Interpretative Considerations IN THE DRAW A Person TEST PDF

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INTERPRETATIVE CONSIDERATIONS IN THE DRAW A PERSON TEST ERASING RESPONSES o o Erasing in moderation: When followed an improved drawing is an indication of flexibility and satisfactory adjustment. Excessive erasing: Uncertainty, indecisiveness, dissatisfaction anxiety. When no improvement follows era...

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INTERPRETATIVE CONSIDERATIONS IN THE DRAW A PERSON TEST ERASING RESPONSES o -

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Erasing in moderation: When followed by an improved drawing is an indication of flexibility and satisfactory adjustment. Excessive erasing: Uncertainty, indecisiveness, restlessness; dissatisfaction w/ self; anxiety. When no improvement follows erasing, it can be an indication of psychopathology or organicity. Note: Erasing draws attention to areas erased suggesting conflict or concern in this area PLACEMENT OF DRAWN WORK

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Central placement In absolute center of page, suggests insecurity and rigidity in interpersonal relations. If unusually large or with wide stance, connotes aggressive tendencies. In children, suggests a tendency toward self-directed behavior/self-centeredness or emotional behavior; On right side of the page Possible introversive or inhibited tendencies Orientations more to the future than typical Possible heightened sensitivity to environmental changes Negativism or rebellious tendencies Left side of the page Probably impulsive acting out tendencies Possible self-orientation or preoccupation with one’s changing needs; self-conscious In the extreme, connotes self-centeredness More concerned with past than typical Possible feelings of uncertainty and apprehension. High on page High drive level or low energy level with compensatory or overcompensatory defenses Striving hard for achievement or difficult goals Optimism, frequently unjustified Aloof orientation; socially inaccessible persons People who are unsure of themselves with reactionformation and compensatory defenses In children, suggests high standards of achievement and high drive

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Low on page Feelings of insecurity and inadequacy in children and adults Depressive tendencies perhaps with defeatist attitude In children, possible neurosis In upper left corner Regressive tendencies Feelings of insecurity; hesitancy; withdrawal and fantasy tendencies Anxiety In children, this area is normally used in early elementary grades

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Placement in any corner Possible withdrawal tendencies

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On edge or bottom of paper Need for support associated with feelings of insecurity and low self-assurance Dependency tendencies and a fear of independent action Anxiety, except with mentally retarded Tendency to avoid new experiences or remain absorbed in fantasy Depressive conditions especially with small/faint drawings

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PRESSURE FACTORS

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Consistent pressure Possible catatonic conditions when in a setting suggesting schizophrenia Probable mental retardation

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Unusually variable pressure Inconsistent drive level Erratic personality commonly seen in hysterics

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Unusually heavy pressure Extremely tensed individuals High energy levels Assertive, forceful, ambitious people Aggressive and possibly acting-out tendencies Anxiety and constricting behavior when under stress Possible paranoid conditions or mental deficiency

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Unusually light pressure Hesitant, indecisive, timid, fearful, inhibited and insecure personality pattern

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Inadequately adjusting individuals with weak ego strength Low energy levels Depressive conditions Personality disturbances and expansive behavior when under stress In children, connotes low energy level, restrained/inhibited personality and possible history of deprivation or rejection SIZE OF DRAWINGS

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Unusually large drawings Aggressive and acting out-tendencies Expansive, euphoric or grandiose tendencies Possible hyperactive emotional, maniac conditions

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Unusually small drawings Generalized discontent with feelings of inferiority, ineffectiveness, inadequacy, insecurity and excessive defensiveness with low self-esteem Anxiety in adults and children Withdrawal tendencies in inhibited, restrained, timid, shy and constricted adults and children. Depressive tendencies Regressive, dependent tendencies

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STROKE, LINE, & SHADING CHARACTERISTICS Note: Should not be used for firm interpretative hypothesis with elderly subjects since a variety of problems affect distal motor control including arthritis o -

