PROJECTIVE GRAPHIC TESTS

3. EXPRESSIVE ASPECTS OF PROJECTIVE DRAWINGS

The muscles are honest. Many times our psychomotor expression contradicts our words.
what we wanted to hide. And within the TP the individual's attitude when facing the task can
reveal characteristics of personality. The psychologist is interested in the cooperation of the individual (if
it makes strokes, it is compliance, but it implies evasiveness and/or negativity for example, but it is also
It is necessary to consider the structure and content of the drawings.

The structural or expressive phase of drawing encompasses size, pressure, line quality,
placement on sheet, accuracy, degree and areas of completion and details, symmetry,
perspective proportions, shading, reinforcement and erasing.
Instead, for the content, take into account the posture of the figure, the facial expression,
importance given to different details such as chimney, window, clothing, accessories, roots.

EXPRESSIVE ASPECTS OF PROJECTIVE DRAWINGS

SEQUENCE

The analysis of the sequence provides a series of recorded behavior samples on paper.
since, if samples of the graphic process are examined while it is taking place, it
They can study the structural traits of conflict and defense as if they were projected onto
slow motion. As important as observing the sequence in which the details unfold is
consider the sequence between two drawings (e.g. Deltpo who drew the big woman with a whip and
then man boy). The sequence of treatment that the patient carries out with the quality of the
line sometimes offers diagnostic meanings. Ex. After drawing an initial line, it is erased.
and/or reinforces. Also, the analysis of the sequence of the series of drawings can provide clues about
the impulse or energy of the person. If there is a psychomotor decrease in the series of drawings
It can be fatigue, or the other way around, excessive stimulation. It also happens that at the beginning they are somewhat

disturbed and then calm down and work effectively, which is just a 'situational anxiety'.
But at the beginning he accepts the task without protests and does the drawings well, but as time goes on
The therapist appears tired and leaves without finishing the last one (the one with the person in HTP).
will think about a defined depressive state. The drawings of patients with depression are characterized
due to the lack of details or the inability to complete the drawing.

Border psychopaths sometimes reveal their disturbance through emotional reaction that
emerges in the sequence of the drawings. As it approaches more interpersonal areas in the
HTP progression: discomfort leads to fear and this to panic.

SIZE

The size contains hints about the realism of the patient's self-esteem, of their self
characteristic expansiveness, or their fantasies of omnipotence. The feeling of frustration
a restrictive environment is manifested in the size of the drawings. The drawings
too large that tend to press against the edges of the page, denote feelings of
environmental constriction accompanied by actions or fantasies about compensatory measures
concomitant. The one who draws a very large figure possesses within themselves a strong current
aggressive, and a tendency to discharge into the environment. The small drawings correspond instead
to people with feelings of inadequacy and perhaps with a tendency to withdraw, and they
they are correlated with feelings of inferiority. These drawings, compressed, convey a sense
of discomfort, of confinement, of pressure.

PRESSURE

Like size, it is an indicator of the energy level of the individual. Strong strokes
drawn by children, show that they are more assertive than others; the light strokes show
in the subject a low energy level and the existence of restriction and repression in them. The
People who draw soft and weak lines suffer from depression or feel out of place.

TRACE
Long traits are associated with a firm control of behavior, while short traits are associated with more impulsive behavior.
Children who use straight strokes tend to be self-affirming; those who use circular strokes are...
more dependent and emotional. Rounded lines are associated with femininity, and straight ones
to aggressive moods. The broken, uncertain lines, or those that are continuous only because
were reinforced, they are associated with insecurity or anxiety. The lines are straight, thin and narrow,
that radiate tension, are of rigid or tense emotional states. If the fragmented lines are
very prominent, express anxiety, shyness, lack of self-confidence, hesitation in behavior and in
the confrontation with new situations. The drawings whose figures are in series of lines all
disconnected, are associated with a distancing from reality, psychotic trends. The erasing
in an excessive manner constitutes: a) uncertainty and indecision, b) self-dissatisfaction. The
drawings with good fit have lines that flow freely, determined and well controlled.

