Projective techniques house tree man. Test: "Home


The test proposed below is very often used to diagnose a child’s readiness for school, “school maturity.”

We know that a child’s drawing can tell a lot, because... reflects the child’s state of mind, the content of his inner world, relationships with loved ones. Even a layman can see the “positive” and “negative” elements of a child’s creation. True, when it comes to interpretation, you should always remember, dear parents, that the correct and complete interpretation of a drawing (both for children and adults) is, of course, the work of only a professional.

However, there will be no harm if we use some knowledge, look at the child’s picture carefully and try to understand what worries your baby.

Today I propose to use one of the most famous methods of personality research, proposed by J. Book back in 1948. The test is called "House. Tree. Person."

Since it is believed that the concepts “house”, “tree”, “person” do not carry any obvious emotional meaning, then everything that the child expresses in these drawings, and everything that he attributes to these objects, is his own emotional reactions expressed in explicit or symbolic form. Each of these objects must be considered as a self-portrait, since the child endows it with certain features that are meaningful to him.

The methodology consists of two stages: in the first, the child creates drawings, in the second, a conversation is held when the child describes and explains what he has drawn.

approach your child with the following words: “Draw the house as best as possible.”

As soon as he starts drawing, record the time so that you know how much time the child spent on drawing. As usual, the use of additional devices is not provided. After your child has completed the drawing, ask him to draw a tree and then a person.

While the child is working on the drawing, you should observe him and make notes regarding the time spent, pauses that occur in drawing (during drawing what detail did it occur, how long did it last), deviations from the normal sequence of images of the elements of the house, tree and person made child's comments and expressed emotions.

After all the drawings are completed, move on to the conversation. Below is a list of questions that will help you clarify any unclear points and obtain important information about your child.

How many floors does this house have?

Is this house made of brick, wood or something else?

Is this your house? (If not, whose is it?)

When you painted this house, did you think who is its owner?

Would you like this house to be yours? Why?

If this house were yours:

Which room would you choose for yourself? Why?

Who would you like to live with in this house? Why?

Is this house somewhere far away or close?

What do you think about when you look at this house?

What does it remind you of?

Is this house welcoming, friendly?

Is it similar to other houses or different in some way?

What is the weather like in this picture?

What's missing in this house?

Where does the path lead from the house?

If there was a person nearby, who would it be?

What kind of tree is this?

Where exactly is this tree located?

What is the approximate age of this tree?

Is this tree alive?

If the child says that the tree is alive:

What exactly in the picture confirms that the tree is alive?

Does the tree have any dead parts? If so, which one exactly?

If the child thinks the tree is dead:

Why do you think the tree died?

When do you think this happened?

Who do you think this tree looks more like: a man or a woman?

What exactly in the picture confirms this?

Is this tree alone or are there others nearby?

What do you think the weather is like in this picture?

Is there wind in the picture?

Show me which way the wind blows?

Tell us in more detail what kind of wind this is, what is it like?

What does this tree make you think of?

What does it remind you of?

Is this tree healthy?

Is this tree strong?

If you decided to draw a sun, where would you place it?

Who does this tree remind you of? Why?

What does this tree need most? Why?

Is it a man or a woman (boy or girl)?

How old is he/she?

Is it your relative, friend or someone else?

Who were you thinking about when you were drawing?

What is he doing? (and where is he at this time?)

What is he thinking about?

How does he feel?

What thoughts come to your mind when looking at him?

Who does this person remind you of?

Is this person healthy?

Why do you think so?

Is this person happy?

Why do you think so?

How do you feel towards this person?

What is the weather like in the picture?

Who does this person remind you of? Why?

What does this person want most? Why?

Interpretation

Let us repeat once again that each drawing should be considered as a self-portrait of a child. The analysis of the drawing is carried out in the following sequence: details, proportions, perspective, time, quality of lines, comments. Please be aware that the same element can have different meanings depending on the overall configuration, and that it can have more than one meaning.

If a child, when drawing this or that detail, accompanies it with comments, expresses some emotions at this time, probably this detail has special meaning for him. The same conclusion can be drawn if he violates the natural sequence of drawing details (for example, starting a house with a chimney), intensively erases some element of the drawing, returns to what was drawn once or more, spends too much time depicting a detail, or depicts it in an unusual way. manner, leaves a detail unfinished, omits a detail even though it is required, refuses to talk about that detail.

interpretation begins with such an indicator as the number of details. First of all, you should make sure that the required parts are available.

The house must have at least one door (the exception is if only a side wall is painted), one window, one wall, a roof, and a chimney or other means of venting smoke from a stove or something that can be used to heat the house.

Tree must have a trunk and at least one branch (unless the child has drawn a stump instead of a tree, which is regarded as a very alarming sign).

Human must have a head, a body, two legs, two arms, as well as two eyes, a nose, a mouth and two ears.

The absence of any of the required details listed above may indicate a violation. The presence of additional details (bushes, flowers, path) can be interpreted as a desire to fill and organize the surrounding space, which may be associated with a lack of a sense of security, anxiety, and insecurity.

Other warning signs include missing foundation lines, broken windows, a door that is smaller than the window, a window that is not rectangular (unless it is an attic window), or a transparent roof or wall that allows you to see objects inside the house.

A dilapidated, old house, an unstable building conveys the child’s critical attitude towards himself. If the house consists of several different buildings, this may express a feeling of hostility towards someone close to him.

A roof, indicated by a horizontal line connecting the walls, may indicate inhibition of thinking, lack of emotions, and acute feelings. A high, large roof, as well as the emphasis on it, probably indicate that the child is prone to fantasy.

The trumpet symbolizes the warmth of a relationship, so its absence may indicate a lack of warmth, care, guardianship, or the presence of a conflict in a relationship with a loved one. If a lot of smoke comes out of the chimney, something is probably bothering the child and there is internal tension.

it's obvious that door implies the possibility of access or retreat; the front door can represent both entrance and exit, meaning it symbolizes accessibility, while the back and/or side door usually represents exit, escapism. If there is no door, the child is inaccessible, withdrawn, and does not want to contact others. An open door expresses the child’s need for warm, close relationships, his openness, straightforwardness, and sociability. A very large door may mean that the child has a hard time with loneliness, requires attention, and likes to be the center of attention. A door that is too small indicates opposite tendencies: extreme isolation, denial of any contact, reluctance to let others in.

If a lock is drawn on the door, this can be interpreted as secrecy, perhaps even hostility, a need for protection. The need for protection is also indicated by the presence of a fence near the house.

The window is an image of visual contact. A withdrawn, withdrawn child may show his hostility by drawing windows without frames, not drawing windows at all, or not drawing them on the first floor; draws windows, but complements them with shutters, shading, curtains, shades, etc. If the windows are drawn high from the ground, this may indicate a certain separation of the child from the realities of life and a preference for imaginary worlds. The child who drew the windows last expresses a desire for privacy and reluctance to contact others. Open windows can indicate straightforwardness, a sense of confidence, and some self-esteem.

A large, very large tree can serve as an expression of an aggressive attitude. If the drawing consists predominantly of weak, thin lines, this indicates uncertainty, indecision, and poor adaptability. If the shape of a tree resembles a keyhole, with a crown in the form of a circle or oval, this may mean strong hostile impulses. Scars on the tree's body, broken, drooping or dead branches seem to symbolize mental trauma. If a child graphically or verbally indicates that a tree is dead, this is regarded as a sign of feelings of inferiority, inadequacy, failure, worthlessness, guilt, etc. Most often, branches or roots are referred to as dead or partially dead. In this case, damaged branches are interpreted as a symbol of the traumatic effects of the environment, and a dead root system implies intrapersonal disharmony.

It is assumed that the tree symbolizes how the child feels in the reality around him. Since the external forces acting on the tree are predominantly meteorological, through a description of weather conditions the child can express his impression of how he perceives the relationships of others: whether the surrounding reality is generally supportive and friendly or oppressive and hostile.

Human

A person depicted from the front must have a head, a body, two legs, two arms, as well as two eyes, a nose, a mouth and two ears. A child can vividly express his feelings of helplessness by drawing a self-portrait without arms or feet. Spreading hands is an expression of the desire for action. If your arms are crossed on your chest, this is evidence of isolation, suspiciousness, and withdrawal. Long arms - the presence of some aspirations, ambitions. Short arms, on the contrary, express a lack of aspirations aimed at the outside world. Disproportionately long legs - a desire for independence. Short legs express a feeling of helplessness.

The eyes, nose, mouth and ears are receptors that perceive external stimuli that may be unpleasant (for example, listening to accusations, criticism), may lead to conflict or problem. A drawing of a person with only eyes indicates suspicion and excessive caution; the absence of a nose, ears and mouth also indicates a lack of desire to communicate.

Dear parents, you should also pay attention to the consistency in drawing a house, a tree, a person; proportions of details in the drawing (perhaps something seems too big or, conversely, too small); perspective (what is drawn and where); the time that the child spends on drawing the elements of the picture; quality of lines (thick, weak lines); comments - oral or written - names of people, names of streets, trees, etc. Be careful and take notes.

Unfortunately, the size of the issue does not allow us to describe in detail the features of the interpretation of the drawing. However, dear friends, if you wish, you can easily find a detailed description of the interpretation of various aspects of the drawing on the pages of the World Wide Web.

Let me remind you once again that only a specialist can give a full interpretation of the drawing, so don’t rush to conclusions! Draw with pleasure!

During the preparation, materials from the book by Katherine Taylor were used. “Psychological tests and exercises for children. A book for parents and educators” Publ.: April-Press, Publ. Institute of Psychotherapy, 2005, 224 pp.

This projective method of personality research was proposed by J. Book in 1948. The drawing test is intended for both adults and children, group examination and testing is possible.
(see psychology of children's drawings)

The essence of the drawing test technique is as follows:
The subject is asked to draw house, tree and person. Then a survey is conducted according to the developed plan.

The interaction between the house, the tree and the person is believed to represent a visual metaphor. If you put the whole drawing into action, then it is quite possible to notice what is really happening in our lives.

A special way of interpretation may be the order in which the drawing of the house, tree and person is made.

If drawn first tree, which means that the main thing for a person is Vital energy.

If drawn first house, then in first place – safety, success or, conversely, neglect of these concepts.

Interpretation of signs in the test “Home. Tree. Human"

“HOUSE” in the psychological drawing test ^

The house is old, falling apart - sometimes the subject can express his attitude towards himself in this way.

Home away - a feeling of rejection (rejection).

Home nearby – openness, accessibility and/or a feeling of warmth and hospitality.

The plan of the house (projection from above) instead of the house itself is a serious conflict.

"WALLS" ^

The back wall, located unusually, represents conscious attempts at self-control, adaptation to conventions, but at the same time there are strong hostile tendencies.

The outline of the back wall is much brighter (thicker) compared to other details - the subject strives to maintain (not lose) contact with reality.

A wall, the absence of its base - weak contact with reality (if the drawing is placed below).

A wall with an accentuated outline of the base - the subject is trying to displace conflicting tendencies, experiencing difficulties, anxiety.

A wall with an accentuated horizontal dimension means poor orientation in time (dominance of the past or future). The subject may be sensitive to environmental pressure.

Wall: the side contour is too thin and inadequate - a premonition (threat) of disaster.
Wall: the contours of the line are too accentuated - a conscious desire to maintain control.

Wall: one-dimensional - only one side is shown. If it is a side wall, there are serious tendencies towards alienation and opposition.

Transparent walls are an unconscious attraction, the need to influence (own, organize) the situation as much as possible.

A wall with an accentuated vertical dimension - the subject seeks pleasure primarily in fantasies and has less contact with reality than is desirable.

"DOORS" ^

Their absence means the subject experiences difficulties in trying to open up to others (especially in the home circle).

Doors (one or more), back or side - retreat, detachment, avoidance.

Doors are open - the first sign of frankness and achievability.

The doors are open. If the house is residential, this is a strong need for warmth from the outside or a desire to demonstrate accessibility (frankness).

Side doors (one or more) - alienation, solitude, rejection of reality. Significant inaccessibility.

The doors are very large - excessive dependence on others or the desire to surprise with your social sociability.

The doors are very small - reluctance to let you into your “I”. Feelings of inadequacy, inadequacy, and hesitancy in social situations.

Doors with a huge lock - hostility, suspiciousness, secrecy, defensive tendencies.

"SMOKE" ^

The smoke is very thick - significant internal tension (intensity based on smoke density).

Smoke in a thin stream - a feeling of lack of emotional warmth at home.

"WINDOWS" ^

The first floor is drawn at the end - aversion to interpersonal relationships. Tendency to isolate from reality.

The windows are very open - the subject behaves somewhat cheekily and straightforwardly. Many windows show a willingness to make contact, and the absence of curtains shows a lack of desire to hide one’s feelings.

The windows are closed (curtained). Concern with interaction with the environment (if this is significant for the subject).

Windows without glass - hostility, alienation. The absence of windows on the ground floor means hostility, alienation.

There are no windows on the lower floor, but there are on the upper floor - a gap between real life and fantasy life.

"ROOF" ^

The roof is a realm of fantasy. The roof and chimney, torn off by the wind, symbolically express the subject's feelings of being commanded, regardless of his own willpower.

The roof, a bold outline, unusual for the drawing, is a fixation on fantasies as a source of pleasure, usually accompanied by anxiety.

The roof, the thin contour of the edge - the experience of weakening fantasy control.

Roof, thick outline of the edge - excessive preoccupation with control over fantasy (its curbing).

A roof that does not fit well with the lower floor is a bad personal organization.

The eaves of the roof, its accentuation with a bright outline or extension beyond the walls, is a highly protective (usually suspicious) installation.

"ROOM" ^

Associations may arise due to:
1) the person living in the room,
2) interpersonal relationships in the room,
3) the purpose of this room (real or attributed to it).

Associations can have a positive or negative emotional connotation.

A room that does not fit on the sheet is the reluctance of the subject to depict certain rooms due to unpleasant associations with them or with their occupant.

The subject chooses the nearest room - suspiciousness.

Bath – performs a sanitary function. If the manner in which the bath is depicted is significant, these functions may be impaired.

"PIPE" ^

Absence of a pipe - the subject feels a lack of psychological warmth at home.

The pipe is almost invisible (hidden) - reluctance to deal with emotional influences.

The pipe is drawn obliquely in relation to the roof - the norm for a child; significant regression if found in adults.

Drainpipes - enhanced protection and usually suspicious.

Water pipes (or roof drains) are enhanced protective installations (and usually increased suspiciousness).

"ADDITIONS" ^

The transparent, “glass” box symbolizes the experience of putting oneself on display for everyone to see. He is accompanied by a desire to demonstrate himself, but limited only to visual contact.

Trees often symbolize different faces. If they seem to be “hiding” the house, there may be a strong need for dependency with parental dominance.

Bushes sometimes symbolize people. If they are closely surrounding the house, there may be a strong desire to protect themselves with protective barriers.

Bushes are scattered chaotically throughout the space or on both sides of the path - a slight anxiety within the framework of reality and a conscious desire to control it.

A path, good proportions, easily drawn - shows that the individual displays tact and self-control in contacts with others.

The road is very long - reduced availability, often accompanied by the need for more adequate socialization.

The path is very wide at the beginning and narrows greatly at the house - an attempt to disguise the desire to be alone, combined with superficial friendliness.

Weather (what kind of weather is depicted) – reflects the subject’s experiences as a whole associated with the environment. Most likely, the worse, more unpleasant the weather is depicted, the more likely it is that the subject perceives the environment as hostile and constraining.

Color; its usual use: green - for the roof; brown - for walls;
yellow, if used only to depict the light inside the house, thereby depicting night or its approach, expresses the feelings of the subject, namely:
1) the environment is hostile to him,
2) his actions must be hidden from prying eyes.

Number of Colors Used: A well-adjusted, shy, and emotionally uninvolved subject will typically use at least two and no more than five colors.

