Max Lüscher (9 September 1923 – 2 February 2017) was a Swiss

psychotherapist Psychotherapy (also psychological therapy, talk therapy, or talking therapy) is the use of psychological methods, particularly when based on regular personal interaction, to help a person change behavior, increase happiness, and overcome prob ...

known for inventing the

Lüscher color test The Lüscher color test is a psychological test invented by Max Lüscher in Basel, Switzerland. Max Lüscher believed that sensory perception of color is objective and universally shared by all, but that color preferences are subjective, and t ...

, a tool for measuring an individual's psychophysical state based on their

color preferences In the psychology of color, color preferences are the tendency for an individual or a group to prefer some colors over others, such as having a favorite color or a traditional color. Introduction An 'ecological valence theory' (EVT) has be ...

. Besides research, teaching and practicing psychotherapy in Basel, Lüscher worked for international companies, amongst other things giving color advice. His book ''The Lüscher Test'' has been translated into more than 30 languages.

Biography

Max Lüscher was born in Basel, Switzerland on 9 September 1923.Biography - Lüscher-Color Diagnostik. (2015). Retrieved February 9, 2017, from http://www.luscher-color.ch/base.asp?p=GeschichteBio.html&s=e&m=m_theorie.asp After receiving his Swiss "

Matura or its translated terms (''Mature'', ''Matur'', , , , , , ) is a Latin name for the secondary school exit exam or "maturity diploma" in various European countries, including Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cz ...

", comparable to a diploma, he focused on studying psychiatry and achieved his doctorate in the areas of philosophy, psychology, and the philosophy of law. Lüscher completed his dissertation on ''"Color as an aid in psychological diagnosis"''. This project was chosen as the ''

summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some So ...

'' by his professors. After this, working as a psychotherapist, Lüscher created his first color test which was published in 1947. This test used color cards to determine the current emotional state of the test-taker.Ubran, D. (2014, July 22). Who Are We and Why? The Lüscher Color Test. Retrieved February 9, 2017, from http://www.schirn.de/en/magazine/context/who_are_we_and_why_the_luescher_color_test/ From 1961 to 1965, Lüscher lived in

Berlin Berlin is Capital of Germany, the capital and largest city of Germany, both by area and List of cities in Germany by population, by population. Its more than 3.85 million inhabitants make it the European Union's List of cities in the European U ...

and continued his career as a psychotherapist. Lüscher was noted for his guest lectures and training seminars for physicians. The "Lüscher Color-Diagnostics" are now used in several universities across the world.

The Lüscher test colors

The test colors from the Lüscher Color-Diagnosis chosen based on favoritism. The test-taker chooses the card color they like best and then orders the rest from most-preferred to lease-preferred. Numbers are printed on the backside of each card, and after the test-taker orders them, the examiner turns them over and references an accompanying book that contains all of the different number combinations and their meaning. Lüscher argues that the subject's choice of color shows the state of their psychosomatic and emotional status and how they feel about themselves. Lüscher relates to his four fundamental colors to the following fundamental categories: *Blue: ''Contentment'' :Feeling of belonging, the inner connection and the relationship to one’s partner. :"How I feel towards a person that is close to me" *Green: ''Self-respect'' :Inner control of willpower and the capacity to enjoy. :"The way I want to be" *Red: ''Self confidence'' :Activity, drive and the reaction to challenges. :"How I react to challenges" *Yellow: ''Development'' :Attitude of anticipation, attitude towards future development and towards new encounters. :"What I expect for the future" A 1984 comparison of the Lüscher color test and the

Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) is a standardized psychometric test of adult personality and psychopathology. Psychologists and other mental health professionals use various versions of the MMPI to help develop treatment ...

found little agreement between the two tests, prompting the authors to urge cautious use of the former.

Bibliography

* Max Lüscher: „''The Lüscher Colour Test"'', Remarkable Test That Reveals Your Personality Through Color, Pan Books, 1972, * Max Lüscher: „''Color - the mother tongue of the unconscious"'', Capsugel N.V. (1973) * Max Lüscher: „''The 4-Color Person"'', Pocketbooks, Simon Schuster, 1979, * Max Lüscher, „''Colors of Love"'' : Getting in Touch with Your Romantic Self, St. Martin's Press, New York, 1996, * Max Lüscher: „''The Luscher Profile"'', Mindscape (1986), ASIN B000WY2OU8 * Max Lüscher: „''Personality Signs"'', Warner Books, 1981, * Max Lüscher: ''„Der Lüscher-Test. Persönlichkeitsbeurteilung durch Farbwahl"'', Rowohlt, Reinbek, 1985, * Max Lüscher: ''„Das Harmoniegesetz in uns"'', Ullstein, 2003, * Max Lüscher: ''„Der Vier-Farben-Mensch"'', Ullstein, 2005,

References

External links

Basics about Lüscher's Color Diagnostik
- 7 languages - including English
Max Lüscher: The logical bases of the ethical norms
(Powerpoint presentation)

(example) * ttp://www.luscher-color.ch/download/psychologik.mp3 Einführung in die Psychologik (Introduction to Psychologics)- (mp3) - German spoken by Prof. Max Lüscher * {{DEFAULTSORT:Luscher, Max 1923 births 2017 deaths Psychology writers 20th-century Swiss philosophers 21st-century Swiss philosophers Swiss psychiatrists Swiss psychologists