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Marked directional preferences Horizontal movement emphasis suggests weakness and fearfulness, self-protective tendencies or femininity Carving line emphasis suggests flexibility and a healthy personality possibly with distaste for the conventional Rigid straight line emphasis suggests rigidity perhaps with aggressive or constricting tendencies Continuous changes in direction of strokes suggests low security feelings. Jagged lines and edges emphasized suggest hostility, impulsive acting-out tendencies and sometimes anxiety Sketchy strokes Insecurity and timidity Need for precision, meticulous people

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Inability to be definitive or a high degree of uncertainty Possible character disturbances Expansive tendencies under stress By adolescents, suggests poor self-concept and low self-confidence

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Tremulous, shaky, uncoordinated lines Organic brain syndromes including alcoholism Mental retardation Possible psychosis

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Excessive shading and shaded strokes Anxiety, commonly seen in drawings of females Possible submissiveness Heavy shading suggests agitated depression By children, connotes emotional adjusting problems By elderly people, suggests anxiety and depression DETAILING

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Lack of detail Possible withdrawal tendencies, empty feeling or disregard for convention Probable psychosomatic, hypertensed conditions Possible organicity/mental deficiency Depression Excessive detail Obsessive-compulsive tendencies, rigidity and/or anxiety often with neurosis Pedantic, unhappy, hypersensitive conditions Possible fear of acting-out, perhaps with projection and this may reflect a feeling that the world is dangerous and this may reflect a deliberate effort to maintain ego control With important detains omitted, connotes defensive decompensation Extreme excessive detailing suggests possible manicdepressive/manic conditions. Bizarre details Psychosis Contraindication of neurosis By children, a seriously disorganized personality TRANSPARENCIES Note: Any transparency suggests poor reality ties. The exception would be in the case of mentally retarded subjects and young children.

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By older children, suggests immaturity and adjusting, problems and have been seen in organic condition

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By adolescents, suggests poor self-concept and probable maladjusting By adults, connotes poor judgement, anxiety, and sexual disturbances including voyeuristic, exhibitionistic and homosexual conditions as well as poor contact with reality By adolescents and adults, possible mental retardation. HEAD DRAWN UNUSUALLY

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Unusually large head: Aggressive and expansive tendencies in adults and children Inflated ego and if very unrealistically large may suggest paranoia, narcissism or righteous neurotic condition Over-evaluation of intelligence or high achievement aspirations Fantasy is a primary source of satisfaction Regression, inhibition and dependency or immature tendencies Poor emotional and social adjustment in neurotics or in children with academic difficulties Dissatisfaction with one’s physique Possible anxiety in adults and children Possible organicity or preoccupation with headaches Possible subnormal intelligence Possible psychosis, manic-depressive type Note: Children normally draw proportionately larger heads than adults and this is pronounced below age seven (7)

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Unusually small head: Feelings of inadequacy or impotence (intellectually, socially, or sexually) Feeling of weakness and intellectual inferiority Possible neurosis particularly obsessive-compulsive types Possible denial or desire to suppress guilt or other disturbing thoughts In children, adjusting problems

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Head drawn last: Suggests severe psychological disturbance

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Head omitted: Castration fears Desire to eliminate unpleasant thoughts Possible organicity

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Head only:

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Suggests possible schizophrenia

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Hair emphasis on head, chest, or elsewhere: Virility strivings or sexual preoccupation Compensation for feelings of sexual inadequacy or impotency Aggressive assaultive tendencies Probable narcissism or homosexual tendencies When shading is heavy, suggests possible anger and aggressive tendencies; anxiety perhaps regarding fantacies; possible excessive sexuality or luxurious sensuality which is sometimes seen in adolescent delinquents; possible concern with sexual excitement When long but unshaded, ambivalent sexual fantasies are suggested When emphasized on jaw, adolescent virility conflict possibly with schizoid indications Drawings by male, if hair is careful and precise in male figure and messy on female figure, suggests psychosexual immaturity including narcissism and hostility towards females

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Hair omitted or inadequate: Feelings of sexual inadequacy Castration fears Low physical vigor Possible schizophrenic condition

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Hair in disarray: Suggests confusion in thought processes FACIAL FEATURES TREATED UNUSUALLY