A subject who paints a house with seven or eight colors is, at best, very labile.

Anyone who uses only one color is afraid of emotional excitement.

"COLOR CHOICE" ^

The longer, more uncertainly and harder the subject selects colors, the greater the likelihood of having personality disorders.

Perspective “above the subject” (look from bottom to top) – a feeling that the subject is rejected, removed, not recognized at home. Or the subject feels the need for a home, which he considers inaccessible, unattainable.

Perspective, the drawing is depicted in the distance - a desire to move away from conventional society. Feeling of isolation, rejection. There is a clear tendency to isolate oneself from one’s surroundings. The desire to reject, not to recognize this drawing or what it symbolizes.

Perspective, signs of “loss of perspective” (the individual correctly draws one end of the house, but at the other draws a vertical line of the roof and walls - does not know how to depict depth) - signals the beginning of difficulties in integration, fear of the future (if the vertical side line is on the right) or desire forget the past (line on the left).

Triple perspective (three-dimensional, the subject draws at least four separate walls, on which not even two are in the same plan) - excessive concern with the opinions of others about oneself. The desire to keep in mind (to recognize) all connections, even minor ones, all features.

Placing the picture above the center of the sheet - the larger the picture is above the center, the more likely it is that:

1) the subject feels the severity of the struggle and the relative unattainability of the goal;

2) the subject prefers to seek satisfaction in fantasies (internal tension);

3) the subject tends to stay aloof.

Placing the drawing exactly in the center of the sheet is insecurity and rigidity (straightness). The need for careful control to maintain mental balance.

Placing the picture below the center of the sheet - the lower the picture is in relation to the center of the sheet, the more it looks like:

1) the subject feels unsafe and uncomfortable, and this creates a depressive mood in him;

2) the subject feels limited, constrained by reality.
Placing a picture on the left side of the sheet is an emphasis on the past.

Placing a picture in the upper left corner of the sheet is a tendency to avoid new experiences. The desire to go into the past or delve into fantasies.

Placing a picture on the right half of the sheet means the subject is inclined to seek pleasure in the intellectual spheres. Controlled behavior. Emphasis on the future.

The drawing goes beyond the left edge of the sheet - fixation on the past and fear of the future. Excessive preoccupation with free, overt emotional experiences.

Going beyond the right edge of the sheet is a desire to “escape” into the future in order to get rid of the past. Fear of open, free experiences. The desire to maintain tight control over the situation.

Going beyond the top edge of the sheet is a fixation on thinking and fantasy as sources of pleasure that the subject does not experience in real life.

The contours are very straight - rigidity.

A sketchy outline, used constantly - at best, pettiness, a desire for accuracy, at worst - an indication of the inability to take a clear position.

No. Selected feature
1. Schematic illustration
2. Detailed image
3. Metaphorical image
4. Town house
5. Country house
6. Borrowing from a literary or fairy tale plot
7. Availability of windows and their number
8. Presence of doors
9. Pipe with smoke
10. Window shutters
11. Window size
12. Overall size of the house
13. Presence of a front garden
14. Presence of people near the house and in the house
15. Having a porch
16. The presence of curtains on the windows
17. Availability of plants (quantity)
18. Number of animals
19. The presence of a landscape image (clouds, sun, mountains, etc.)
20. Presence of shading on intensity scale 1,2,3
21. Line thickness on intensity scale 1, 2, 3
22. The door is open
23. The door is closed

“Man” in a psychological drawing test ^

Sphere of intelligence (control). Sphere of imagination.

A big head is an unconscious emphasis on the belief about the importance of thinking in human activity.

Small head - experience of intellectual inadequacy.

Fuzzy head – shyness, timidity. The head is depicted at the very end - interpersonal conflict.

A large head on a figure of the opposite sex is an imaginary superiority of the opposite sex and its higher social authority.

An organ symbolizing the connection between the sphere of control (head) and the sphere of drive (body). Thus, this is their focal point.

The neck is emphasized - the need for protective intellectual control.

Excessively large neck - awareness of bodily impulses, trying to control them.

Long thin neck – inhibition, regression.

A thick, short neck means concessions to one’s weaknesses and desires, an expression of an unsuppressed impulse.

A sign of physical strength or need for power.

Shoulders are excessively large - a feeling of great strength or excessive preoccupation with power and authority.

Shoulders are small – a feeling of low value, insignificance.

Shoulders that are too angular are a sign of excessive caution and protection.

Sloping shoulders - despondency, despair, guilt, lack of vitality.

Broad shoulders - strong bodily impulses.

Symbolizes masculinity.

The body is angular or square - masculinity.

The body is too large - the presence of unsatisfied needs that are acutely realized by the subject.

The torso is abnormally small - a feeling of humiliation, low value.

Facial features include eyes, ears, mouth, nose. This is sensory contact with reality.

The face is emphasized - strong concern about relationships with others, one’s appearance.

The chin is too emphasized - the need to dominate.

The chin is too large - compensation for perceived weakness and indecision.

Ears are too emphasized - auditory hallucinations are possible. Occurs in those who are especially sensitive to criticism.

Small ears - the desire not to accept any criticism, to drown it out.

Eyes closed or hidden under the brim of a hat - a strong desire to avoid unpleasant visual influences.

The eyes are depicted as empty sockets - a significant desire to avoid visual stimuli. Hostility.

Eyes bulging - rudeness, callousness.

Small eyes – self-absorption.

Eyeliner - rudeness, callousness.

Long eyelashes - flirtatiousness, a tendency to seduce, seduce, and demonstrate oneself.

Full lips on a man’s face are femininity.

The clown's mouth is forced friendliness, inadequate feelings.

The mouth is sunken - passive significance.

The nose is wide, prominent, with a hump - contemptuous attitudes, a tendency to think in ironic social stereotypes.

Nostrils – primitive aggression.

The teeth are clearly drawn - aggressiveness.

The face is unclear, dull - timidity, shyness.

The facial expression is obsequious - insecurity.

A face that looks like a mask means caution, secrecy, possible feelings of depersonalization and alienation.

Eyebrows sparse, short ~ – contempt, sophistication.

A sign of masculinity (bravery, strength, maturity and the desire for it).

Hair heavily shaded - anxiety associated with thinking or imagination.

The hair is not shaded, not painted over, frames the head - the subject is controlled by hostile feelings.

Hands are tools for more perfect and sensitive adaptation to the environment, mainly in interpersonal relationships.

Wide arms (arm span) – intense desire for action.

Hands wider at the palm or at the shoulder - insufficient control of actions and impulsiveness.

Arms depicted not together with the body, but separately, extended to the sides - the subject sometimes catches himself in actions or actions that are out of his control.

Hands crossed on the chest - a hostile and suspicious attitude.

Hands behind your back - unwillingness to give in, to compromise (even with friends). The tendency to control the manifestation of aggressive, hostile impulses.

Arms are long and muscular - the subject needs physical strength, dexterity, courage as compensation.

Arms too long - overly ambitious aspirations.

Hands are relaxed and flexible - good adaptability in interpersonal relationships.

Arms tense and pressed to the body - clumsiness, rigidity.

Arms are very short – lack of aspirations along with a feeling of inadequacy.

Hands too large - strong need for better adjustment in social relationships with feelings of inadequacy and a tendency to impulsive behavior.

Lack of hands - a feeling of inadequacy with high intelligence.

Deformation or emphasis of an arm or leg on the left side is a social-role conflict.

Hands are depicted close to the body - tension.

A man’s large arms and legs mean rudeness, callousness.

Tapering arms and legs are feminine.

Long arms - a desire to achieve something, to take possession of something.

Arms are long and weak - dependence, indecisiveness, need for care.

Hands turned to the sides, reaching for something - dependence, desire for love, affection.

Arms extended at the sides - difficulties in social contacts, fear of aggressive impulses.

Strong hands – aggressiveness, energy.

Hands are thin, weak - a feeling of insufficiency of what has been achieved.

The hand is like a boxing glove - repressed aggression.

Hands behind your back or in your pockets – guilt, self-doubt.

Hands are unclearly outlined - lack of self-confidence in activities and social relationships.

Large hands - compensation for perceived weakness and guilt.

Hands are absent from the female figure - the maternal figure is perceived as unloving, rejecting, and unsupportive.

Fingers are separated (chopped off) - repressed aggression, isolation.

Thumbs – rudeness, callousness, aggression.

More than five fingers – aggressiveness, ambition.

Fingers without palms - rudeness, callousness, aggression.

Less than five fingers – dependence, powerlessness.

Long fingers - hidden aggression.

Fingers clenched into fists - rebellion, protest.

Fists pressed to the body - repressed protest.

Fists far from the body - open protest.

Fingers large, like nails (thorns) - hostility.

The fingers are one-dimensional, surrounded by a loop - conscious efforts against aggressive feelings.

Legs are disproportionately long - a strong need for independence and the desire for it.

Legs too short – feeling of physical or psychological awkwardness.

The drawing began with the feet and legs - timidity.

Feet are not depicted - isolation, timidity.

Legs wide apart - outright neglect (insubordination, ignoring or insecurity).

Legs of unequal sizes - ambivalence in the desire for independence.

No legs - timidity, isolation.

Legs are emphasized - rudeness, callousness.

Feet are a sign of mobility (physiological or psychological) in interpersonal relationships.

Feet are disproportionately long – a need for safety. The need to demonstrate masculinity.

Feet are disproportionately small - stiffness, dependence.

The face is depicted in such a way that the back of the head is visible - a tendency towards isolation.

Head in profile, body in front - anxiety caused by the social environment and the need for communication.

A person sitting on the edge of a chair - a strong desire to find a way out of the situation, fear, loneliness, suspicion.

A person depicted running means a desire to run away, to hide from someone.

A person with visible imbalances in proportions in relation to the right and left sides is a lack of personal balance.

A person without certain body parts indicates rejection, non-recognition of the person as a whole or his missing parts (actually or symbolically depicted).

A person is in a blind flight - panic fears are possible.

A person with a smooth, easy step is good adaptability.

The person is an absolute profile - serious detachment, isolation and oppositional tendencies.

The profile is ambivalent - certain parts of the body are depicted on the other side in relation to the rest, looking in different directions - particularly strong frustration with the desire to get rid of an unpleasant situation.

Unbalanced standing figure – tension.

Dolls - compliance, the experience of dominance of the environment.

A robot instead of a male figure – depersonalization, a feeling of external controlling forces.

Stick figure - can mean prevarication and negativism.

The figure of Baba Yaga is open hostility towards women.

Clown, caricature - a feeling of inferiority characteristic of teenagers. Hostility, self-contempt.

Clouds – fearful anxiety, fears, depression.

Fence for support, contour of the ground - insecurity. The figure of a person in the wind represents the need for love, affection, caring warmth.

The line of the base (earth) is insecurity. It represents the necessary point of reference (support) for constructing the integrity of the drawing and provides stability. The meaning of this line sometimes depends on the quality the subject attaches to it, for example, “the boy is skating on thin ice.” The base is often drawn under a house or tree, less often under a person.

The weapon is aggression.

Broken lines, erased details, omissions, accentuation, shading are areas of conflict.

Buttons, a belt plaque, the vertical axis of the figure is emphasized, pockets - dependence.

Circuit. Pressure. Hatching. Location Few bent lines, many sharp corners - aggressiveness, poor adaptation.

Rounded (rounded) lines – femininity. The combination of confident, bright and light contours is rude and callous.

The outline is dim, unclear - fearfulness, timidity. Energetic, confident touches – perseverance, safety.

Lines of unequal brightness - voltage.

Thin extended lines – tension.

An unbroken, emphasized contour framing the figure is isolation.

Sketch outline – anxiety, timidity.

A circuit break is a sphere of conflict.

The line is emphasized - anxiety, insecurity. The sphere of conflicts. Regression (especially in relation to the emphasized detail).

Jagged, uneven lines - insolence, hostility.

Confident, strong lines – ambition, zeal.

The bright line is rudeness.

Strong pressure – energy, persistence. Great tension.

Light lines – lack of energy.

Light pressure – low energy resources, stiffness.

Lines with pressure – aggressiveness, persistence.

Uneven, unequal pressure – impulsiveness, instability, anxiety, insecurity.

Changeable pressure – emotional instability, labile moods.

If a person is excitable, the strokes are shortened; if not, they are lengthened.

Straight strokes – stubbornness, perseverance, perseverance.

Short strokes – impulsive behavior.

Rhythmic shading – sensitivity, sympathy, looseness.

Short, sketchy strokes – anxiety, uncertainty.

The strokes are angular, constrained - tension, isolation.

Horizontal strokes - emphasizing imagination, femininity, weakness.

Vague, varied, changeable strokes - insecurity, lack of perseverance, perseverance.

Vertical strokes – stubbornness, perseverance, determination, hyperactivity.

Hatching from right to left – introversion, isolation.

Shading from left to right - the presence of motivation.

Self-shading – aggression, extroversion.

Erasures – anxiety, apprehension.

Frequent erasures – indecision, dissatisfaction with oneself.

Erasing during redrawing (if the redrawing is more perfect) is a good sign.

Erasing with subsequent damage (deterioration) of the drawing is the presence of a strong emotional reaction to the object being drawn or to what it symbolizes for the subject.

Erasing without an attempt to redraw (i.e., correct) is an internal conflict or conflict with this particular detail (or with what it symbolizes).

Large drawing - expansiveness, a tendency towards vanity, arrogance.

Small figures – anxiety, emotional dependence, feelings of discomfort and constraint.

A very small figure with a thin outline - stiffness, a sense of one’s own worthlessness and insignificance.

The drawing at the very edge of the sheet is dependence, self-doubt.

A drawing on the entire sheet is a compensatory exaltation of oneself in the imagination.

What is important here is knowledge of them, the ability to operate with them and adapt to specific practical living conditions. The researcher must note the degree of interest of the subject in such things, the degree of realism with which he perceives them; the relative importance he attaches to them; a way to connect these parts together.

Substantial Detail - The absence of significant detail in a drawing of a subject who is now or in the recent past known to be of average or higher intelligence is more likely to indicate intellectual degradation or severe emotional disturbance.

An excess of details - “the inevitability of physicality” (the inability to limit oneself) indicates a forced need to improve the entire situation, an excessive concern for the environment.

The nature of the details (significant, unimportant or strange) can serve to more accurately determine the specificity of sensitivity.

Unnecessary duplication of details - the subject most likely does not know how to enter into tactful and flexible contacts with people.

Insufficient detail – tendencies towards isolation.

Particularly meticulous detailing - constraint, pedantry.

The ability to critically evaluate a drawing when asked to criticize it is a criterion for not losing contact with reality.

Accepting the task with minimal protest is a good start, followed by fatigue and interruption of drawing.

Apologizing because of the drawing is not enough confidence.

As drawing progresses, the pace and productivity decrease - rapid exhaustion.

The name of the picture is extraversion, need and support. Pettiness.

The left half of the picture is emphasized – identification with the female gender.

Draws persistently, despite difficulties - good prognosis, energy.

Resistance, refusal to draw - hiding problems, unwillingness to reveal oneself.

“Tree” in a psychological drawing test ^

The interpretation according to K. Koch is based on the provisions of K. Jung (a tree is a symbol of a standing person).

The roots are the collective unconscious.

Trunk – impulses, instincts, primitive stages.

Branches – passivity or opposition to life.

The interpretation of a tree drawing always contains a permanent core (roots, trunk, branches) and ornamental elements (foliage, fruits, landscape). As already noted, K. Koch’s interpretation was aimed mainly at identifying pathological signs and characteristics of mental development.

The earth rises to the right edge of the picture - fervor, enthusiasm.

The earth sinks to the right edge of the sheet - loss of strength, lack of aspirations.

The roots are smaller than the trunk - a desire for something hidden, closed.

The roots are equal to the trunk - a stronger curiosity that already poses a problem.

Roots larger than the trunk - intense curiosity, which can cause anxiety.

