Loganathan and Sivakumar's Baum Test -a new psychodiagnostic tool in depth psychology -Part 2 PDF

Preview

Summary

Loganathan and Sivakumar's Baum Test – a new psychodiagnostic tool in depth psychology – Part 2 Sivakumar Ramakrishnan1, Ari Marappan2, Indradevi Marimuthu , Rajaletchumy Grant4 , Nuriahh Sahjahan5 1 School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, University Science Malaysia. 2,3, 4, 5: U...

Description

Loganathan and Sivakumar's Baum Test – a new psychodiagnostic tool in depth psychology – Part 2 Sivakumar Ramakrishnan1, Ari Marappan2, Indradevi Marimuthu , Rajaletchumy Grant4 , Nuriahh Sahjahan5

1 School of Materials and Mineral Resources Engineering, University Science Malaysia. 2,3, 4, 5: Ullaganar Agamic Sciences Center, Malaysia.

Corresponding author: Ari Marappan, email: [email protected] Date: 14-11-2019

Abstract In this article we explain the method of conducting ‘Loganathan and Sivakumar’s Baum Test’ (LSBT). We will introduce the specific instructions used in the LSBT test to draw the four trees and also explain the differences between LSBT and the standard Baum Test. In addition, we will highlight the advantages of using the LSBT as an effective projective test. We will also show that the historical ways of being of a person can be captured using LSBT as each tree drawn shows a different stage in a person’s life. In addition, the projection into the future of a person can also be captured in LSBT. Thus, through LSBT, a proper psychological history taking of a person can be performed. Finally we will explain how it can benefit the person and how LSBT can contribute to the field of psychology, especially depth psychology.

Keywords: Baum test, projective test, hermeneutic semiotics, archetype, unconscious

1.0

Introduction

As mentioned in Part 1, not much research has been done in Baum Test (BT) from the day Emil Jucker introduced Tree Drawing Test in 1928. Almost the same instruction has been used since 1928, which is ‘draw a tree’ on a piece of paper. The subject is asked to draw a single tree. Later, Charles Koch, a student of Emil Jucker modified the instruction to ‘draw a fruit tree’. In 1958, Van Lennep came up with the idea of drawing three trees which are a fruit free, a fantasy tree and a dream tree. In 1984, Loganathan, an educational psychology lecturer in University Science Malaysia collaborated with Kimio Yoshikawa of Japan in researching the impact of natural and cultural environments on Japanese children attending elementary and junior high schools in Singapore. In this collaboration, they used the standard Baum Test where the individuals were asked to draw one fruit tree on a blank A4 paper. In 1987, Loganathan introduced the idea of drawing four fruit trees instead of one and named this as The New Baum Test. According to him, he got the idea of drawing four fruit trees, each tree with a unique instruction after reading an ancient Tamil text known as Tirumanthiram,

written in the 6th century AD by Tirumoolar. Since its introduction in 1987, Loganathan has tested The New Baum Test on hundreds of university students. Loganathan’s associate, Sivakumar Ramakrishnan has also collaborated with him in researching this New Baum Test. Sivakumar developed the New Baum Test further by introducing the principles of interpretation using hermeneutics as the methodology. In 2015, Ari Marappan, a student of Loganathan and Sivakumar renamed The New Baum Test as ‘Loganathan and Sivakumar’s Baum Test’ (LSBT) to differentiate it from the standard Baum Test. LSBT has been copyrighted and is under worldwide copyright protection (Malaysian copyright MyIPO : GRLY00002712 ).

Instructions to conduct Loganathan and Sivakumar’s Baum Test.

2.0

LSBT is a non-invasive projective test which is easy to conduct. The individuals will be given a single A4 paper and a pencil for this test. An eraser can be provided but it is not encouraged as we want the individuals to draw spontaneously. The A4 paper is double folded and opened back so that we have 4 quadrants. The quadrant on the top left is labelled A, the top right B, the bottom left C and the bottom right D. Individuals are asked to write down their names, gender, age and birth date on the other side of the A4 paper. Then the individuals are asked to draw a tree bearing fruits in each quadrant as per the instructions below*:

i) ii) iii) iv)

In Quadrant A, draw a tree bearing fruits as it comes to your mind. In Quadrant B, draw a tree bearing fruits as realistic as you can. In Quadrant C, draw a tree bearing fruits which is your own creation. In Quadrant D, draw a tree bearing fruits which is your own imagination, nowhere to be found in the world.

•

The above sequence must be followed strictly so as to capture the contents of the unconscious. The individual should not look at trees or pictures of trees while drawing as the drawing must come from his own memory. The individual should not be instructed on how to draw the trees or what trees to draw.

• •

However, the meaning of the instructions can be explained in a simpler way or even in other languages so that the meaning of the instructions is well understood.

3.0

The science behind Loganathan and Sivakumar’s Baum Test.

