Personality Assessment With Projective Drawing

Broadly all picture interpretation tests require the subject to draw something and then explain what the image means. This can be done by explaining who is involved, what they are doing, what things physically mean and so on.

Initially developed by American psychologists Henry A. Murray and Christiana D. Morgan at Harvard during the 1930s the approach is based on a particular psychological philosophy that originally had Freudian concerns with repressed feelings. Latterly it has been used to encourage subjects to explore future directions.

The original test used 31 image cards.

Essentials of TAT and Other Storytelling Assessments
(Essentials of Psychological Assessment)

This series of images comes from 98 Bowery.

House Tree person is a technique developed by John Buck. It has been used in a variety of clinical settings including this one called Observations on the House-Tree-Person Drawing Test Before and After Surgery which includes drawings made by patients involved with major surgery.

Interviewers and researchers need to be properly trained in the interpretation of the drawings. In general though the house relates to the subjects home life and relationships with the family. The tree shows the experiences of the subject and the person describes the subjects relationships with people other than their family.

Devised by the German psychologist Ehrig Wartegg (1939) in Leipzig as a personality evaluation test. The test task is to complete a drawing using the printed sign as an element of the picture.

This key text is only available in German.

Der Wartegg-Zeichentest in der Lebensberatung.

Complete each box with a drawing or doodle that comes to mind.

Scroll to the bottom of this lens to Wartegg Test Meanings to see what your drawing represents.

A form of art therapy the squiggle technique was devised by D.W.Winnicott. The Squiggle Game is not a prescriptive tool. It is claimed to help explanations. His original explanation is covered in this book:

Therapeutic Consultations in Child Psychiatry
(Maresfield Library)

The Franck Drawing Completion Test (Franck, 1976) is a test in the form of a booklet of 36 incomplete drawings. The incomplete drawings are such that no particular drawing is implied.

The drawings are categorised into:
Whole Humans (a whole person was depicted as part of or all of the drawing)
Human Faces (only a human face was drawn)
Animals; Objects (any inanimate object)
Patterns
All-over Patterns
Dotted Patterns

The clock-drawing test can be done several ways but they all require the patient to draw the face of a clock.

A basic scoring system is based on dividing the clock into four quadrants and then counting the numbers in the correct quadrant.

There are several more elaborate assessment methods, for example, Shulman et al. 1986. measured clock errors with the time errors.

1. Visual spatial, e.g. poor spacing of times, drawing lines outside of circle
2. Error in denoting time as 3 o'clock e.g.forgets the minute hand, Writes '3 o'clock'
3. Visual spatial e.g. Omits number, Continues on past 12 to 13, 14, 15 etc
4. Severely muddled spacing
5. Simply can't draw a clock

Created in 19070 by psychologists Burns and Kaufman.

The investigator asks the subject questions about the drawing, such as what is happening and who is in the picture.

As with other techniques of this kind, its validity is not accepted by everyone and results should be treated with caution unless facilitated by a trained person.

Interpreting Projective Drawings

Orginated by Saul Rosensweig cartoons of two people in 'mildy' frustrating situations are depicted with speech balloons. One of the speech balloons is left blank for the subject to complete.

No facial expressions or other indications of emotion are given. There are 24 sets of cartoons in total.

The responses can be categorised into two broad classes. One is 'Ego blocking'and the other is 'Super Ego Blocking'. Indicators of Ego blocking include, reference to some thing or someone who blocks, interrupts, disappoints or deprives the character. Indicators of Super Ego blocking include some charge or accusation.

The scoring and interpretation method is complex and sophisticated. A detailed explanation is available in the following article Revised scoring manual for the Rozensweig Picture-Frustration Study. The Journal of Psychology [0022-3980] Rosenzweig yr:1947 vol:24 pg:165 -208

An excerpt of this book can be found on Google Books

the author says "To draw conclusions from any specific performance in a test before a real study of ithas been made is at best a very dangerous procedure"

The Picture Completion Test

Box 1 concerns how you relate to your external surroundings.
Box 2. shows how adaptable you are.
Box 3. reveals your level of ambition and desire.
Box 4. indicates how you deal with adversity.
Box 5. shows the challenges you face.
Box 6. suggest how you analyse and synthesise information
Box 7. gives a sense of your level of stability
Box 8. explains your social relations

Try projective drawing for yourself with this application from Bored.com

Here's a doodle I analysed with it.

Originated by Margret Nuamburg and developed by her sister Florence Cane. Scribbles are used to reduce inhibitions and surface deep cognitive issues. Several academic articles have been written on this method by Michael Hanes

It is one a several techniques used by amongst others the American Art Therapy Association for the health and well being of patient with a diversity of needs. Please visit Art Therapy Reflections for an explanation of the image featured here.

Roads To The Unconscious