The roots are indicated by a line - childish behavior in relation to what is kept secret.

The roots in the form of two lines are the ability to distinguish and prudence in assessing the real; the different forms of these roots may be associated with the desire to live, suppress or express certain tendencies in an unfamiliar circle or close environment.

Symmetry is the desire to appear in harmony with the outside world. Marked tendency to restrain aggressiveness. Hesitation in choosing a position in relation to feelings, ambivalence, moral problems.

The arrangement on the sheet is ambiguous - the relationship to the past, to what the drawing depicts, i.e. to your action. Double desire: independence and protection within the environment.

The central position is the desire to find agreement and balance with others. Indicates the need for rigid and rigorous systematization based on habits.

Arrangement from left to right - increases focus on the outside world, on the future. The need to rely on authority; seeking agreement with the outside world; ambition, the desire to impose oneself on others, a feeling of abandonment; fluctuations in behavior are possible.

Round crown – exaltation, emotionality.

Circles in foliage - the search for soothing and rewarding sensations, feelings of abandonment and disappointment.

Branches drooping - loss of courage, refusal of effort.

Branches upward - enthusiasm, impulse, desire for power.

Branches in different directions - search for self-affirmation, contacts, self-dispersal. Fussiness, sensitivity to the environment, lack of opposition to it.

Foliage-mesh, more or less dense - greater or less dexterity in avoiding problematic situations.

Foliage of curved lines - receptivity, open acceptance of the environment.

Open and closed foliage in one picture - a search for objectivity.

Closed foliage - protecting your inner world in a childish way.

Closed dense foliage is hidden aggressiveness.

The branches emerge from one area on the trunk - a child’s search for protection, the norm for a seven-year-old child.

The branches are drawn with one line - an escape from the troubles of reality, its transformation and embellishment.

Thick branches are a good discernment of reality.

Loop leaves - prefers to use charm.

Palma - the desire to change places.

Mesh foliage - escape from unpleasant sensations.

Foliage as a pattern - femininity, friendliness, charm.

Weeping willow - lack of energy, desire for solid support and search for positive contacts; return to the past and childhood experiences; difficulties in making decisions.

Blackening, shading - tension, anxiety.

Shaded trunk - internal anxiety, suspicion, fear of abandonment; hidden aggressiveness.

The trunk is in the shape of a broken dome - the desire to be like the mother, to do everything like her, or the desire to be like the father, to measure strength with him, a reflection of failures.

A one-line trunk is a refusal to look at things realistically.

The trunk is drawn with thin lines, the crown with thick ones - it can assert itself and act freely.

Foliage with thin lines - subtle sensitivity, suggestibility.

Trunk with lines with pressure - determination, activity, productivity.

The lines of the trunk are straight - dexterity, resourcefulness, does not dwell on disturbing facts.

The trunk lines are crooked - activity is inhibited by anxiety and thoughts about the insurmountability of obstacles.

“Vermicelli” – a tendency to secrecy for the sake of abuse, unexpected attacks, hidden rage.

The branches are not connected to the trunk - a departure from reality that does not correspond to desires, an attempt to “escape” into dreams and games.

The trunk is open and connected with the foliage - high intelligence, normal development, the desire to preserve inner peace.

The trunk is torn off the ground - lack of contact with the outside world; Everyday life and spiritual life have little connection.

The trunk is limited from below - a feeling of unhappiness, a search for support.

The trunk expands downward - searching for a reliable position in one’s circle.

The trunk tapers downwards - a feeling of security in a circle that does not provide the desired support; isolation and the desire to strengthen the self against a troubled world.

Overall height - lower quarter of the sheet - dependence, lack of self-confidence, compensatory dreams of power.

The lower half of the leaf is less pronounced dependence and timidity.

Three quarters of the leaf is a good adaptation to the environment.

The leaf is used in its entirety - it wants to be noticed, count on others, assert itself.

Sharp peak - protects against danger, real or imaginary, perceived as a personal attack; desire to act on others, attack or defend, difficulties in contacts; wants to compensate for feelings of inferiority, the desire for power; seeking a safe haven due to feelings of abandonment for a firm position, need for tenderness.

Multiplicity of trees (several trees on one leaf) is childish behavior; the subject does not follow these instructions.

Two trees - can symbolize yourself and another loved one (see position on the sheet and other points of interpretation).

Adding various objects to the tree is interpreted depending on the specific objects.

Landscape means sentimentality.

Turning over a leaf is independence, a sign of intelligence, prudence.

The earth is depicted by one feature - focus on the goal, acceptance of some order.

The earth is depicted in several different ways - acting according to its own rules, needing an ideal.

Several joint lines depicting the ground and touching the edge of the sheet - spontaneous contact, sudden removal, impulsiveness, capriciousness.

Projective methodology for personality research. Proposed by J. Book in 1948. The test is intended for examination of both adults and children, a group examination is possible.

The subject is asked to draw a house, a tree and a person. A detailed survey is then conducted. The author justifies the choice of objects for drawing by the fact that they are familiar to every subject, are the most convenient as objects for drawing, and, finally, stimulate freer verbal statements than other objects.

According to J. Book, each drawing is a kind of self-portrait, the details of which have personal significance.

From the drawing one can judge the affective sphere of a person, his needs, the level of psychosexual development, etc. In addition to using the test as a projective technique, the author demonstrates the ability to determine the level of intellectual development (the rank correlation coefficient with intelligence tests is 0.41-0.75) . Foreign researchers declare the need for additional study of the validity of the technique as a tool for measuring intelligence and personality traits. The test is used in Russia and is included in the Kern-Jerasek method.

Instructions

Material:

* a white sheet of paper, folded in half and thus forming 4 pages measuring 15x21. The first page is intended for recording the date and recording the necessary data concerning the subject, the next three pages are reserved for drawings and, accordingly, are entitled House, Tree, Man;

* post-drawing survey form;

* several simple No. 2 pencils with erasers (pencil No. 2 was chosen because it turned out to more accurately reflect the subject’s motor control, pressure and quality of lines and shading);

* quantitative processing form;

* management.

Individual testing

In individual testing, the researcher places a picture form in front of the subject so that he sees only the second page with the word “Home” located at the top from the subject’s point of view; after which he says

instructions:

“Take one of these pencils. I want you to draw the house as best as you can. You can draw any type of house you want. This is entirely up to you to decide. You can erase what you have drawn as much as you like - it will not affect your grade. You can think about the drawing for as long as you need. just try to draw the house as best as possible.”

If the subject refuses (middle-aged and elderly people do this often), stating that he is not an artist, that when he went to school he was not taught how to draw the way they do now, etc., the researcher must convince the subject that The DDT is not a test of artistic ability; it is not interested in the subject's ability to draw as such. If the subject asks for a ruler or tries to use an object as a ruler, the examiner should tell him that the drawing must be done by hand. This is followed by similar instructions for tasks involving drawings of wood and the human figure.

Record.

While the subject draws the house, tree and person, the researcher must write down each time;

1) the following aspects regarding time: (a) the amount of time that passed from the moment the researcher provided instructions until the moment the subject began drawing; (b) the duration of any pause that occurs during the drawing process (correlating it with the execution of a particular detail); (c) the total time spent by the subject from the moment he was given instructions until he reported that he had completely finished the drawing (for example, at home);

2) the names of the details of the drawings of a house, a tree and a person, in the order in which they were drawn by the subject, numbering them sequentially. Deviations from the sequence of images of details that occur in the work of well-adapted subjects usually turn out to be significant; an accurate recording of such a case is necessary, since failure of the researcher to notice the deviation of the subject may prevent a sufficiently high-quality assessment of the completed drawing as a whole;

3) all spontaneous comments (if possible verbatim) made by the subject in the process of drawing a house, tree and person and correlate each such comment with the sequence of details. The process of drawing these objects may provoke comments that at first glance are completely inappropriate to the objects depicted, which, however, can provide a lot of interesting information about the subject;

4) any emotion (the most insignificant) expressed by the subject during the test and associate this emotional expression with the detail depicted at that moment. The process of drawing often evokes strong emotional manifestations in the subject and these should be recorded.

To take notes more successfully, the researcher must ensure that he can easily observe the drawing process. It was noted that the most convenient position for the researcher is to the left of the right-handed subject and to the right of the subject if he is left-handed. However, in some cases subjects may be very anxious or very suspicious and will hide their drawings, in such cases it is best not to insist that they allow the investigator to observe the drawing process.

To make it easier to record sequences of parts, spontaneous comments, etc., the researcher can use the recording system given below as an example.

2. Window with glass on the roof.

3. Roof over porch (main wall) - “I can take the tools and do it much better” (intense laughter).

4. Porch posts.

6. Window, top right, with glass.

7. Window, lower left, with glass.

8. Window, top in the center, with glass.

9. Windows (left and right) on the sides of the door, with glass.

10. Window, top left, with glass.

11. Upper window in the center, with glass.

12. Roof material.

13. Side porch roof and post.

14. “Perhaps this is all that could be drawn, except for the garage.”

15. Foundation.

16. Pause 18 sec.

17. “A Pair of Trees.”

18. Tree on the left, then tree on the right.

19. Road from the side porch.

20. Path from the front entrance.

21. “Let’s allow it here” – bush.

Time – 5 min 13 s

If the task was preceded by a pause, this should be recorded under item 1, and the first drawn detail in this case should be recorded under number 2, etc.

The connection of spontaneous utterances and/or expression of emotions with the details of the drawing is determined by the position of the spontaneous utterance and/or emotional manifestation in the recorded material. For example, if a spontaneous statement or emotion was recorded before a detail, but under one item, then it took place at the time when the subject began to draw this detail. If a comment or emotion was recorded under the same item as the detail, but after it, then it happened later. If, apart from a spontaneous statement or emotion, nothing is recorded in the item, then this happened after the previous detail was completed and before the next one was started.

Post-drawing survey.

After the nonverbal phase of the DDT is completed, the researcher should offer the subject the opportunity to characterize, describe, and interpret the drawn objects and their surroundings, as well as express associations associated with them. He must also take into account the fact that the process of drawing a house, a tree and a person often evokes strong emotional reactions, so that after completing the drawings the subject is likely to verbalize what he could not express before. Obviously, if the subject is less withdrawn and hostile and more intelligent, the second phase of the DDT may be more productive.

The questionnaire, consisting of 64 questions, has a “spiral” structure, the purpose of which is to avoid formalized answers on the part of the subject and prevent the memorization of what he has previously said in connection with a specific drawing. Direct and concrete questions are replaced by more indirect and abstract ones.

PRO is not a strictly limited procedure; the researcher can always continue the survey in a direction that is productive in his opinion. In all cases, he must determine exactly what meaning the stimulus words “House”, “Tree” and “Person” have for the subject.

Post-Picture Survey Form

Part 1. Is it a man or a woman (boy or girl)?

Ch2. How old is he/she?

Ch3. Who is he?

Ch4. Is it your relative, friend or someone else?

Ch5. Who were you thinking about when you were drawing?

Ch6. What is he doing? (and where is he at this time?)

Ch7. What is he thinking about?

Ch8. How does he feel?

Ch9. What does the drawn person make you think about?

Ch10. Who does this person remind you of?

Ch11. Is this person healthy?

Ch12. What exactly in the picture makes such an impression on you?

Ch13. Is this person happy?

Ch14. What exactly in the picture makes such an impression on you?

Ch15. How do you feel towards this person?

Ch16. Do you think this is true for most people? Why?

Ch17. What do you think the weather is like in the picture?

Ch18. Who does this person remind you of? Why

Ch19. What does a person want most? Why?

Ch20. How is this person dressed?

Dr1. What kind of tree is this?

Dr2. Where exactly is this tree located?

Dr3. What is the approximate age of this tree?

Dr4. Is this tree alive?

A. (If the subject believes that the tree is alive)

a) What exactly in the picture confirms that the tree is alive?

b) Does the tree have any dead parts? If so, which one exactly?

c) What, in your opinion, caused the death of the tree?

d) When do you think this happened?

B. (If the subject believes that the tree is dead)

a) What, in your opinion, caused the death of the tree?

b) When do you think this happened?

Dr6. Do you think this tree looks more like a man or a woman?

Dr7. What exactly in the picture confirms your point of view?

Dr8. If there was a person here instead of a tree, which way would he be looking?

Dr9. Does this tree stand alone or in a group of trees?

Dr10. When you look at a drawing of a tree, do you think it is above you, below you, or on the same level as you?

Dr11. What do you think the weather is like in this picture?

Dr12. Is there wind in the picture?

Dr13. Show me which direction the wind blows?

Dr14. Tell us in more detail, what kind of wind is this?

Dr15. If you drew a sun in this picture, where would it be located?

Dr16. Do you think the sun is in the north, east, south or west?

Dr17. What does this tree make you think of?

Dr18. What does it remind you of?

Dr19. Is this tree healthy?

Dr20. What exactly in the picture makes such an impression on you?

Dr21. Is this tree strong?

Dr22. What exactly in the picture makes such an impression on you?

Dr23. Who does this tree remind you of? Why?

Dr24. What does this tree need most? Why?

Dr25. If instead of a bird (another tree or another object in the picture that is not related to the main tree), there was a person, who could it be?

D1. How many floors does this house have?

D 2. Is this house made of brick, wood or something else?

DZ. Is this your home? (if not, whose is it?)

D4. When you painted this house, who did you imagine as its owner?

D5. Would you like this house to be yours? Why?

D6. If this house was yours and you could dispose of it as you want:

a) Which room would you choose for yourself? Why?

b) Who would you like to live with in this house? Why?

D 7. When you look at a drawing of a house, does it seem close or far away?

D8. When you look at a drawing of a house, does it seem to you that it is located above you, below you, or approximately on the same level as you?

D9. What does this house make you think about?

D10. What does it remind you of?

D11. Is this house welcoming, friendly?

D12. What exactly in the picture makes such an impression on you?

D13. Do you think these qualities are common to most homes? Why?

D14. What do you think the weather is like in this picture?

D15. Who does this house make you think of? Why?

D16. What does this house need most? Why?

D17. Where does this chimney lead?

D18. Where does this path lead?

D19. If instead of a tree (a bush, a windmill, or any other object in the picture that is not related to the house itself) there was a person, who could it be?

Upon completion of the post-drawing survey stage, the researcher will have to find out the possible meaning that the presence of unusual, the absence of “obligatory” details in the drawings, or any unusual proportional, spatial or positional relationships between drawn objects or their fragments may have for the subject.

For example, the researcher should ask the subject about the meaning of unusual features in a drawing of a house, such as broken glass, a leaky roof, a collapsed chimney, etc., scars, broken or dead branches, shadows, etc., in a drawing of a tree. It is generally accepted, for example, that scars on a tree trunk, broken or damaged branches almost invariably symbolize “mental wounds” - a consequence of psychological trauma suffered by the subject in the past; the time when the traumatic episode (episodes) occurred can be determined by the location of the scar on the trunk, taking the base of the trunk (its part closest to the ground) as the period of early childhood, the top of the tree as the present age of the subject, and the distances between them as the intermediate years. For example, if a 30-year-old subject drew a scar at approximately one-third of the trunk's height from its base, then the traumatic episode could conceivably occur at 9-11 years of age. The researcher might ask, “What unusual thing happened to you when you were about 10 years old?” It is assumed that the subject can reflect in the drawing only those events that he himself regards as traumatic, although from an objective point of view completely different situations may turn out to be traumatic. It is believed that the image of a shadow in the figure is of great importance and can represent: 1) a symbolization of the feeling of anxiety experienced by the subject at a conscious level; 2) the presence of a factor that, by its constant presence in the psychological present or in the recent past, probably interferes with normal intellectual performance. We are talking about a conscious level, because usually shadows are depicted on the ground, which symbolizes reality. Deterioration of intellectual performance is confirmed by absent-mindedness; the shadow presupposes the subject's awareness of the existence of another element - the sun, which is usually forgotten to be drawn, this, in turn, has a certain qualitative meaning. The researcher needs to pay attention to what surface the shadow falls on: water, earth, snow or ice...