DETAILS

Inadequate details constitute the preferred graphic reaction of people with a tendency towards
withdrawal. The lack of adequate details conveys a sense of emptiness and reduction
emotional characteristics of people who use emotional isolation as a defense, and of the
depressive people. The use of excessive details is characteristic of a person
emotionally disturbed, of the obsessive-compulsive. The neurotics who feel that the world
it is uncertain, unpredictable and/or dangerous, they defend against internal and external chaos by creating a
a very structured and orderly world with rigidity. These people need their drawings to be
very exact, for this reason they create rigid and repetitive elements. There is nothing fluid, nothing relaxed.
Everything is gathered as if by force, as if they felt that without that pressure everything would collapse.
It is characteristic of obsessive-compulsive individuals and schizophrenics. The execution is "too perfect."
express the effort against the threat of imminent disorganization. Constitute a
direct manifestation of hypervigilance, implies the presence of a rather weak self that fears
both the incursion of forbidden impulses that he does not dare to neglect his constant vigilance.

The most common emotional correlate of excessive details in a drawing is the feeling of
rigidity. These realizations express an attitude of little freedom, highly controlled and basically
defensive, correspond to people for whom spontaneous relationships with others and with
the world represents a serious threat. These drawings reflect defensive rigidity and
limited adaptability, generally part of the projected data of individuals
unable to relax, and of casual and impulsive actions. They are people who can only
act under the imposition of duty, and even in that case with caution and seeking perfection.
This defensive rigidity banishes spontaneity and self-assertion from the personality.
conditions that allow for a legitimate degree of irresponsibility, laziness, and self-indulgence.

SYMMETRY

Drawings with flaws in symmetry reveal an inadequacy of security feelings in

emotional life. When symmetry is accentuated to the point of producing an effect of
rigidity, emotional control is obsessive-compulsive detpo, and can be expressed as repression and
exaggerated intellectualization. Another group that does the same is that of patients
depressives.

LOCATION

In the middle of the sheet is characteristic of more emotional, self-directed, and centered behaviors
themselves, in children. Those who made off-center drawings had more characteristics.
dependent and uncontrolled. Unless one goes to the extreme of minutiae, the fact of
centering the elements indicates 'high security'.

Horizontal axis placement: the right side is related to inhibition, control

intellectual. The further to the right the midpoint of the drawing is, the more likely it is to have a
stable and controlled behavior, postpone the satisfaction of your needs and impulses, and
prefers intellectual satisfactions to emotional ones. Conversely, the greater the possibility of
it tends to behave impulsively and seeks immediate, frank, and emotional satisfaction.
of their needs and impulses.

Vertical axis placement: the higher above the midpoint the midpoint of the drawing is
more likely that, a) they feel that they are making a great effort, that their goal is almost unattainable, b) that
seek your satisfactions in fantasy and not in reality, c) that they remain distant and
relatively inaccessible. Thus, children who do that achieve high levels of success and exercise a
constant effort to obtain it. Adults are insecure people (in the air).
The lower you are below the midpoint, a) it is likely that you will feel insecure and out of place and that this
the sentiment produces emotional depression, b) that the person is connected to reality or
oriented towards the concrete. Thus, it is the opposite of the previous one, they are more firmly rooted, although in
on occasions may fall into depression or take defeatist attitudes.

If the figure is drawn in a corner (generally the upper left), it is a negative correlation.
between age and the use of that quadrant. Regressive individuals show a tendency to
hide your drawings in the top left corner.

The figures that join the edge (windows for example) reveal a need for support, a fear of action.
independent, and lack of security.

MOVEMENT
They are rare to appear. They generally appear in children's drawings, especially those with gifts.
Depressives draw few moving elements, and psychotics very few or many. The children.
Mental weaklings are the ones that include them the least.

DEFECTIVE SYNTHESIS AND OTHER INDICES OF PSYCHOSIS

The defective synthesis in drawings is characteristic of severe emotional disorders.

confused, disordered in details, without a guiding idea. The twisted mental landscape of the psychotics is
it manifests in the equally chaotic production of their drawings. It is common for them to use.
shaded, which is a direct expression of the gray atmosphere that carries a deep
discontent. The constancy and repetition of the main theme are characteristics of the
schizophrenics. Psychotic products are not only fantastic, but even possessors of a
apparent unintentionality, but often characterized by a mix of means
(writing and drawing). This mixture could express the effort to compensate for a feeling of
breakdown of basic communication ability.

