Asia | Banyan

Singapore’s foreign admirers see only the stuff they like

It is a Rorschach nation

Illustration of a Rorschach ink blot made of the moon and stars from the Singaporean flag
Illustration: Lan Truong

A CENTURY AGO a Swiss psychoanalyst called Hermann Rorschach pioneered a diagnostic test that would eventually become famous worldwide. Patients were shown a series of inkblot patterns on cards, and asked to describe what they saw. The result was thought to reveal much about their state of mind.

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This article appeared in the Asia section of the print edition under the headline “The Rorschach nation”

From the July 13th 2024 edition

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