In addition, he must find out the possible meaning of scars or injuries in the person’s drawing.

The researcher should try to get from the subject an explanation for the absence of ordinary details - windows, doors or a chimney in the drawing of the house; branches in a tree drawing; eyes, ears, mouth, feet, etc. in a drawing of a person - if the assumption about the mental retardation of the subject is unfounded.

If some unusual positional relationships of objects are noted in the drawing, then it is necessary to determine what caused this. For example, if a lopsided house, a tree leaning to one side or a tree with a twisted trunk, or a person who appears to be falling are drawn, the researcher should ask the subject to explain the reason for this situation. As mentioned above, in a drawing of a tree, each side has its own temporal meaning (the right is the future, the left is the past), the same, although not so definitely, can be said about the drawing of a House. However, it turned out that this rule does not apply to drawing a person, because - if we talk about drawing a person in profile - a right-hander usually draws a figure facing left, and a left-hander usually draws a figure facing right.

The investigator should try to determine the reasons for any unusual position of the arms or legs of the person drawn. If a person is drawn in absolute profile (i.e., so that only one side of him is visible, and there is no evidence of the existence of the other), the researcher should ask the subject to describe: 1) the position of the invisible hand, 2) if anything is in this hand, what exactly, 3) what the person drawn with this hand is doing.

There is no time limit for the post-drawing survey. However, if the survey is lengthy and exceeds the length of the formal portion (64 questions and the follow-up survey above), then it may be best to reschedule completion for the next session.

It has been found that it is sometimes very useful to let the subject express his associations regarding the content of the drawings and the ABM.

In conclusion, we can say that the PRO pursues 2 goals: 1) to create favorable conditions so that the subject, by describing and commenting on drawings personifying a home, an existing or once existing object and a living or once living person, can reflect his feelings, relationships, needs etc.; 2) provide the researcher with the opportunity to clarify any unclear aspects of the drawings.

Group testing

All other things being equal, the DFC technique is more productive with individual testing than with group testing. However, it is obvious that this method has secured a certain position among group tests. As such, it is best used as a screening test to identify subjects within a group who deviate from the average level of personal development and adaptability. In addition, the technique can be used to determine the degree of recovery in the process of group therapy, but from this side it has not yet been sufficiently studied.

Instructions.

Before starting the task, the researcher must ask the subjects to draw the best possible picture of a house, a tree and a person in the order listed and tell them that they can erase what they have drawn as much as they want without fear of penalties, that they can spend as much time as they need, and that every one, as soon as he has finished any drawing, should report it to the investigator, so that he may record the amount of time spent.

In some cases it may be necessary to impose a certain time limit (preferably at least 30 minutes), in which case subjects should be fully informed of this before they begin to draw.

The researcher must show the subjects the drawing form and demonstrate each page for them to complete the corresponding drawing. After this, they can begin completing the task.

Record.

The researcher should record the time used by each subject to complete a particular drawing. While the subjects are busy drawing, the researcher should walk around quietly, observing them, and record instances of emotional manifestations, unusual sequences of details, etc., whenever he notices something similar. Obviously, the observation will not be as complete as with individual examinations.

Post-drawing survey.

The researcher should give each subject an ABM form and ask them to respond in writing to the questions printed on the form.

Interpretation.

The house is old, falling apart - sometimes the subject can express his attitude towards himself in this way.

Home away - a feeling of rejection (rejection).

Home nearby – openness, accessibility and/or a feeling of warmth and hospitality.

The plan of the house (projection from above) instead of the house itself is a serious conflict.

Various buildings - aggression directed against the actual owner of the house or rebellion against what the subject considers artificial and cultural standards.

The shutters are closed - the subject is able to adapt in interpersonal relationships.

Steps leading into a blank wall (without doors) are a reflection of a conflict situation that is detrimental to a correct assessment of reality. Inaccessibility of the subject (although he himself may desire free cordial communication).

Walls

The back wall, located unusually, represents conscious attempts at self-control, adaptation to conventions, but at the same time there are strong hostile tendencies.

The outline of the back wall is much brighter (thicker) compared to other details - the subject strives to maintain (not lose) contact with reality.

A wall, the absence of its base - weak contact with reality (if the drawing is placed below).

A wall with an accentuated outline of the base - the subject is trying to displace conflicting tendencies, experiencing difficulties and anxiety.

A wall with an accentuated horizontal dimension means poor orientation in time (dominance of the past or future). The subject may be sensitive to environmental pressure.

Wall; the side contour is too thin and inadequate - a premonition (threat) of disaster.

Wall: the contours of the line are too accentuated - a conscious desire to maintain control.

Wall: one-dimensional perspective - only one side is shown. If it is a side wall, there are serious tendencies towards alienation and opposition.

Transparent walls are an unconscious attraction, the need to influence (own, organize) the situation as much as possible.

A wall with an accentuated vertical dimension - the subject seeks pleasure primarily in fantasies and has fewer contacts with reality than is desirable.

Doors

Their absence means the subject experiences difficulties in trying to open up to others (especially in the home circle).

Doors (one or more), back or side - retreat, detachment, avoidance.

Doors are open - the first sign of frankness and achievability.

The doors are open. If the house is residential, this is a strong need for warmth from the outside or a desire to demonstrate accessibility (frankness).

Side doors (one or more) - alienation, solitude, rejection of reality. Significant inaccessibility.

The doors are very large - excessive dependence on others or the desire to surprise with your social sociability.

The doors are very small - reluctance to let you into your “I”. Feelings of inadequacy, inadequacy, and hesitancy in social situations.

Doors with a huge lock - hostility, suspiciousness, secrecy, defensive tendencies.

The smoke is very thick - significant internal tension (intensity based on smoke density).

Smoke in a thin stream - a feeling of lack of emotional warmth at home.

Window

The first floor is drawn at the end - aversion to interpersonal relationships. Tendency to isolate from reality.

The windows are very open - the subject behaves somewhat cheekily and straightforwardly. Many windows show readiness for contacts, and the absence of curtains shows a lack of desire to hide your feelings.

The windows are closed (curtained). Concern with interaction with the environment (if this is significant for the subject).

Windows without glass - hostility, alienation. The absence of windows on the ground floor means hostility, alienation.

There are no windows on the lower floor, but there are on the upper floor - a gap between real life and fantasy life.

Roof

The roof is a realm of fantasy. The roof and chimney, torn off by the wind, symbolically express the subject's feelings of being commanded, regardless of his own willpower.

The roof, a bold outline, unusual for the drawing, is a fixation on fantasies as a source of pleasure, usually accompanied by anxiety.

The roof, the thin contour of the edge - the experience of weakening fantasy control.

Roof, thick outline of the edge - excessive preoccupation with control over fantasy (its curbing).

A roof that does not fit well with the lower floor is a bad personal organization.

The eaves of the roof, its accentuation with a bright outline or extension beyond the walls, is a highly protective (usually suspicious) installation.

Room

Associations may arise due to:

1) the person living in the room,

2) interpersonal relationships in the room,

3) the purpose of this room (real or attributed to it).

Associations can have a positive or negative emotional connotation.

A room that does not fit on the sheet is the subject’s reluctance to depict certain rooms due to unpleasant associations with them or with their occupant.

The subject chooses the nearest room - suspiciousness.

Bath – performs a sanitary function. If the manner in which the bath is depicted is significant, these functions may be impaired.

Pipe

Absence of a pipe - the subject feels a lack of psychological warmth at home.

The pipe is almost invisible (hidden) - reluctance to deal with emotional influences.

The pipe is drawn obliquely in relation to the roof - the norm for a child; significant regression if found in adults.

Drainpipes - enhanced protection and usually suspicious.

Water pipes (or roof drains) are enhanced protective installations (and usually increased suspiciousness).

Add-ons

The transparent, “glass” box symbolizes the experience of putting oneself on display for everyone to see. He is accompanied by a desire to demonstrate himself, but limited only to visual contact.

Trees often symbolize different faces. If they seem to be “hiding” the house, there may be a strong need for dependency with parental dominance.

Bushes sometimes symbolize people. If they are closely surrounding the house, there may be a strong desire to protect themselves with protective barriers.

Bushes are scattered chaotically throughout the space or on both sides of the path - a slight anxiety within the framework of reality and a conscious desire to control it.

A path, good proportions, easily drawn - shows that the individual displays tact and self-control in contacts with others.

The road is very long - reduced availability, often accompanied by the need for more adequate socialization.

The path is very wide at the beginning and narrows greatly at the house - an attempt to disguise the desire to be alone, combined with superficial friendliness.

Weather (what kind of weather is depicted) – reflects the subject’s experiences as a whole associated with the environment. Most likely, the worse, more unpleasant the weather is depicted, the more likely it is that the subject perceives the environment as hostile and constraining.

Color

Color and common uses:

green - for the roof;

brown - for walls;

yellow, if used only to depict the light inside the house, thereby depicting night or its approach, expresses the feelings of the subject, namely:

1) the environment is hostile to him,

2) his actions must be hidden from prying eyes.

Number of colors used:

a well-adjusted, shy, and emotionally uninvolved subject will typically use at least two and no more than five colors. A subject who paints a house with seven or eight colors is, at best, very labile. Anyone who uses only one color is afraid of emotional excitement.

Color selection

The longer, more uncertainly and harder the subject selects colors, the greater the likelihood of having personality disorders.

The color black is shyness, timidity.

The color green is the need to have a sense of security, to protect oneself from danger. This position is not so important when using green for the branches of a tree or the roof of a house.

The color orange is a combination of sensitivity and hostility.

The color purple is a strong need for power.

The color red is the most sensitive. The need for warmth from the environment.

Color, shading 3/4 sheet - lack of control over the expression of emotions.

Hatching that extends beyond the boundaries of the drawing is a tendency toward an impulsive response to additional stimulation.

The color yellow is a strong sign of hostility.

General form

Placing a drawing on the edge of a sheet is a generalized feeling of uncertainty, danger. Often associated with a specific time value:

a) the right side is the future, the left is the past,

b) related to the purpose of the room or its permanent occupant,

c) indicating the specificity of experiences: the left side is emotional, the right side is intellectual.

Perspective

Perspective “above the subject” (look from bottom to top) – a feeling that the subject is rejected, removed, not recognized at home. Or the subject feels the need for a home, which he considers inaccessible, unattainable.

Perspective, the drawing is depicted in the distance - a desire to move away from conventional society. Feeling of isolation, rejection. There is a clear tendency to isolate oneself from one’s surroundings. The desire to reject, not to recognize this drawing or what it symbolizes. Perspective, signs of “loss of perspective” (the individual correctly draws one end of the house, but draws the vertical line of the roof and walls at the other - does not know how to depict depth) - signals the beginning of difficulties in integration, fear of the future (if the vertical side line is on the right) or desire forget the past (line on the left).

Triple perspective (three-dimensional, the subject draws at least four separate walls, on which not even two are in the same plan) - excessive concern with the opinions of others about oneself. The desire to keep in mind (to recognize) all connections, even minor ones, all features.

Placement of the picture

Placing the picture above the center of the sheet - the larger the picture is above the center, the more likely it is that:

1) the subject feels the severity of the struggle and the relative unattainability of the goal;

2) the subject prefers to seek satisfaction in fantasies (internal tension);

3) the subject tends to stay aloof.

Placing the drawing exactly in the center of the sheet is insecurity and rigidity (straightness). The need for careful control to maintain mental balance.

Placing the design below the center of the sheet - the lower the design is relative to the center of the sheet, the more it looks like:

1) the subject feels unsafe and uncomfortable, and this creates a depressive mood in him;

2) the subject feels limited, constrained by reality.

Placing a picture on the left side of the sheet is an emphasis on the past. Impulsiveness.

Placing a picture in the upper left corner of the sheet is a tendency to avoid new experiences. The desire to go into the past or delve into fantasies.

Placing a picture on the right half of the sheet means the subject is inclined to seek pleasure in the intellectual spheres. Controlled behavior. Emphasis on the future.

The drawing goes beyond the left edge of the sheet - fixation on the past and fear of the future. Excessive preoccupation with free, overt emotional experiences.

Going beyond the right edge of the sheet is a desire to “escape” into the future in order to get rid of the past. Fear of open, free experiences. The desire to maintain tight control over the situation.

Going beyond the top edge of the sheet is a fixation on thinking and fantasy as sources of pleasure that the subject does not experience in real life.

The contours are very straight - rigidity.

A sketchy outline, used constantly - at best, pettiness, a desire for accuracy, at worst - an indication of the inability to take a clear position.

"HUMAN"

Head

Sphere of intelligence (control). Sphere of imagination. A big head is an unconscious emphasis on the belief about the importance of thinking in human activity.

Small head - experience of intellectual inadequacy.

Fuzzy head – shyness, timidity. The head is depicted at the very end - interpersonal conflict.

A large head on a figure of the opposite sex is an imaginary superiority of the opposite sex and its higher social authority.

An organ symbolizing the connection between the sphere of control (head) and the sphere of drive (body). Thus, this is their focal point.

The neck is emphasized - the need for protective intellectual control.

Excessively large neck - awareness of bodily impulses, trying to control them.

Long thin neck – inhibition, regression.

A thick, short neck is a concession to one’s weaknesses and desires, an expression of unsuppressed impulse.

Shoulders, their sizes

A sign of physical strength or need for power. Shoulders are excessively large - a feeling of great strength or excessive preoccupation with power and authority.

Shoulders are small – a feeling of low value, insignificance. Shoulders that are too angular are a sign of excessive caution and protection.

Sloping shoulders - despondency, despair, guilt, lack of vitality.

Broad shoulders - strong bodily impulses.

Torso

Symbolizes masculinity.

The body is angular or square - masculinity.

The body is too large - the presence of unsatisfied needs that are acutely aware of the subject.

The torso is abnormally small - a feeling of humiliation, low value.

Face

Facial features include eyes, ears, mouth, nose. This is sensory contact with reality.

The face is emphasized - strong concern about relationships with others, one’s appearance.

The chin is too emphasized - the need to dominate.

The chin is too large - compensation for perceived weakness and indecision.

Ears are too emphasized - auditory hallucinations are possible. Occurs in those who are especially sensitive to criticism.

Small ears - the desire not to accept any criticism, to drown it out.

Eyes closed or hidden under the brim of a hat - a strong desire to avoid unpleasant visual influences.

The eyes are depicted as empty sockets - a significant desire to avoid visual stimuli. Hostility.

Eyes bulging - rudeness, callousness.

Small eyes - self-absorption.

Eyeliner - rudeness, callousness.

Long eyelashes - flirtatiousness, a tendency to seduce, seduce, and demonstrate oneself.

Full lips on a man’s face are femininity.

The clown's mouth is forced friendliness, inadequate feelings.

The mouth is sunken - passive significance.

The nose is wide, prominent, with a hump - contemptuous attitudes, a tendency to think in ironic social stereotypes.

Nostrils – primitive aggression.

The teeth are clearly drawn - aggressiveness.

The face is unclear, dull - timidity, shyness.

The facial expression is obsequious - insecurity.

A face that looks like a mask means caution, secrecy, possible feelings of depersonalization and alienation.

Eyebrows are sparse, short - contempt, sophistication.

Hair

A sign of masculinity (bravery, strength, maturity and the desire for it).

Hair heavily shaded - anxiety associated with thinking or imagination.

The hair is not shaded, not painted over, frames the head - the subject is controlled by hostile feelings.

Limbs

Hands are tools for more perfect and sensitive adaptation to the environment, mainly in interpersonal relationships.

Wide arms (arm span) – intense desire for action.

Hands wider at the palm or at the shoulder - insufficient control of actions and impulsiveness.

Arms depicted not together with the body, but separately, extended to the sides - the subject sometimes catches himself in actions or actions that are out of his control.