Individuals who do this projective test are required to draw a tree in each quadrant. A tree is the chosen object to draw as it is the only object which can reveal the human characteristics and behaviour of a human being as the growth of a tree is very similar to the development and physical growth of a human being. LSBT through its unique instructions for the drawing of each of the four trees manages to bring out the metaphorical and mythical ways of thinking of a person. Drawing the four trees in sequence is very important in knowing the historical ways of being of the person. Through years of research, we find that the first tree in Quadrant A shows the past of a person, Quadrant B the near past, Quadrant C the present and Quadrant D the future. The drawings of the trees are not mere artistic expressions of the individual but the projection of his innermost thoughts and feelings from his unconscious mind. The projection provides valuable information on his ways of being, how he has understood the world i.e. his historical ways of understanding as shown by the tree in Quadrants A and B, how he sees the world now as shown by the tree in Quadrant C and his projection into the future of his future self, as shown by the tree in Quadrant D ie how he will see the world if he continues with his current ways of being. Another interesting feature of LSBT is that archetypal forms can also be captured through this test especially in Quadrants C and D. To the best of our knowledge, LSBT is the only test or rather the technology to date which can capture archetypal forms.

Quadrant A

Quadrant B

Past Shows the early years of the individual

Near Past Shows the years just before the present

Quadrant C

Quadrant D

Present Shows the happenings in the individual’s life at this moment

Future Shows the happenings in the individual’s life in the future years

Figure 3.1: The four quadrants on the A4 paper and their historical understanding.

Now, the way to understand the being of a person through these drawings is not through quantitative analysis such as the number of leaves drawn or the ration of the width and height of the trunk that is commonly done in Baum Test analysis. In LSBT the methodology to interpret these drawings is hermeneutical analysis. The features of the tree drawings need to be analysed

hermeneutically to get the actual meaning. Every part of the tree drawing has a meaning with a surface meaning and a deep meaning. We have brought the science to analyse these drawings under the domain of hermeneutic semiotics, a subset of hermeneutic science. The drawings are the surface structure and to get to the actual meaning, we have to get to the deep structure which can only be done using the science of hermeneutic semiotics. We interpret the text which is in the form of the drawing and get the deeper meaning as the deep structure in the drawing to get the meta text. Compared to the standard Baum Test (BT), LSBT goes much deeper in understanding the history of a person. BT only shows the current state of a person with its single tree drawing. It doesn’t show his history. Nor does it show the future projection of a person. LSBT overcomes these shortcomings. By understanding his history, we will have a better understanding of his current state. It is similar to history taking of a patient in the medical field. We will understand a person’s current medical condition better by doing a proper history taking which will help us tremendously in planning a proper medical treatment plan and also to understand the root cause of his medical problem. In short, LSBT does the history taking of an individual brilliantly by revealing the contents of the unconscious mind. Besides that, LSBT also gives us an idea of the possible developments in the individual’s life in the coming years. This information of the future projection in an individual is beneficial to the psychology field as, by knowing the future possibilities, we can intervene and make the correct and necessary changes in an individual’s now so that if the future looks unsavoury, intervention can be executed.

4.0

Conclusion:

In summary, LSBT can tremendously contribute towards a better understanding of a person. Through the four trees, we can have a better understanding of a person so that a better intervention can be planned. What is more important is that, LSBT can also reveal the future psychological possibility of a person. If it is shown through the drawing that the future possibility is unsavoury, intervention can be executed so that the unsavoury situation can be avoided. We believe that LSBT is going to revolutionise the field of psychology in the near future. It must be mentioned that the root of LSBT and its hermeneutic interpretation can be connected to the ancient Tamil psychology system beginning from the ancient Tamil text Tolkaapiyam dated around 3 rd century BC which even talks about ecology psychology. And the methodology used in the Tamil psychology system has always been hermeneutical which is continued in LSBT.

Note : The above projective test, ‘Loganathan and Sivakumar’s Baum Test’, in short LSBT is protected under worldwide copyright. While its use for commercial purposes is strictly prohibited, anyone who wants to use it for research and academic purposes can do so with prior written permission from the copyright owners by emailing the corresponding author. Permission may be granted on a case by case basis.

References

Adler,L.L (1965). Cross-cultural Study of Children's Drawing of Fruit Trees. Paper presented at the First New York City Psi Psychological Convention, New York Cawte, J& Kiloch, L.G. (1967). Language and Pictorial Representations in Aboriginal Children. Social Science and Medicine,1: 67-76 Denis, W. Group Values through Children's Drawings. Wiley & Sons, New York Huzioka,Y & Yoshikawa,K (1971). Image Expression by Tree Test" from Anthropological Stand Point Quarterly Anthropologist (Tokyo) 2(3): 3-28 Koch, K. (1935) Der Baum Test, der Baumzeichenversuch als Psychodiagnosticsches Hilfsmittel Loganathan K. (1983). Analytical Psychology of Jung and the Agamic Psychology of Meykandar. Tamil Civilization, Tamil University, Tanjore, India. Machover, K. (1949). Personality Projection in the Drawing of Human Figures http://georgeyonge.net/sites/georgeyonge.net/files/VanNiekerk-Eval_ch10.pdf Sivakumar (2016). The Science of Baum Test Agamic Psychology, Level 1. Ullaganaar Agamic Sciences Center. Malaysia.( Conceptual Research Paper, unpublished ) Sivakumar (2016). The Science of Baum Test Agamic Psychology, Level 2. Ullaganaar Agamic Sciences Center. Malaysia. .( Conceptual Research Paper, unpublished ) Sivakumar (2016). The Science of Baum Test Agamic Psychology, Level 3. Ullaganaar Agamic Sciences Center. Malaysia. .( Conceptual Research Paper, unpublished ) Sivakumar (2016). The Science of Baum Test Agamic Psychology, Level 4. Ullaganaar Agamic Sciences Center. Malaysia. .( Conceptual Research Paper, unpublished )...