PROJECTIVE DRAWING OF THE HUMAN FIGURE

SIZE
The relationship between the size of the drawing and the graphic space is linked to the dynamic relationship between
the individual and their environment, or between the individual and parental figures. The size expresses how
the individual responds to environmental pressures. If the figure represents the concept of one
the same is small, it can be stated that the individual feels small (out of place), and that
responds to the requirements of the environment with feelings of inferiority. If the figure is
great, it responds to environmental pressures with feelings of expansion and aggression. The
the average size of a complete figure is 18 cm. But more important than the size
absolute is the impression that conveys the relationship between the figure and the surrounding space. If a
The drawing gives the impression of smallness, it can be interpreted that the examined person feels small.
(inferior) or lost (rejected).

MOVEMENT
Almost all the drawings suggest some kind of kinesthetic tension that varies from rigidity to
extreme mobility. Generally, drawings that suggest a lot of activity are the work of those who
they feel strong urges towards motor activity. The restless individual, the man of action, the
hypermanic, the hysterical, make drawings that contain movement. The drawings that give
prints of great rigidity correspond to those who have deep and serious conflicts, in the face of
those who have a rigid and also fragile control (the egg that broke). Sometimes there are figures
seated, reclined, expressing low energy levels, lack of drive, exhaustion
emotional. If the drawing represents mechanical figures, with absence of kinesthesia, it is a sign
of depersonalization and psychosis.

DISTORTIONS AND OMISSIONS

The distortion or omission of any part of the figure suggests conflicts with those parts.
For example, voyeurs omit the eyes or draw them closed. Individuals with conflicts
sexuals omit or distort areas related to sexual aspects. The childlike
with oral needs they draw large breasts.
Both the erased parts and the most marked, shaded, or reinforced ones imply it.
the same as the distortions and omissions, and its possible connection with must be considered.
conflict areas.
HEAD REGION
Generally, it is the first thing that is drawn. If it is too big, it can be very pretentious or with
intellectual aspirations (or who has headaches or other somatic symptoms), or
even though it is introspective, or that it escapes into fantasy.