Hands crossed on the chest - a hostile and suspicious attitude.

Hands behind your back - unwillingness to give in, to compromise (even with friends). The tendency to control the manifestation of aggressive, hostile impulses.

Arms are long and muscular - the subject needs physical strength, dexterity, courage as compensation.

Arms too long - overly ambitious aspirations.

Hands are relaxed and flexible – good adaptability in interpersonal relationships.

Arms tense and pressed to the body - clumsiness, rigidity.

Arms are very short – lack of aspirations along with a feeling of inadequacy.

Hands too large - strong need for better adjustment in social relationships with feelings of inadequacy and a tendency to impulsive behavior.

Lack of hands - a feeling of inadequacy with high intelligence.

Deformation or emphasis of an arm or leg on the left side is a social-role conflict.

Hands are depicted close to the body - tension. A man’s large arms and legs mean rudeness, callousness. Tapering arms and legs are feminine. Long arms - a desire to achieve something, to take possession of something.

Long and weak arms - dependence, indecisiveness, need for care.

Hands turned to the sides, reaching for something - dependence, desire for love, affection.

Arms extended at the sides - difficulties in social contacts, fear of aggressive impulses.

Strong hands – aggressiveness, energy. Hands are thin, weak - a feeling of insufficiency of what has been achieved.

The hand is like a boxing glove - repressed aggression. Hands behind your back or in your pockets – guilt, self-doubt.

Hands are unclearly outlined - lack of self-confidence in activities and social relationships.

Large hands are a compensation for perceived weakness and guilt. Hands are absent from the female figure - the maternal figure is perceived as unloving, rejecting, unsupportive.

Fingers are separated (chopped off) - repressed aggression, isolation.

Thumbs – rudeness, callousness, aggression. More than five fingers – aggressiveness, ambition.

Fingers without palms - rudeness, callousness, aggression. Less than five fingers – dependence, powerlessness. Long fingers - hidden aggression. Fingers clenched into fists - rebellion, protest. Fists pressed to the body - repressed protest. Fists far from the body - open protest. Fingers large, like nails (thorns) - hostility. The fingers are one-dimensional, surrounded by a loop - conscious efforts against aggressive feelings.

Legs are disproportionately long - a strong need for independence and the desire for it.

Legs too short – feeling of physical or psychological awkwardness.

The drawing began with the feet and legs - timidity. Feet are not depicted - isolation, timidity. Legs wide apart - outright neglect (insubordination, ignoring or insecurity).

Legs of unequal sizes - ambivalence in the desire for independence.

No legs - timidity, isolation. Legs are emphasized - rudeness, callousness. Feet are a sign of mobility (physiological or psychological) in interpersonal relationships.

Feet are disproportionately long – a need for safety. The need to demonstrate masculinity.

Feet are disproportionately small - stiffness, dependence.

Pose

The face is depicted in such a way that the back of the head is visible - a tendency towards isolation.

Head in profile, body in front - anxiety caused by the social environment and the need for communication.

A person sitting on the edge of a chair - a strong desire to find a way out of the situation, fear, loneliness, suspicion.

A person depicted running means a desire to run away, to hide from someone.

A person with visible imbalances in proportions in relation to the right and left sides is a lack of personal balance.

A person without certain body parts indicates rejection, non-recognition of the person as a whole or his missing parts (actually or symbolically depicted).

A person is in a blind flight - panic fears are possible.

A person with a smooth, easy step is good adaptability.

The person is an absolute profile - serious detachment, isolation and oppositional tendencies.

The profile is ambivalent - certain parts of the body are depicted on the other side in relation to the rest, looking in different directions - particularly strong frustration with the desire to get rid of an unpleasant situation.

Unbalanced standing figure – tension.

Dolls - compliance, the experience of dominance of the environment.

A robot instead of a male figure – depersonalization, a feeling of external controlling forces.

Stick figure - can mean prevarication and negativism.

The figure of Baba Yaga is open hostility towards women.

Clown, caricature - a feeling of inferiority characteristic of teenagers. Hostility, contempt itself.

Background. Environment

Clouds – fearful anxiety, fears, depression. Fence for support, contour of the ground - insecurity. The figure of a person in the wind represents the need for love, affection, caring warmth.

The line of the base (earth) is insecurity. It represents the necessary point of reference (support) for constructing the integrity of the drawing and provides stability. The meaning of this line sometimes depends on the quality the subject attaches to it, for example, “the boy is skating on thin ice.” The base is often drawn under a house or tree, less often under a person.

The weapon is aggression.

Multifaceted criteria

Broken lines, erased details, omissions, accentuation, shading are areas of conflict.

Buttons, a belt plaque, the vertical axis of the figure is emphasized, pockets - dependence.

Circuit. Pressure. Hatching. Location Few bent lines, many sharp corners - aggressiveness, poor adaptation.

Rounded (rounded) lines – femininity. The combination of confident, bright and light contours is rude and callous.

The outline is dim, unclear - fearfulness, timidity. Energetic, confident touches – perseverance, safety.

Lines of unequal brightness - voltage. Thin extended lines – tension. An unbroken, emphasized contour framing the figure is isolation.

Sketch outline – anxiety, timidity. A circuit break is a sphere of conflict. The line is emphasized - anxiety, insecurity. The sphere of conflicts. Regression (especially in relation to the emphasized detail).

Jagged, uneven lines - insolence, hostility. Confident, strong lines – ambition, zeal.

The bright line is rudeness.

Strong pressure – energy, persistence. Great tension.

Light lines – lack of energy. Light pressure – low energy resources, stiffness.

Lines with pressure – aggressiveness, persistence.

Uneven, unequal pressure – impulsiveness, instability, anxiety, insecurity.

Changeable pressure - emotional instability, labile moods.

Stroke length

If the patient is excitable, the strokes are shortened; if not, they are lengthened.

Straight strokes – stubbornness, perseverance, perseverance. Short strokes – impulsive behavior. Rhythmic shading – sensitivity, sympathy, looseness.

Short, sketchy strokes – anxiety, uncertainty. The strokes are angular, constrained - tension, isolation.

Horizontal strokes - emphasizing imagination, femininity, weakness.

Vague, varied, changeable strokes - insecurity, lack of perseverance, perseverance.

Vertical strokes – stubbornness, perseverance, determination, hyperactivity.

Hatching from right to left – introversion, isolation. Shading from left to right - the presence of motivation. Self-shading – aggression, extroversion. Erasures – anxiety, apprehension. Frequent erasures – indecision, dissatisfaction with oneself. Erasing during redrawing (if the redrawing is more perfect) is a good sign.

Erasing with subsequent damage (deterioration) of the drawing –

the presence of a strong emotional reaction to the object being drawn or to what it symbolizes for the subject.

Erasing without an attempt to redraw (i.e., correct) is an internal conflict or conflict with this particular detail (or with what it symbolizes).

Large drawing - expansiveness, a tendency towards vanity, arrogance.

Small figures - anxiety, emotional dependence, feelings of discomfort and stiffness.

A very small figure with a thin outline - stiffness, a sense of one’s own worthlessness and insignificance.

The lack of symmetry is insecurity.

The drawing at the very edge of the sheet is dependence, self-doubt.

A drawing on the entire sheet is a compensatory exaltation of oneself in the imagination.

Details

What is important here is knowledge of them, the ability to operate with them and adapt to specific practical living conditions. The researcher must note the degree of interest of the subject in such things, the degree of realism with which he perceives them; the relative importance he attaches to them; a way to connect these parts together.

Substantial Detail - The absence of significant detail in a drawing of a subject who is now or in the recent past known to be of average or higher intelligence is more likely to indicate intellectual degradation or severe emotional disturbance.

An excess of details - the “inevitability of physicality” (the inability to limit oneself) indicates a forced need to improve the entire situation, an excessive concern for the environment. The nature of the details (significant, unimportant or strange) can serve to more accurately determine the specificity of sensitivity.

Unnecessary duplication of details - the subject most likely does not know how to enter into tactful and flexible contacts with people.

Insufficient detail – tendencies towards isolation.

Particularly meticulous detailing - constraint, pedantry.

Task orientation

The ability to critically evaluate a drawing when asked to criticize it is a criterion for not losing contact with reality.

Accepting the task with minimal protest is a good start, followed by fatigue and interruption of drawing.

Apologizing because of the drawing is not enough confidence.

As drawing progresses, the pace and productivity decrease - rapid exhaustion.

The name of the picture is extraversion, need and support. Pettiness.

The left half of the picture is emphasized – identification with the female gender.

Draws persistently, despite difficulties - good prognosis, energy.

Resistance, refusal to draw - hiding problems, unwillingness to reveal oneself.

TREE

The interpretation according to K. Koch is based on the provisions of K. Jung (a tree is a symbol of a standing person).

The roots are the collective, the unconscious.

Trunk – impulses, instincts, primitive stages.

Branches – passivity or opposition to life.

The interpretation of a tree drawing always contains a permanent core (roots, trunk, branches) and ornamental elements (foliage, fruits, landscape). As already noted, K. Koch’s interpretation was aimed mainly at identifying pathological signs and characteristics of mental development. In our opinion, there are a number of contradictions in the interpretation, and there is also the use of concepts that are difficult to specify. For example, in the interpretation of the sign “rounded crown”, “lack of energy”, “drowsiness”, “nodding” and then “gift of observation”, “strong imagination”, “frequent inventor” or “lack of concentration” - what? What reality is behind this concept? Remains unknown. In addition, the interpretation of signs contains excessive use of ordinary definitions. For example: “emptiness”, “pomposity”, “pomposity”, “flat”, “vulgar”, “petty”, “narrow-minded”, “pretentiousness”, “pretense”, “stiffness”, “pretentiousness”, “falseness” and right there - “gift of constructiveness”, “ability for systematics”, “technical talent”; or a combination of “self-discipline”, “self-control”, “good manners” - “pomposity”, “swagger”, “indifference”, “indifference”.

We would like to draw attention to the fact that when communicating with normal people in the process of psychological counseling, it is hardly permissible to pronounce such epithets in their address.

The earth rises to the right edge of the picture - fervor, enthusiasm.

The earth sinks to the right edge of the sheet - loss of strength, lack of aspirations.

Roots

The roots are smaller than the trunk - a desire for something hidden, closed. The roots are equal to the trunk - a stronger curiosity that already poses a problem.

Roots larger than the trunk - intense curiosity, which can cause anxiety.

The roots are indicated by a line - childish behavior in relation to what is kept secret.

The roots in the form of two lines are the ability to distinguish and prudence in assessing the real; the different forms of these roots may be associated with the desire to live, suppress or express certain tendencies in an unfamiliar circle or close environment.

Symmetry is the desire to appear in harmony with the outside world. Marked tendency to restrain aggressiveness. Hesitation in choosing a position in relation to feelings, ambivalence, moral problems.

The arrangement on the sheet is ambiguous - the relationship to the past, to what the drawing depicts, i.e. to your action. Double desire: independence and protection within the environment. The central position is the desire to find agreement and balance with others. Indicates the need for rigid and rigorous systematization based on habits.

Arrangement from left to right - increases focus on the outside world, on the future. The need to rely on authority; seeking agreement with the outside world; ambition, the desire to impose oneself on others, a feeling of abandonment; fluctuations in behavior are possible.

Foliage shape

Round crown – exaltation, emotionality. Circles in foliage - the search for soothing and rewarding sensations, feelings of abandonment and disappointment.

Branches drooping - loss of courage, refusal of effort. Branches upward - enthusiasm, impulse, desire for power. Branches in different directions - search for self-affirmation, contacts, self-dispersal. Fussiness, sensitivity to the environment, lack of opposition to it.

Foliage-mesh, more or less dense - greater or less dexterity in avoiding problematic situations.

Foliage of curved lines - receptivity, open acceptance of the environment.

Open and closed foliage in one picture - a search for objectivity.

Closed foliage - protecting your inner world in a childish way.

Closed dense foliage is hidden aggressiveness. Details of foliage not related to the whole - insignificant details are taken as a characteristic of the phenomenon as a whole.

The branches emerge from one area on the trunk - a child’s search for protection, the norm for a seven-year-old child.

The branches are drawn with one line - an escape from the troubles of reality, its transformation and embellishment.

Thick branches are a good discernment of reality. Loop leaves - prefers to use charm. Palma - the desire to change places. Mesh foliage - escape from unpleasant sensations. Foliage as a pattern - femininity, friendliness, charm. Weeping willow - lack of energy, desire for solid support and search for positive contacts; return to the past and childhood experiences; difficulties in making decisions.

Blackening, shading - tension, anxiety.

Trunk

Shaded trunk - internal anxiety, suspicion, fear of abandonment; hidden aggressiveness.

The trunk is in the shape of a broken dome - the desire to be like the mother, to do everything like her, or the desire to be like the father, to measure strength with him, a reflection of failures.

A one-line trunk is a refusal to look at things realistically.

The trunk is drawn with thin lines, the crown with thick ones - it can assert itself and act freely.

Foliage with thin lines - subtle sensitivity, suggestibility.

Trunk with lines with pressure - determination, activity, productivity.

The lines of the trunk are straight - dexterity, resourcefulness, does not dwell on disturbing facts.

The trunk lines are crooked - activity is inhibited by anxiety and thoughts about the insurmountability of obstacles.

"Vermicelli" - a tendency to secrecy for the sake of abuse, unforeseen attacks, hidden rage.

The branches are not connected to the trunk - a departure from reality that does not correspond to desires, an attempt to “escape” into dreams and games.

The trunk is open and connected with the foliage - high intelligence, normal development, the desire to preserve inner peace.

The trunk is torn off the ground - lack of contact with the outside world; Everyday life and spiritual life have little connection.

The trunk is limited from below - a feeling of unhappiness, a search for support.

The trunk expands downward - searching for a reliable position in one’s circle.

The trunk tapers downwards - a feeling of security in a circle that does not provide the desired support; isolation and the desire to strengthen the self against a troubled world.

Overall height - lower quarter of the sheet - dependence, lack of self-confidence, compensatory dreams of power.

The lower half of the leaf is less pronounced dependence and timidity.

Three quarters of the leaf is a good adaptation to the environment. The leaf is used in its entirety - it wants to be noticed, count on others, assert itself.

Sheet height (page divided into eight parts):

1/8 – lack of reflection and control. Normal for a four year old child

1/4 – the ability to comprehend one’s experience and slow down one’s actions,

3/8 – good control and reflection,

1/2 – internalization, hopes, compensatory dreams,

5/8 – intense spiritual life,

6/8 – the height of the foliage is directly dependent on intellectual development and spiritual interests,

7/8 – foliage covers almost the entire page – an escape into dreams.

Manner of depiction

Sharp peak - protects against danger, real or imaginary, perceived as a personal attack; desire to act on others, attack or defend, difficulties in contacts; wants to compensate for feelings of inferiority, the desire for power; seeking a safe haven due to feelings of abandonment for a firm position, need for tenderness.

Multiplicity of trees (several trees on one leaf) is childish behavior; the subject does not follow these instructions.

Two trees - can symbolize yourself and another loved one (see position on the sheet and other points of interpretation).

Adding various objects to the tree is interpreted depending on the specific objects.

Landscape means sentimentality.

Turning over a leaf is independence, a sign of intelligence, prudence.

Earth

The earth is depicted by one feature - focus on the goal, acceptance of some order.

The earth is depicted in several different ways - acting according to its own rules, needing an ideal. Several joint lines depicting the ground and touching the edge of the sheet - spontaneous contact, sudden removal, impulsiveness, capriciousness.

A special way of interpretation may be the order in which the drawing of the house, tree and person is made. If a tree is drawn first, it means that the main thing for a person is vital energy. If the house is drawn first, then safety, success, or, conversely, neglect of these concepts comes first.