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Omission of facial features with the rest drawn adequately Evasiveness and superficially in interpersonal relationships Inadequate environmental contact perhaps withdrawing tendencies Possibility of excessive caution or timidity Presence of hostile impulses In children, poor adjusting perhaps with obsession and anxiety. Note: Omission of facial features occasionally is encountered in normal subjects

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Dim facial features Withdrawal tendencies especially when in profile

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Timidity and self-consciousness in interpersonal relations

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Overemphasis and strong reinforcement of facial features Over concern with outward appearances Feelings of inadequacy and weakness compensated by aggressive and socially dominant behavior Conscious effort to maintain an acceptable social appearance

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adults low-grade mental defectives, though this is normal for young children.

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Non-human or animal or other bizarre facial features Connotes possible schizophrenia Shading of entire face Suggests a serious emotional disturbances unless it depicts skin color, freckles, etc.

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Miscellaneous treatment of the eyes: Pupils omitted, so-called empty eyes, suggests an introversive self-absorbed tendency in withdrawing persons who are not interested in perceiving their environment or perceive it and themselves only vaguely Pupil omitted from only one eye suggests possible psychosis Outline of eyes emphasized connotes possible paranoid condition Wide-eyed stare suggests possible hysteria Placed on the side of the head suggests possible paranoid tendencies Two eyes depicted in a profile drawing has been associated with schizophrenia

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Unusually large or strongly reinforced eyes: Suspiciousness or ideas of reference Possible anxiety, especially if shaded Hypersensitivity to social opinion By males, possibly homosexual tendencies With pupils omitted, guilt concerning voyeuristic tendencies Eyes omitted: General ineffectiveness and undiscriminating tendencies Possible visual hallucinations; schizophrenia or voyeurism By children, poor adjusting with possible obsessions, anxiety, and depression.

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Eyebrows and eyelashes treated unusually: Considerable elaboration, especially with very trim or arched eyebrow, may reflect a critical attitude toward uninhibited behavior, with tendencies toward refinement and good grooming, perhaps over grooming but in drawings of males may suggest effeminate or homosexual tendencies Bushy eyebrows suggests tendencies away from refinement and good grooming, toward primitive, gruff and uninhibited tendencies Raised eyebrows suggest an attitude of disdain, perhaps contempt Frowning eyebrows suggest possible hostility Eyelashes detailed by males suggest possible homosexual tendencies EARS & NOSE DRAWN UNUSUALLY

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Closed eyes: Covert hostility Emotional disturbance in children over five (5) Unusually small or closed eyes: Introversive tendencies Self-absorption, contemplative tendencies Possible reaction against voyeuristic tendencies When eye orbit is large is large with tiny eyes, strong visual curiosity and guilt feelings probably regarding voyeuristic conflicts Small circles for eyes (especially when used also for nose, mouth and buttons), suggest regressive, extremely childish tendencies sometimes found in

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Large or unusual ears, strongly reinforced or viewed through transparent hair: Possible auditory handicap and associated concern Hypersensitive to criticism Possible ideas of reference and paranoid tendencies or auditory hallucinations Possible homosexual conflict Omission of ears: Probability of normality since ears are frequently omitted by well-adjusting persons, especially children

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Possible low intelligence or maladjusting tendencies in a setting of retardation Possible auditory hallucination Possible desire to minimize environmental contact

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Miscellaneous treatment of ears: Question marks for ears suggest possible paranoia Dark dots in ear area suggest possible auditory hallucinations

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Shaded, dim or truncated nose: By males, castration fears By females, penis envy and hostility towards men

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Nose omitted: By children, very shy, withdrawn, depressive or otherwise emotionally disturbed personality Possible feelings of castration

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Miscellaneous treatment of the nose: Button or triangle noses suggests immaturity, even infantile sexuality, with button noses having a dependent indication Sharply pointed nose suggests possible acting-out tendencies Long phallic noses suggests possible exhibitionistic tendencies but also have been associated with loss of masculinity as seen in elderly males

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MOUTH & CHIN DRAWN UNUSUALLY