If the head and face are not very clear, they may be extremely self-conscious and
tmido. If the head is the last thing to be drawn, there is a serious disturbance of thought; and if in
contrast with a barely outlined body appears with great clarity, one goes there to the
fantasy as a compensatory resource, or feelings of inferiority and shame with
parts and functions of their body.
Narcissists and homosexuals place great importance on hair. Facial hair (beard
mustache) is linked to compensatory searches for virility by those who have it
feelings of sexual inadequacy or doubts about his masculinity. The mouth is drawn
straight, curve, and oval. If teeth are included it is aggressive and sadistic oral. If the mouth is a line,
he is verbally aggressive. If it is very oval or open and fleshy, it is oral-erotic and
dependent. If the eyes are very large and those of the masculine figure have eyelashes, it is
homosexual. If the outline of the eyes is very large, but without pupils, it is a trend.
voyeur. If their eyes are large and stare intently at the psychologist, paranoid traits. The nose
it can represent a sexual stereotype or also a phallic symbol. If it is hooked, or
wide and open is rejection and contempt. If it is very long, it is sexual impotence, desire to
virility. Generally, teenagers who want to assert themselves in the male role, but who
They feel inadequate for drawing like this. The chin constitutes a social stereotype.
related to strength and determination. If it is enlarged, it is a strong impulse,
aggressive trends, or if it is exaggerated, compensatory feelings of weakness
indecision. The ears are detailed few times, but if they are enlarged or prominent, it is
possible organic damage in the auditory area, or auditory hallucinations in a paranoid person, or
from a hearing defect or a passive homosexual conflict. The neck separates the
head of the body and is considered a link between intellectual control and impulses
from it. Long neck, reveals difficulties in controlling and directing instinctive impulses, but
It can also indicate that there are somatic symptoms there. It could also be that you have
difficulties swallowing, or psychogenic digestive disturbances. Also the schizoid type.
they draw exaggerated collars.
ARMS AND HANDS
These are the parts of the body that 'do things', make contact (shake hands), punish,
they defend. They are the organs of manipulation and contact. Arms glued to the body,
with hands in pockets is passivity of the self. Hidden hands indicate difficulty in contact or
Feelings of guilt related to manipulative activities (masturbation). If they are
visible, but exaggerated in size is a compensatory behavior due to feelings
of manipulative insufficiency, contact difficulties or inadequacy. Very long arms
and extended outside the body, it is for aggressive needs directed outward. If
the fingers and nails and joints are marked carefully, it is compulsive, obtains
difficulties related to the bodily concept (early schizophrenia). The fists
Closed is repressed aggression.
OTHER BODY PARTS
When the legs and feet are drawn first and more attention is given to them than to others.
parts is discouragement or depression. If the hips and buttocks are rounded and larger
That what is normal is homosexuality. The same interpretation applies to the rounded trunk.
or very tight at the waist. If the elbow joints and others are outlined, it is about
of obsessive-compulsive, or of a dependent and indecisive person in need of cues
family perceptions to reassure themselves. If the internal anatomy is drawn, it is schizophrenia.
or mania. If the body is drawn with vagueness or in a strange way, it is possible that it is
schizophrenia. Attention should be paid to the treatment of the female figure
Men. Very large breasts indicate a need for oral dependency. Arms and hands.
long and prominent is the need for a protective maternal figure.
The exaggeration of shoulders and other indicators of masculinity in the male figure
it can indicate one's own insecurity regarding masculinity.
CLOTHING
Nude figures and exposed sexual parts express rebellion against society.
parents), or awareness of their sexual conflicts. If the figure that corresponds to the
the self-concept is drawn naked and with great care, it is bodily narcissism. If it is
Carefully dressed reveals narcissism linked to clothing, social narcissism.
Both forms are childish and egocentric. The excessive importance given to the buttons is
dependent personality indicator, childish. If the buttons correspond to the line
body image, it is possible that you suffer from somatic concerns. If they are drawn in the
, or other less visible places is obsessive-compulsive, which will also draw
laces, wrinkles in the clothing, etc. The precise detail chosen to express the
Compulsiveness can be significant: for example, the stripes on the pants suggest a
tendency towards the ostentation of masculine traits. Chest pockets are oral deprivation.
and affective. But if we consider the pocket as a receiving organ, vagina, it can also
It is a psychosexual identification with the mother. The exaggerated tie is a phallic symbol. If one
draw very carefully and attentively, and also the figure is somewhat effeminate, it is possible the
homosexuality. Small tie, repressed feelings of organic inferiority. The
exhibitionists draw rings. Pipes, cigars, canes, are symbols of search for
virility.
HAMMER INTERPRETATION OF THE CONTENT OF THE GRAPHIC PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUE HOUSE
TREE PERSON.docx
(Hammer, E. - Chap. 8)
In the HTP test, the goal is to observe the internal image that the examinee has of
himself and his environment, what things he considers important, which ones he highlights and
which discards. House, tree, and person are concepts of symbolic power.