Symptom complexes of aggressiveness in the test

Symptomo
complex
SymptomPoint
Hostility
1. No windows0,2
2. Keyhole door0,1
3. Very big tree0,1
4. Tree with leaf edge0,1
5. Reverse profile of tree, person0,1
6. Branches of two dimensions, like fingers0,1
7. Eyes - empty sockets0,2
8. Long sharp fingers0,2
9. Grin, teeth visible0,1
10. Aggressive stance of a man0,1,2
11. The back wall of the house is shown from the other side; unusual0,1
12. Doors with a huge lock0,2
13. Windows without glass0,1
14. No windows on the first floor of the house0,1
15. The hair is not shaded, not painted over, frames the head0,1,2
16. Arms crossed on chest0,2
17. Fingers are large, like nails (spikes)0,1,2
18. Caricature image.0,1,2
19. Jagged, jagged lines0,1,2
20. Figure of Baba Yaga (for women)0,1
21. Crown - ball0,1,2
22. Other Possible Signs0,1,2
Conflict
1. Space limitations0,1,2
2. Bottom perspective (worm's view)0,1,2
3. Redrawing an object0,2
4. Refusal to draw any object0,2
5. Tree like two trees0,2
6. A clear discrepancy in the quality of one of the drawings0,2
7. Contradiction between drawing and statement0,1
8. Accentuated waist0,1
9. No pipe on the roof0,1
10. Other Possible Signs0,1
Aggressiveness
1. Various buildings0,1,2
2. Nostrils are too emphasized0,1
3. The teeth are clearly drawn0,1,2
4. Hands are strong0,1,2
5. Hand like a boxing glove0,2
6. Fingers separated0,1,2
7. Thumbs0,2
8. More than five fingers.0,2
9. Long fingers0,2
10. Weapon0,1,2
11. Few bent lines, many sharp corners.0,1,2
12. Lines with pressure0,1,2
13. Hatching from yourself0,1,2
14. Closed dense foliage0,1,2
15. Shading the barrel0,1
16. Other Possible Signs0,1
Negativism
1. Various buildings0,1,2
2. Side wall shown in one-dimensional perspective0,1
3. Ears are small

Each object (house, tree, person), drawn separately or in a composition, should be considered as a self-portrait, since each subject depicts it with certain features that are significant for him for some reason, and these features have a real background that is different from what subjects can say about it.

The interpretation process consists of a sequential analysis of the following groups of elements:

· details;

· proportions;

· perspective;

· quality of lines;

· self-criticism;

· comments.

The researcher must keep in mind that an element in one configuration may have a meaning completely different from its assigned meaning in another configuration, and also that it may have more than one meaning.

It is believed that the details of the drawing symbolize how the subject is oriented in various situations of everyday life and his interest in them. The researcher must find out the depth of this interest, how realistic his view of life is, the subjective meaning he attributes to life situations, and the way he organizes everyday life in general.

· Quantity;

· Relevance;

· Accenting;

· Sequence of parts;

· Erotic manifestations;

· Consistency;

1. Quantity. First, the researcher must establish the number of essential required parts used in the drawing. For example, a house must have at least one door (unless only a side wall is drawn), one window, one wall, a roof, and, unless it has been specified that the house is in a warm climate, a chimney or other means to release smoke from a stove, or something that can be used to heat a home. The tree must have a trunk and at least one branch (unless it is specified that it is a stump, in which case the answer must obviously be regarded as "anomalous"). The person drawn must have a head, a body, two legs, two arms (provided that the absence of any limb or limbs is not explained verbally and that the person is not drawn in profile), as well as two eyes, a nose, a mouth and two ears (again (if the absence of any of these details is not explained separately).

The absence of required details in the drawings of subjects who had an average or above average level of intelligence often indicates a decrease in this level. If, in terms of proportions and perspective, the drawing is well executed, but contains a minimum of detail, this may mean that the subject is characterized by:

1) a tendency to be closed (it is believed that by the number of details one can judge the degree of contact with the environment);

2) “abnormal” disregard for traditional things.

If the use of a minimum of details in the drawing is combined with a low level of quality of proportional and spatial relationships, it can be assumed that:

1) the subject is mentally retarded;

2) there is a decrease in his intellectual performance, which is either reversible or irreversible.

The image of an excessive amount of detail, apparently, is always a pathoform element, since it is usually a sign of an overwhelming need to structure the situation as a whole, excessive anxiety associated with the environment (you can determine what exactly these manifestations are associated with by the type of details used) . Secondly, a qualitative assessment of the parts used is carried out. For example, the window(s) of a house is an image of visual contact. Obviously, a door (or doors) implies the possibility of entry or exit; the front door can represent both entrance and exit, that is, it symbolizes accessibility, while the back and/or side door seems to usually represent exit, escapism. A closed, withdrawn subject may show his hostility by drawing windows without glass, not drawing windows at all, or not drawing them on the ground floor; draws windows. but complements them with shutters, shading, curtains, curtains, etc.; draws a door with heavy door hinges, huge locks, etc.

It is believed that a tree is in the shape of a keyhole, i.e. with a crown in the form of a circle or oval, the junction with the trunk of which can be either closed or open, and the trunk in the form of two vertical lines, connected or not connected at the base, means strong hostile impulses. A tree of this shape is mostly empty space.

Hostility is expressed:

1) in the reluctance of the subject to draw those details that are usually depicted or represented in the form of strokes;

2) in his refusal to depict in more detail the structure of the crown (which is interpreted as an indicator of the relationship, degree, etc. of his desire to obtain satisfaction from the world around him).

Scars and/or broken, drooping or dead tree branches seem to symbolize psychic trauma. Graphic or verbal indications indicating that the tree is dead are regarded as signs of feelings of inferiority or inadequacy, worthlessness, guilt, etc. Moreover, the image of a completely dead tree may indicate poor fitness of the subject to a greater extent than the image of a partially dead tree. Most often, branches or roots are called dead or partially dead, in which case the interpretation, the validity of which has not yet been proven, interprets damaged branches as a symbol of traumatic environmental influences; a dead root system implies intrapersonal disharmony or disintegration of mental functions.

If the subject did not draw the roots, you can ask him to do so. It is assumed that the root structure may represent the strength and quality of those aspects of the personality that are theoretically located below the conscious level. Probably, the tree symbolizes how the subject feels in the reality around him. Since the external forces acting on a tree are predominantly meteorological, it is not surprising that through descriptions of weather conditions many subjects can express their feelings regarding whether the surrounding reality is generally supportive and friendly or oppressive and hostile.

Wind is generally believed to symbolize the feeling of being exposed to forces that are virtually uncontrollable; the direction of wind of moderate strength from left to right horizontally is considered generally accepted and is not interpreted in any way. If, according to the subject, the wind is strong and the direction is different from usual, then this, as a rule, has some special meaning. It is believed that the wind, which, according to the subject, blows from the bottom up (vertically or diagonally), symbolizes his strong desire to be transported from the real world to the world of fantasy; and the wind blowing diagonally from the top to the bottom corner has the opposite meaning (with the direction interpreted in terms of time, the left corner is the past, the right is the future).

It is believed that the setting sun can mean a depressed mood. The sun drawn behind a cloud implies a disturbing and unsatisfying relationship between the subject and a “warming” or hostile, threatening figure. Even in the presence of such negative characteristics of the weather as extreme heat or extreme cold, etc., the researcher should not make hasty conclusions without obtaining further evidence, because the description of such extreme conditions may simply indicate that the subject is sensitive and even responsive to new conditions. and intense stimuli.

A person’s hands seem to represent a tool with the help of which a defensive or offensive action is performed in relation to the surrounding world or oneself, and the feet symbolize movement. The subject can express feelings of helplessness by drawing a self-portrait without arms or feet.

The eyes, nose, mouth and ears are organs that perceive external stimuli that may be unpleasant (such as hearing accusations), which may lead to conflict or problem. A drawing of a person with only eyes indicates suspicion and excessive caution; the absence of a nose, ears and mouth indicates a reluctance to communicate.

2. Relevance. Since the subject is asked to draw only a house, a tree, and a person, one can logically question the relevance of any detail that is not actually an integral part of each of the listed objects. Examples of superfluous details (which seem to represent the subject's need to structure the situation) are the following: for a drawing of a house - a tree in the yard, for a drawing of a tree - a bird on it or an animal near it, for a drawing of a person - a door he is knocking on , etc. It is believed that trees (or bushes) drawn near a tree or person often represent people (usually members of the subject's family), and the distance between them often symbolizes the closeness or distance in their relationships.

The ground line (base line) in a drawing of a house, tree or person is, strictly speaking, not an appropriate detail. It is interpreted as a sign of insecurity in general (since it can be said that in a sense the ground line is an element that strengthens the reality of the drawing). In addition, the person drawing this line experiences a greater need for structure in the drawing than all other subjects. The base line provides the necessary reference point and ensures the stability of the drawing as a whole.

The specific meaning of the base line appears to depend on:

1) the object that is drawn above it (the base line is least often drawn under a person, most often under a tree);

2) the number of objects drawn above this line;

3) the degree of emphasis (which can be judged by the size of the line, reinforcement, properties, etc.).

The meaning of the base line can directly depend on the quality that the subject attributes to it.

Inappropriate details include clouds in the sky for any of the three drawings (in “DDC” the clouds apparently symbolize anxiety associated with relationships with the surrounding reality).

3. Emphasis. It can be both positive and negative. There are several forms of positive emphasis. In some cases, excessive attention may be paid to unimportant details, for example, a window lined with many cells and similar to a grid may manifest an obsessive need to reinforce any detail: the subject returns to it again and again, sometimes even after completing the drawing. Such reinforcement in general can mean vague anxiety, and specifically, indicate fixation on a given object (the object of fixation can be actually drawn or represented in symbolic form), action or attitude. Negative emphasis can also be conveyed in several ways:

1) the subject can erase the drawn detail partially or completely;

2) can cross out one of the main details of the drawing.

Examples of emphasizing such a house detail as a pipe on the roof:

a) thick clouds of smoke are depicted above the chimney;

b) the pipe itself and (or) the material from which it is made are carefully drawn;

c) the outline of the pipe is highlighted.

Such an emphasis may indicate a certain preoccupation with the male sexual symbol and other problems of this kind.

4. Sequence of parts. The focus here is on real consistency in drawing the details of the house, tree and person. It should be noted that any change in the usual order of depicting parts will be forgotten if timely notes are not made. It turned out that most subjects, when drawing a house, adhere to the following sequence: first they draw the roof, then the wall (walls), then the door and window (windows) or the window (windows) and the door. Or; first - the base line, then the wall(s), roof, etc. It was found that unconfident subjects sometimes depicted one detail separately from another or from the drawing as a whole, without taking into account the connection between them, and sometimes symmetrically (two pipes , two windows, two doors, etc.).

The sequence of details of a house drawing, in which the door or windows of the first floor are depicted last, can be called pathoform. It means:

a) rejection of interpersonal contacts;

b) the desire to avoid contact with reality.

Drawing a tree is usually done in the following sequence: first the trunk is drawn, then the branches and crown and (or) foliage (in more or less real form). Or: first - the top of the tree, then the branches (implied, depicted, for example, by shading or drawn in real form), the trunk and the base of the trunk. It is assumed that the branches of the tree symbolize the relationship of the subject with the outside world and reflect the level of his activity in the search for satisfaction; the trunk symbolizes the subject’s feelings regarding his basic abilities, personal potential - the degree of flexibility of the branches, their number, size and the degree of their mutual connection indicate the adaptability and currently available personal resources.

In most cases, a person is depicted in the following sequence: first they draw the head, then facial features (eyes, nose, etc.), then the neck, torso, arms (with fingers or hands), legs and feet (or legs and arms in reverse order), etc.

If a drawing of a person begins with the feet and ends with the head and facial features, then such a sequence can be called pathological. A delayed image of facial features may indicate:

1) about the tendency to reject external stimuli perceived by the senses;

2) about the desire to delay as much as possible the identification of the drawn person.

Any deviation from the normal sequence - including:

1) unusual order of the image;

2) an arbitrary return to what was previously drawn, either with subsequent erasing or redrawing;

3) reinforcement of the drawing (when the outlines of a given detail are repeatedly outlined) - should be regarded as pathoform.

The researcher must try to determine whether the deviation from the normal sequence of drawing details is caused only by a decrease in basic intellectual performance (for example, in the case of obvious mental retardation) or by hesitation, indecision, the cause of which lies in some emotional disturbances or organic changes and represents changes in the structure of the personality.

5. Erotic manifestations. The researcher should check all three drawings for the presence of erotic details, whether depicted realistically or symbolically. Windows drawn without window panes sometimes symbolize oral (or) anal eroticism, as well as a feeling of hostility. A tree drawn at the top of an arched hill seems to often signify oral-erotic fixation, often coupled with a need for maternal protection. The drawing of a pipe on the roof is difficult for a subject who is experiencing a sexual conflict if he perceives it as a phallic symbol.

Often, excessive attention is paid to the erogenous zones of the body (mouth, breasts, buttocks, etc.), in which case some psychosexual deviations, fixations or immaturity can be detected through interpretation and careful questioning after drawing.

It appears that more explicit presentation of sexual details - especially if the subject is of average or higher intelligence and behaves in a socially acceptable manner - is more likely to be a manifestation of a serious personality disorder.

6. Consistency. The researcher must determine the relative consistency of detail both within each drawing and between all three drawings. If there is a significant difference between them - for example, when two of them use a large number of parts that are not consistent with their insignificant number in the third, he must definitely pay attention to this.

It is believed that the meaning of the proportional relationships reflected in the drawings of a house, a tree and a person, in most cases, demonstrates the assessments that the subject assigns to things, situations, people, etc., presented in his drawings in real or symbolic form.

Attention is paid to the following criteria:

· Ratio of picture size to page size;

· The relationship of the fragment to the picture as a whole;

· The relationship between the fragments of the picture;

· Consistency.

1. Ratio of picture size to page size. From the point of view of deviation from the norm, the researcher should primarily be interested in two ways of using paper space:

1) when the drawing occupies a very small area of ​​available space;

2) when the drawing takes up almost the entire page or does not even fit on it.

The first is usually interpreted as a manifestation of the subject's feelings of inferiority, the presence of a certain tendency to avoid reality, or a desire to reject a specific drawing or its symbolic meaning (for example, symbolic rejection of the family is often expressed through a drawing of a house).

The second can be interpreted as:

1) manifestation of strong frustration caused by the limiting influence of the surrounding reality, combined with a feeling of hostility and the need for aggressive actions (there may not be an opportunity to carry out these actions);

2) irritability and a rather acute feeling of tension or

3) a reflection of the feeling of a state of motor helplessness (if, for example, the feet and (or) part of the legs in the drawing of a person are “cut off” by the bottom edge of the page).

It is believed that the size of the tree compared to the size of the page reflects how the subject feels in the psychological field. If the tree is enormously tall, then, apparently, the subject acutely feels his dependence on the surrounding reality in general and, perhaps, shows aggressiveness or a tendency towards it. If the tree is tiny in size, then the subject probably feels inferiority, inadequacy and the need to withdraw into himself.

2. The relationship of the fragment to the picture as a whole. The researcher should pay attention to the existing disproportion between the size of any fragment and the picture as a whole. For example, a tiny door, which is much smaller than the average window in a house, is interpreted as reflecting the subject's reluctance to let anyone into his true feelings.

If a subject draws a person with very long and muscular arms (completely disproportionate compared to the body), then he is probably showing a need to compensate for physical imperfections.

3. The relationship between the fragments of the picture. A dependent, self-dependent subject may draw a tree with a huge but poorly formed crown and a small trunk (which is interpreted as a manifestation of a feeling of basic inferiority combined with an intense desire to enjoy the world around him).

4. Consistency. One should not expect complete proportional consistency between the fragments of the drawing, as well as the proportionality of individual fragments. However, if a discrepancy is noticed, it should be regarded as suspicious, and the researcher should try to find an explanation for it.