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Mouth emphasis: Regressive defenses, orality Oral emphasis in personality, sometimes oral eroticism or verbal aggressiveness, particularly associated with dependent, immature personalities including regressed alcoholics, psychosomatic asthmatics and hypertensed patients Possible sexual difficulties and effeminacy in males Possible speech problems, verbal sadism, use of profane language and temper tantrums Tendencies toward gastric symptoms and eating problems including bulimia and food faddism Depressive and primitive tendencies By children, normality, normal dependence, immaturity By adolescents, poor self-concept

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Mouth omitted:

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Guilt feelings related to oral aggression or oral aggressive tendencies Depressive conditions Possible difficulty or reluctance to communicate with others Possible rejection of need for recognition Possible psychosomatic respiratory, asthmatic conditions By children, possible obsessions and anxiety or a shy, withdrawn, depressed syndrome Miscellaneous treatment of mouth: Concave mouth suggests oral passivity, receptivity and infantile dependency needs as seen in alcoholics Cupid’s bow mouths in female figures have been associated with exhibitionistically inclined, sexually precocious adolescent females and adult psychosomatic, asthmatic conditions Full lips in male figure by males suggest effeminacy and if lipsticked, homosexual tendencies, have been reported with other narcissistic indications Objects in mouth as cigarettes, toothpicks, pipes, etc. suggests oral passivity; have been noted in drawings of psychosomatic, peptic ulcer patients Protruding lips suggest regression and orality Short, heavy line for mouth suggests strong aggressive impulses but anticipated retaliation makes the individual cautious Single line unsmiling mouth suggests depressive tendencies Slash line mouths connotes verbal aggression, anger and hypercritical or possibly sadistic tendencies Sneering expression on lips suggests hostility Teeth showing in adult drawings suggests infantile aggressive or sadistic tendencies, most frequently seen in drawings of acting-out persons, schizophrenics, flat hysterics and mental defectives, though teeth sometimes are in drawings of aggressive normal children and adults Tiny mouths suggest denial of oral dependent needs in egotistical, independent and compulsive persons Wide upturned line effecting a grin, normal with children but in adults suggests forced congeniality and possible inappropriate affect

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Chin unusually emphasized: Possible aggressive, dominance tendencies Possible strong drive levels Possible compensation for feelings of weakness Possible feelings of social inadequacy

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Chin appearing weak:

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Feelings of weakness or inadequacy especially in social situations Feelings of impotence, psychological or physiological

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Suggests weakness in males

TORSO, BODY (Trunk, shoulders, breasts, waistline, hips, buttocks, joints, etc.) DRAWN UNUSUALLY NECK & ADAM’S APPLE DRAWN UNUSUALLY o -

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Unusually short, thick neck: Tendencies to be gruff, stubborn and rigid Impulsive proclivities Possible desire to keep impulses from hindering intellect Unusually long necks: A separation of intellectual ideas from emotions and feelings which contributes to difficulty in controlling basic drives and impulses. Cultured, socially stiff, even rigid, formal, overly moral persons Possible somatic complaints in the neck area Possible dissatisfaction with one’s body image Exceptionally long and thin necks: Feelings of body weakness or organ inferiority possibly with a compensatory drive or reaction formation towards physical power or aggression tendencies Schizoid conditions in psychotic setting; schizophrenia Hysteria when in neurotic setting

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One dimensional neck: Possible poor coordination between body drives and intellectual control Infantile lack of impulse control Possible mental retardation Neck omitted: Impulsivity in people over ten (10) years old Immaturity as seen in mental defectives and regressed persons Possible organicity in person over ten (10) years old By young children, poor adjusting

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Shaded necks In children over five (5), suggests an emotional disturbance

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Adam’s apple emphasis:

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Trunk treated unusually: Angular figures suggest a relatively masculine personality Asymmetry of body or limbs suggests a possible hysterical personality while with children suggests aggression or brain damage Double or confused body contour in females’ drawings especially in drawing of same sex suggests possibility of preoccupation with weight and probable concomitant glamour fantasies Fat, wide, trunks tend to be drawn by obese women Grossly disorganized or fragmented figures suggests organicity or ps...