictions and inconsistencies in the test taker's personality structure based on his or her individual reactions.
Ethnic Characteristics
Leopold Szondi, based on the results of numerous studies and tests of his methodology on a diverse sample, came to the conclusion that such factors as race, skin color, ethnicity, and sociocultural values have no effect on test results.
Szondi's system of drives, which includes such aspects as sexual uncertainty, masochism and sadism, hysterical manifestations, epileptoid tendencies, catatonic behavior, paranoid moods, depressive and manic states, demonstrates its universality and applicability to people of all nationalities.