Test "House-tree-person" developed by American psychologist J. Buck. It allows us to identify the following symptom complexes: feelings of insecurity, anxiety, self-doubt, feelings of inferiority, hostility towards others, the presence of a conflict (frustrating) situation in the child’s life, difficulties in communication and establishing contacts, depressive tendencies.

This test is projective, since when the presented stimulus is uncertain (i.e. the child does not realize that his drawing can be used to draw conclusions about his personality), the subject projects his idea of ​​the house (tree, person) and attitude towards what this object symbolizes for him.

The test technique is very simple. The child is offered a standard sheet of paper and a simple pencil (softness 2M). First, the drawing sheet is folded in half. On the first page, in a horizontal position at the top, “HOUSE” is written in block letters; on the second and third pages, in a vertical position at the top of each sheet, “TREE” and “MAN” are written, respectively.

Instructions. The child is told the following: “Please draw a house, a tree and a person as best as possible.” All clarifying questions from the subject should be answered that he can draw the way he wants. After finishing drawing, a conversation is held with the child. Observing a child in the process of drawing will also provide a lot of information - his facial expressions, spontaneous statements, gestures or unusual movements, etc. are noted. Then a qualitative and quantitative analysis of the obtained indicators is carried out.

Interpretation of the result

When carrying out interpretation, it is necessary to proceed from an analysis of the integrity of the drawings. The presence of only one sign does not yet indicate the manifestation of a certain mental characteristic in a given subject. The interpretation consists of two parts. The first part concerns the generally accepted interpretation of drawings and individual elements. In the second part, the psychological portrait of the subject is determined based on the criteria of the projective test, analysis of each individual drawing in the context of the entire task and observation of the subject while performing the task.

The subject can show in his drawing which details are of personal interest to him in two ways: positive - if during drawing he emphasizes them, returns to these details of the drawing, erases some details of the drawing; negative - if it misses the basic, essential details of the objects being drawn. The meaning of such details should be interpreted taking into account the integrity of all drawings.

Proportions sometimes reflect the psychological significance, importance and value of things, situations or relationships that are directly or symbolically represented in the drawing. Proportion can be considered as the ratio of a whole design to a given space of paper, or as the ratio of one part of a whole design to another.

Perspective reveals a more complex relationship between man and his environment. When assessing perspective, attention is paid to the position of the drawing on the sheet in relation to the viewer (view from above or below), the relative position of the parts of the drawing, and the movement of the drawn object.

Interpretation of signs

House

A drawing of a house always reflects issues related to a person’s family. The child expresses his attitude towards his parents, brothers and sisters. Adult - family relationship with spouse.

General form

  • A drawing adjacent to the bottom border of the sheet means a lack of a sense of security in family or intimate life.
  • Drawing on the edge of the sheet - a feeling of danger is often associated with the following aspects: 1) the right side - the future, the left - the past, 2) the danger is associated with the purpose of the room or with its permanent occupant, 3) the left side - emotional experiences, the right - intellectual.
  • Placing the picture above the center of the sheet - the larger the picture is above the center, the greater the likelihood that: 1) the subject feels the severity of the struggle and the relative unattainability of the goal; 2) the subject prefers to seek satisfaction in fantasies (internal tension); 3) the subject tends to stay aloof.
  • Placing the drawing exactly in the center of the sheet is insecurity and rigidity (straightness). The need for careful control to maintain mental balance.
  • Placing the picture below the center of the sheet - the lower the picture is in relation to the center of the sheet, the more likely it is that: 1) the subject feels unsafe and uncomfortable, and this creates a depressive mood in him; 2) the subject feels limited, constrained by reality.
  • Placing a picture on the left side of the sheet is an emphasis on the past. Impulsiveness.
  • Placing a picture in the upper left corner of the sheet is a tendency to avoid new experiences. The desire to go into the past or delve into fantasies.
  • Placing a picture on the right half of the sheet - the subject is inclined to seek pleasure in the intellectual spheres. Controlled behavior. Emphasis on the future.
  • The drawing extends beyond the left edge of the sheet - fixation on the past and fear of the future. Excessive preoccupation with free, overt emotional experiences.
  • Going beyond the right edge of the sheet is a desire to “escape” into the future in order to get rid of the past. Fear of open, free experiences. The desire to maintain tight control over the situation.
  • Going beyond the top edge of the sheet is fixation on thinking and fantasy as sources of pleasure that the subject does not experience in real life.
  • The contours are very straight - rigidity.
  • A sketchy outline, used constantly - at best, pettiness, a desire for accuracy, at worst - an indication of the inability to achieve a clear position.
  • House presented in perspective, viewed from below - denial of the house or the feeling that achieving the desired situation at home is impossible. Feeling that the subject is rejected, excluded, not recognized at home. Or the subject feels the need for a home, which he considers inaccessible, unattainable.
  • House in perspective, top view - denial of the home situation. The plan of the house (projection from above) instead of the house itself is a serious conflict.
  • Signs of “loss of perspective” (the individual correctly draws one end of the house, but at the other draws a vertical line of the roof and walls - does not know how to depict depth) - signals the beginning of difficulties in integration, fear of the future (if the vertical side line is on the right) or a desire to forget the past (line on the left).
  • Triple perspective (three-dimensional, the subject draws at least four separate walls) - excessive concern with the opinions of others about oneself, the desire to keep in mind (recognize) all connections, even minor ones, all features.
  • Home away - a feeling of rejection, a clear tendency to isolate oneself from one’s surroundings; the desire not to recognize what this drawing symbolizes.
  • Home nearby - openness, accessibility and/or a feeling of warmth and hospitality.
  • Main parts - door, window, wall, roof, pipe. If some detail is missing, there are certain problems in relationships with people.
  • Additional details - the need for additional ordering of the surrounding space. This is sometimes due to a lack of security or a desire to control conflicts.
  • The house is old, falling apart - sometimes the subject can express his attitude towards himself in this way.
  • Different buildings - aggression is directed against the actual owner of the house or a rebellion against what the subject considers artificial and cultural standards.
  • Steps leading into a blank wall (without doors) are a reflection of a conflict situation that is detrimental to a correct assessment of reality. The inaccessibility of the subject, although he himself may desire free cordial communication.

Walls

  • The back wall, located unusually, is a conscious attempt at self-control, adaptation to conventions, but at the same time there are strong hostile tendencies.
  • The outline of the back wall is much brighter (thicker) compared to other details - the subject strives to maintain (not lose) contact with reality.
  • The wall, the absence of its base, is a weak contact with reality (if the drawing is placed below).
  • A wall with an accentuated contour of the base - the subject is trying to displace conflicting tendencies, experiencing difficulties and anxiety.
  • A wall with an accentuated horizontal dimension means poor orientation in time (dominance of the past or future). The subject may be sensitive to environmental pressure.
  • The wall, side contour is too thin and inadequate - a premonition (threat) of disaster.
  • The wall, the contours of the line are too accentuated - a conscious desire to maintain control.
  • Wall, one-dimensional perspective, only one side is shown. If this is a side wall, then there are serious tendencies towards alienation and opposition.
  • Transparent walls - an unconscious attraction, the need to influence (own, organize) the situation as much as possible.
  • A wall with an accentuated vertical dimension - the subject seeks pleasure primarily in fantasies and has fewer contacts with reality than is desirable.

Doors

  • Doors - contacts with surrounding people.
  • Their absence - the subject experiences difficulties in trying to open up to others (especially in the home circle).
  • Doors (one or more), back or side - retreat, detachment, avoidance, rejection of reality, significant inaccessibility.
  • Doors are open - the first sign of frankness, reachability or the need to receive warmth from the outside world.
  • The doors are very large - excessive dependence on others or the desire to surprise with your social sociability.
  • The doors are very small - reluctance to let you into your “I”. Feelings of inadequacy, inadequacy, and hesitancy in social situations.
  • Doors with a huge lock - hostility, suspiciousness, secrecy, defensive tendencies.

Smoke

  • The smoke is very thick - significant internal tension (intensity based on smoke density).
  • Smoke in a thin stream - a feeling of lack of emotional warmth at home.

Window

  • Windows - behavioral features.
  • The first floor is drawn at the end - aversion to interpersonal relationships. Tendency to isolate from reality.
  • The windows are very open - the subject behaves somewhat cheekily and straightforwardly. Many windows show a readiness for contacts, and the absence of curtains shows a lack of desire to hide one’s feelings.
  • Windows are closed (curtained) - concern about interaction with the environment (if this is significant for the subject).
  • Windows without glass - hostility, alienation.
  • There are no windows on the lower floor, but there are on the upper floor - a gap between real life and fantasy life.
  • No windows - hostility, flight, alienation.
  • Windows with vents - reserve, self-control.
  • Windows without curtains - open, spontaneous behavior.

Roof

  • The roof is a realm of fantasy.
  • The roof and chimney, torn off by the wind, symbolically express the subject's feelings of being commanded, regardless of his own willpower.
  • The roof, the bold outline, unusual for the drawing, is a fixation on fantasies as a source of pleasure, usually accompanied by anxiety.
  • The roof, the thin contour of the edge - the experience of weakening fantasy control.
  • Roof, thick outline of the edge - excessive preoccupation with control over fantasy (its curbing).
  • A roof that does not fit well with the lower floor is a bad personal organization.
  • The eaves of the roof, its accentuation with a bright outline or lining behind the walls, is a highly protective (usually suspicious) installation.
  • Flat (one line between two walls) - lack of imagination or emotional inhibition.
  • Too big a roof - seeking satisfaction in fantasies.

Pipe

  • Trumpet - warm (or intimate) relationship.
  • Absence of a pipe - the subject feels a lack of psychological warmth at home or the presence of conflicts with an important male person.
  • The pipe is almost invisible (hidden) - reluctance to deal with emotional influences.
  • The pipe is drawn obliquely in relation to the roof - the norm for a child; significant regression if found in adults.
  • Water pipes (or roof drains) - enhanced protective installations (and usually increased suspiciousness).

Additionally

  • The transparent, “glass” box symbolizes the experience of putting oneself on display for everyone to see. He is accompanied by a desire to demonstrate himself, but limited only to visual contact.
  • Trees often symbolize different faces. If they seem to be “hiding” the house, then there may be a strong need for dependence under parental dominance.
  • Bushes sometimes symbolize people. If they are closely surrounding the house, there may be a strong desire to protect themselves with protective barriers.
  • Bushes are scattered chaotically throughout the space or on both sides of the path - a slight anxiety within the framework of reality and a conscious desire to control it.
  • A path (path) is a symbol of a person’s openness, his availability for contacts. A path, good proportions, easily drawn - shows that the individual displays tact and self-control in contacts with others.
  • The road is very long - reduced availability, often accompanied by the need for more adequate socialization.
  • The path is very wide at the beginning and narrows greatly at the house - an attempt to disguise the desire to be alone, combined with superficial friendliness.
  • The sun is a symbol of an authority figure. Often perceived as a source of warmth and strength.
  • Weather (what weather is depicted) - reflects the subject’s experiences as a whole associated with the environment. Most likely, the worse, more unpleasant the weather is depicted, the more likely it is that the subject perceives the environment as hostile and constraining.

A room instead of a house

  • Associations can arise in connection with: 1) the person living in the room, 2) interpersonal relationships in the room, 3) the purpose of this room (real or attributed to it).
  • Associations can have a positive or negative emotional connotation.
  • A room that does not fit on the sheet is the reluctance of the subject to depict certain rooms due to unpleasant associations with them or with their occupant.
  • The subject chooses the nearest room - suspiciousness.
  • Bath - performs a sanitary function. If the manner in which the bath is depicted is significant, these functions may be impaired.
  • The bedroom is a place of intimate relationships. A graphic or verbal depiction of one's own bedroom can help reveal the subject's level of sexual fitness, as well as reveal the subject's attitude toward or need for rest and relaxation.
  • Dining room (living room). The function of this room is to satisfy oral and nutritional needs. If the manner of drawing indicates the significance of this room for the subject, a violation of these functions can be suspected.
  • Living room (living room) - social communication.
  • Kitchen. The image of a room in which food is prepared, in the presence of a special manner of drawing in the subject (indicating violations), signals oral eroticism. This may be due to a strong need for affection and love.
  • Various outbuildings. Aggression directed against the actual owner of the house, or rebellion against what the subject considers artificial, cultural, standard. If the subject draws a toilet near the house, it can be assumed that there is a urethral and/or anal interest.

Color

  • Common color uses: green - for the roof; brown - for walls; yellow, if used only to depict light inside the house, thereby depicting night or its approach, expresses the feelings of the subject, namely: 1) the environment is hostile to him, 2) his actions must be hidden from prying eyes.
  • Number of Colors Used: A well-adapted and emotionally undisturbed subject will typically use no fewer than two and no more than five colors; We can talk about mental instability if the subject paints the house with seven or more colors; if only one color is used, the subject fears emotional stimulation.
  • The realistic use of color is not pathological.
  • Specific, non-conventional use of color (the longer and harder the subject selects colors, the greater the likelihood of having personality disorders):
  • The color black is shyness, timidity. Strong oppositional tendencies with potential for aggression.
  • The color green is the need to have a sense of security, to protect oneself from danger. This position is not so important when using green for the branches of a tree or the roof of a house.
  • The color blue is a certain depressive mood background. The need for self-control is recognized.
  • The color orange is a combination of sensitivity and hostility.
  • The color purple is a strong need for power.
  • The color red is the highest sensitivity. The need for warmth from the environment.
  • The color brown represents caution and an immature reaction to emotional stimuli.
  • The color yellow is a strong sign of hostility. The yellow color throughout the picture is a very strong feeling of hostility in all social connections and relationships.
  • Color-shading (shadows) in the foreground and background - anxiety, but within the framework of reality.
  • Color-shading 3/4 sheet - lack of control over the expression of emotions.
  • Hatching that extends beyond the boundaries of the drawing is a tendency toward an impulsive response to additional stimulation.
Human

The small size of the drawing means a feeling of inadequacy.

Head

  • The head is the sphere of intellect (control), the sphere of imagination.
  • Big head - unconsciously emphasizing the belief about the importance of thinking in human activity, absorption in the world of imagination.
  • Small head - experience of intellectual inadequacy.
  • Fuzzy head - shyness, timidity.
  • The head is depicted at the very end - interpersonal conflict.
  • A large head on a figure of the opposite sex is an imaginary superiority of the opposite sex and its higher social authority.

Neck

  • The neck symbolizes the connection between the sphere of control (head) and the sphere of drive (body). Thus, this is their focal point.
  • The neck is emphasized - the need for protective intellectual control.
  • Excessively large neck - awareness of bodily impulses, trying to control them.
  • Long thin neck - inhibition, regression.
  • A thick, short neck means concessions to one’s weaknesses and desires, an expression of unsuppressed impulse.

Shoulders

  • Shoulders are a sign of physical strength or the need for power.
  • Uneven - emotional instability.
  • Shoulders are excessively large - a feeling of great strength or excessive preoccupation with strength and power.
  • Shoulders are small - a feeling of insignificance.
  • Shoulders that are too angular (square) are a sign of excessive caution, protection, and hostility towards others.
  • Sloping shoulders - despondency, despair, guilt, lack of vitality.
  • Broad shoulders - strong bodily impulses.

Torso

  • The torso symbolizes masculinity.
  • The body is angular or square - masculinity.
  • The body is too large - the presence of unsatisfied needs that are acutely aware of the subject.
  • The torso is abnormally small - a feeling of humiliation, low value.

Face

  • Facial features include eyes, ears, mouth, nose. This is sensory contact with reality.
  • The face is emphasized - strong concern about relationships with others, one’s appearance.
  • The chin is too emphasized - the need to dominate.
  • The chin is too large - compensation for perceived weakness and indecision.
  • The ears are too emphasized - auditory hallucinations are possible. Occurs in those who are especially sensitive to criticism.
  • Small ears - the desire not to accept any criticism, to drown it out.
  • Eyes closed or hidden under the brim of a hat - a strong desire to avoid unpleasant visual influences.
  • The eyes are depicted as empty sockets - a significant desire to avoid visual stimuli. Hostility.
  • Eyes bulging - rudeness, callousness.
  • Small eyes - self-absorption.
  • Eyeliner - rudeness, callousness.
  • Long eyelashes - flirtatiousness, a tendency to seduce, seduce, demonstrate oneself.
  • Full lips on a man's face are femininity.
  • The clown's mouth is forced friendliness, inadequate feelings.
  • The mouth is sunken - passive significance.
  • The mouth is heavily outlined - immaturity.
  • The nose is wide, prominent, with a hump - contemptuous attitudes, a tendency to think in ironic social stereotypes.
  • Nostrils - primitive aggression.
  • The teeth are clearly drawn - aggressiveness.
  • The face is unclear, dull - timidity, shyness.
  • An obsequious (flattering) facial expression means insecurity.
  • A face that looks like a mask - caution, secrecy, possible feelings of depersonalization and alienation.
  • Eyebrows are sparse, short - contempt, sophistication.
  • Hair is a sign of masculinity (bravery, strength, maturity and the desire for it).
  • Hair is heavily shaded - anxiety associated with thinking or imagination.
  • The hair is not shaded, not painted over, frames the head - the subject is controlled by hostile feelings.

Limbs

  • Hands are tools for more perfect and sensitive adaptation to the environment, mainly in interpersonal relationships, a symbol of change or control of the environment.
  • Wide arms (arm span) - intense desire for action.
  • Hands wider at the palm or at the shoulder - insufficient control of actions and impulsiveness.
  • Tapering arms and legs are feminine.
  • Arms depicted not together with the body, but separately, extended to the sides - the subject sometimes catches himself in actions or actions that are out of his control.
  • Hands turned to the sides, reaching for something - dependence, desire for love, affection.
  • Hands crossed on the chest - hostile and suspicious attitude, suspicion.
  • Hands behind your back - unwillingness to give in, to compromise (even with friends).
  • Hands behind your back or in your pockets - guilt, self-doubt. The tendency to control the manifestation of aggressive, hostile impulses.
  • The arms are long and muscular - the subject needs physical strength, dexterity, courage as compensation.
  • Arms too long - overly ambitious aspirations.
  • Long arms - a desire to achieve something, to take possession of something.
  • Arms are long and weak - dependence, indecisiveness, need for care.
  • Hands are relaxed and flexible - good adaptability in interpersonal relationships.
  • Arms tense and pressed to the body - clumsiness, rigidity.
  • Hands are depicted close to the body - tension.
  • Arms extended at the sides - difficulties in social contacts, fear of aggressive impulses.
  • Arms are very short - lack of aspiration along with a feeling of inadequacy.
  • Hands are too large - a strong need for better adaptability in social relationships with feelings of inadequacy and a tendency to impulsive behavior.
  • Large hands - compensation for perceived weakness and guilt.
  • A man's large arms and legs mean rudeness, callousness.
  • Lack of hands - a feeling of inadequacy with high intelligence. Helplessness, inadequacy.
  • Hands are absent from the female figure - the maternal figure is perceived as unloving, rejecting, unsupportive.
  • Deformation or emphasis of the arm (or leg) on ​​the left side is a social-role conflict.
  • Strong hands - aggressiveness, energy.
  • Hands are thin, weak - a feeling of insufficiency of what has been achieved.
  • The hand is like a boxing glove - repressed aggression.
  • Hands are unclearly outlined - lack of self-confidence in activities and social relationships.
  • Fingers are separated (chopped off) - repressed aggression, isolation.
  • Thumbs (long) - rudeness, callousness, aggression.
  • Long fingers - hidden aggression.
  • Fingers large, like nails (thorns) - hostility.
  • More than five fingers - aggressiveness, ambition.
  • Fingers without palms - rudeness, callousness, aggression.
  • Less than five fingers - dependence, powerlessness.
  • Fingers clenched into fists - rebellion, protest.
  • Fists pressed to the body - repressed protest.
  • Fists far from the body - open protest.
  • The fingers are one-dimensional, surrounded by a loop - conscious efforts against aggressive feelings.
  • Legs show the level of independence and autonomy of a person.
  • Lack of legs - suppression, timidity, isolation.
  • Legs are disproportionately long - a strong need for independence and the desire for it.
  • Legs too short - a feeling of physical or psychological awkwardness. Disturbances in emotional life.
  • The drawing began with the feet and legs - timidity.
  • Legs spread wide apart - outright neglect (insubordination, ignoring or insecurity).
  • Legs of unequal sizes - ambivalence (opposite feelings) in the desire for independence.
  • The legs are emphasized - rudeness, callousness.
  • Feet are a sign of mobility (physiological or psychological) in interpersonal relationships.
  • Feet are not depicted - isolation, timidity, dependence.
  • Feet disproportionately long - a need for security, or maturity. The need to demonstrate masculinity.
  • Feet are disproportionately small - stiffness, dependence, suppressed feelings.

Pose

  • The face is depicted in such a way that the back of the head is visible - a tendency towards isolation.
  • Head in profile, body in front - anxiety caused by the social environment and the need for communication.
  • A person sitting on the edge of a chair - a strong desire to find a way out of the situation, fear, loneliness, suspicion.
  • A person depicted running means a desire to run away, to hide from someone.
  • A person with visible imbalances in proportions in relation to the right and left sides is a lack of personal balance.
  • A person without certain body parts indicates rejection, non-recognition of the person as a whole or his missing parts (actually or symbolically depicted).
  • A person is in a blind flight - panic fears are possible.
  • A person with a smooth, easy step is good adaptability.
  • Man, absolute profile - serious detachment, isolation and oppositional tendencies.
  • The profile is ambivalent - certain parts of the body are depicted on the other side in relation to the rest, looking in different directions - particularly strong frustration with the desire to get rid of an unpleasant situation.
  • An unbalanced standing figure is tension.
  • Dolls - compliance, the experience of dominance of the environment.
  • A robot instead of a male figure - depersonalization, a feeling of external controlling forces.
  • Stick figure - can mean prevarication and negativism.
  • The figure of Baba Yaga is open hostility towards women.
  • Clown, caricature - a feeling of inferiority characteristic of teenagers. Hostility, self-contempt.

Background, environment

  • Clouds - fearful anxiety, fears, depression.
  • The fence is a need for emotional protection.
  • The figure of a person in the wind - the need for love, affection, caring warmth.
  • The base line (earth) is insecurity.
  • The weapon is aggression.

Multifaceted criteria

  • Line breaks, erased details, omissions, accentuation, shading are areas of conflict.
  • Buttons, a belt plaque, the vertical axis of the figure is emphasized, pockets - dependence.
  • Few bent lines, many sharp corners - aggressiveness, poor adaptation.
  • Rounded (rounded) lines - femininity.
  • The combination of confident, bright and light contours is rude, callous.
  • The outline is dim, unclear - fearfulness, timidity.
  • Energetic, confident strokes - perseverance, safety.
  • Lines of unequal brightness - voltage.
  • Thin extended lines - tension.
  • An unbroken, emphasized contour framing the figure is isolation.
  • Sketch outline - anxiety, timidity.
  • Contour rupture is a sphere of conflicts.
  • The line is emphasized - anxiety, insecurity. The sphere of conflicts. Regression (especially in relation to the emphasized detail).
  • Jagged, uneven lines - insolence, hostility. Confident, strong lines - ambition, zeal.
  • The bright line is rudeness.
  • Strong pressure - energy, persistence. Great tension.
  • Lines with pressure - aggressiveness, persistence.
  • Light lines - lack of energy.
  • Light pressure - low energy resources, stiffness.
  • Uneven, unequal pressure - impulsiveness, instability, anxiety, insecurity.
  • Changeable pressure - emotional instability, labile (changeable) moods.
  • Length of strokes. If the subject is excitable, the strokes are shortened; if not, they are lengthened.
  • Direct strokes - stubbornness, perseverance, perseverance.
  • Short strokes - impulsive behavior.
  • Rhythmic shading - sensitivity, sympathy, looseness.
  • Short, sketchy strokes - anxiety, uncertainty.
  • The strokes are angular, constrained - tension, isolation.
  • Horizontal strokes - emphasizing imagination, femininity, weakness.
  • Vague, varied, changeable strokes - insecurity, lack of perseverance, perseverance.
  • Vertical strokes - stubbornness, perseverance, determination, hyperactivity.
  • Hatching from right to left - introversion, isolation.
  • Shading from left to right - the presence of motivation.
  • Shading from oneself - aggression, extroversion.
  • Erasures - anxiety, apprehension.
  • Frequent erasures - indecision, dissatisfaction with oneself.
  • Erasing during redrawing (if the redrawing is more perfect) is a good sign.
  • Erasing with subsequent damage (deterioration) of the drawing is the presence of a strong emotional reaction to the object being drawn or to what it symbolizes for the subject or the presence of a malignant organic factor.
  • Erasing without an attempt to redraw (i.e., correct) is an internal conflict or conflict with this particular detail (or with what it symbolizes).

Size and position

  • Large drawing - expansiveness, a tendency towards vanity, arrogance.
  • Small figures - anxiety, emotional dependence, feelings of discomfort and constraint.
  • A very small figure with a thin contour - stiffness, a sense of one’s own worthlessness and insignificance.
  • The lack of symmetry is insecurity.
  • The drawing at the very edge of the sheet is dependence, self-doubt.
  • The drawing on the entire sheet is a compensatory exaltation of oneself in the imagination.

Details

  • The absence of significant detail in the drawing of a subject who is now or in the recent past known to be of average or higher intelligence is more likely to indicate intellectual degradation or severe emotional disturbance.
  • An excess of details - “the inevitability of physicality” (the inability to limit oneself) - indicates a forced need to improve the entire situation, an excessive concern for the environment. The nature of the details (significant, unimportant or strange) can serve to more accurately determine the specificity of sensitivity.
  • Unnecessary duplication of details - the subject most likely does not know how to enter into tactful and flexible contacts with people.
  • Insufficient detail - tendencies towards isolation.
  • Particularly meticulous detailing - constraint, pedantry.

Task orientation

  • The ability to critically evaluate a drawing when asked to criticize it is a criterion for not losing contact with reality.
  • Accepting the task with minimal protest is a good start, followed by fatigue and interruption of drawing.
  • Apologizing because of the drawing is not enough confidence.
  • As drawing progresses, the pace and productivity decrease - rapid exhaustion.
  • The title of the picture is extraversion, need and support. Pettiness.
  • The left half of the picture is emphasized - identification with the female gender.
  • Draws persistently, despite difficulties - good prognosis, energy.
  • Resistance, refusal to draw - hiding problems, unwillingness to reveal oneself.
Tree
  • The drawing of a tree is associated with the life role of the drawer and with his ability to accept rewards from the environment. Reveals specific situations of the past or reflects the personality traits of the person being tested. An unconscious self-portrait of the subject as a whole.
  • The tree is believed to be a symbol of a standing person; roots - collective, unconscious; trunk - impulses, instincts, primitive stages; branches - passivity or opposition to life.
  • The interpretation of a tree drawing always contains a permanent core (roots, trunk, branches) and ornamental elements (foliage, fruits, landscape).

Roots

  • The roots are smaller than the trunk - a desire for something hidden, closed.
  • The roots are equal to the trunk - a stronger curiosity that already poses a problem.
  • The roots are larger than the trunk - intense curiosity, which can cause anxiety.
  • The roots are indicated by a line - childish behavior in relation to what is kept secret.
  • Roots in the form of two lines - the ability to distinguish and prudence in assessing the real; the different forms of these roots may be associated with the desire to live, suppress or express certain tendencies in an unfamiliar circle or close environment.

Shape of foliage, branches

  • Overly emphasized crown - emotional inhibition, limited reasoning abilities.
  • A trunk and a circle instead of a crown - impulsiveness, variability.
  • Round crown - exaltation, emotionality.
  • Circles in foliage - the search for soothing and rewarding sensations, feelings of abandonment and disappointment.
  • Net foliage, more or less dense - greater or less dexterity in avoiding problematic situations; escape from unpleasant sensations.
  • Foliage of curved lines - receptivity, open acceptance of the environment.
  • Open and closed foliage in one picture - a search for objectivity.
  • Closed foliage - protecting your inner world in a childish way.
  • Closed dense foliage - hidden aggressiveness.
  • Loop leaves - prefers to use charm.
  • Foliage as a pattern - femininity, friendliness, charm.
  • Branches drooping - loss of courage, refusal of effort.
  • Foliage with thin lines - subtle sensitivity, suggestibility.
  • Branches upward - enthusiasm, impulse, desire for power.
  • Branches in different directions - search for self-affirmation, contacts, self-dispersal. Fussiness, sensitivity to the environment, lack of opposition to it.
  • The branches emerge from one area on the trunk - a child's search for protection, the norm for a seven-year-old child.
  • The branches are drawn with one line - an escape from the troubles of reality, its transformation and embellishment.
  • Thick branches are a good discernment of reality.
  • The branches are not connected to the trunk - a departure from reality that does not correspond to desires, an attempt to “escape” into dreams and games.

Trunk

  • An overly emphasized trunk indicates emotional immaturity.
  • Scars, hollow, broken branch - injury, accident, illness, rape.
  • Shaded trunk - internal anxiety, suspicion, fear of abandonment; hidden aggressiveness.
  • The trunk is in the shape of a broken dome - the desire to be like the mother, to do everything like her, or the desire to be like the father, to measure strength with him, a reflection of failures.
  • A one-line trunk is a refusal to look at things realistically.
  • The trunk is drawn with thin lines, the crown with thick ones - it can assert itself and act freely.
  • Trunk with lines with pressure - determination, activity, productivity.
  • The lines of the trunk are straight - dexterity, resourcefulness, does not dwell on disturbing facts.
  • The trunk lines are crooked - activity is inhibited by anxiety and thoughts about the insurmountability of obstacles.
  • “Vermicelli” - a tendency to secrecy for the sake of abuse, unexpected attacks, hidden rage.
  • The trunk is open and connected with foliage - high intelligence, normal development, the desire to preserve inner peace.
  • The trunk is torn off the ground - lack of contact with the outside world; Everyday life and spiritual life have little connection.
  • The trunk is limited from below - a feeling of unhappiness, a search for support.
  • The trunk expands downward - searching for a reliable position in your circle.
  • The trunk tapers downward - a feeling of security in a circle that does not provide the desired support; isolation and the desire to strengthen the self against a troubled world.
  • Overall height - lower quarter of the sheet - dependence, lack of self-confidence, compensatory dreams of power.
  • Overall height - lower half of the leaf - less pronounced dependence and timidity.
  • The total height is three quarters of the leaf - a good adaptation to the environment.
  • Overall height - the entire sheet is used - wants to be noticed, count on others, assert itself.

Crown height

  • 1/8 of the page - lack of reflection and control. The norm for a four year old child.
  • 1/4 page - the ability to comprehend your experience and slow down your actions
  • 3/8 pages - good control and reflection.
  • 1/2 page - internalization, hopes, compensatory dreams.
  • 5/8 pages - intense spiritual life.
  • 6/8 pages - is directly dependent on intellectual development and spiritual interests.
  • 7/8 pages - almost full page foliage - an escape into dreams.

Manner of depiction

Earth

  • The earth is depicted by one feature - focus on the goal, acceptance of some order.
  • The earth is depicted in several different ways - acting according to its own rules, needing an ideal.
  • Several joint lines depicting the ground and touching the edge of the sheet - spontaneous contact, sudden removal, impulsiveness, capriciousness.
  • The absence of a ground line means susceptibility to stress.
  • The line of the earth is indicated, but there are no roots - suppressed emotions.
  • The earth rises to the right edge of the picture - fervor, enthusiasm.
  • The earth sinks to the right edge of the sheet - loss of strength, lack of aspirations.