First the house is drawn, then the tree, and then the person, as one goes from the
more neutral representations to those that are closest to the person itself.
The house evokes associations with home life and relationships.
intrafamily.
The tree and the person capture the body image and the concept of self.
The tree reflects the individual's deepest and unconscious feelings.
(more primitive levels)
The person is the vehicle for transmitting the self-image closest to the
awareness and the relationships with the environment. It reflects less
deep.
INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTIVE ELEMENTS OF THE HOUSE
FUNDAMENTALS
1.- It adheres to the general assumptions of the projected techniques.
2.- The house is one of the most significant elements since it establishes a link.
affection between the individual and the home, and between family and human relationships.
ADMINISTRATION
TASK: "Draw a house," horizontally.
INTERPRETATION:
HOME. - Associated with home life and intrafamily relationships. In the child,
his attitude and relationship with household members.
ROOF. -Associated with mental life, to fantasy
DOOR. - Means of contact with the environment.
FIREPLACE: PRESENCE
Phallic symbol.
2.- Children with unresolved fixations.
3.- Excellent affectionate relationships and indicate a warmth of home.
4.- Good Adaptation.
HUMO. - Related to affection especially among close relatives.
intmos.
PERSPECTIVE.
HOUSE LOOKED AT FROM ABOVE. - As if the observer were above and the
he looked down, a perspective that BUCK called bird's eye view.
1.- Rejection of the home situation and the values that are maintained.
2.- Compensatory feelings of superiority and rebellious attitude against them
traditional values.
HOUSE LOOKED AT FROM BELOW. - As if the observer were below and the
looked up, perspective called worm's eye view.
1.- Feelings of inferiority and family rejection.
2.- Feelings of devaluation, inadequacy, and low self-esteem.
3.- Estimation that it is impossible to achieve the happiness of home.
DISTANT PERSPECTIVE. - That is, distant from the observer, it may involve two
different groups.
a.- Those who project an image of themselves and of this in the drawing of the house.
They represent their feeling of isolation and inaccessibility.
b.- Those in the drawing of the house convey the perception they have of the
family situation, a situation that the individual feels unable to face.
In this last case of distant perspective, the individual expresses their feeling of
inability to feel comfortable with those you live with.
ABSOLUTE PROFILE PERSPECTIVE. - Refers to the house that is drawn, of
in such a way that the observer only sees one side of it.
1.- Distant people, oppositionists and inaccessible from a point of view
interpersonal.
2.- Paranoid, evasive
HOUSE VIEWED FROM BEHIND, WITHOUT ANY BACK DOOR:
1.- The same previous interpretation but more pathological.
2.- Common in paranoid schizophrenics and also in the pre-psychotic state.
one feels very acutely the need to protect oneself by putting
distances
BASE LINE. - Reveals the degree of the examined person's contact with reality
practice. It is related to the security power of oneself.
ACCESSORIES: Reflects a lack of security by reinforcing the house with details that do not
are part of the slogan.
INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUENT ELEMENTS OF THE TREE
Tree: It is considered that the tree is a basic, natural, and vegetative entity.
constitute an appropriate symbol to project the deepest feelings
of personality, that is, the feelings about the self that are found in the
most primitive levels of personality, levels that are reached in the
knowledge of people.
INTERPRETATION:
Trunk: allows us to evaluate: emotional stability, how one feels currently
the person, the strength of their self and the here and now of their personality, let us think
that the strength index of the person.
The trunk is what supports the tree.
Roots: The concern for contact with reality is expressed in the
exaggeration with which the roots are highlighted.
Branches: they consist of two issues, the ability to establish connections and the
mode of relationships with others, but also the ability of the
a person to obtain from the environment what they need.
Ground: represents reality, the floor where one settles...
All these elements must be present in the drawing of a tree.
INTERPRETATION OF THE CONSTITUTIVE ELEMENTS OF THE FIGURE
HUMAN
Person: is often drawn incomplete and can represent:
a) Self-portrait: what it feels to be;
b) Ideal of the Self: what I would like to be;
c) Significant persons for the subject.
There are several ways aimed at the interpretation of drawings.
The psychologist has the freedom to adopt the most suitable method to achieve the goal.
proposed.
For the interpretation of the human figure, three aspects are considered:
formal
graphological
content analysis.
K. Machover indicates the following scheme:
1.- Head
2.- Face, facial features.
3.- Arms, hands, fingers, legs, feet.
4.- Trunk, shoulders, chest, hips, etc.
5.- Structural and formal aspects: Theme, movement, succession, symmetry,
size, location, perspective, lines.
6.- Vestment.
7.- Conflict indicators,
8.- Differences between the representations of man and woman.
SEQUENCE:
If the first drawing is of the same sex:
1.- Correct sexual identification
2.- Full awareness of their SELF, of their body
3.- Identification of the role that corresponds to be performed.
If the first drawing is of another gender:
1.- Sexual inversion.
2.- Confusion in sexual identification.
Intense attachment or dependence on the parent of the opposite sex.
Intense attachment or dependence on another individual of the opposite sex.
5.- Intense fixation on the opposite-sex parent.
6.- Intense fixation on a person of the opposite sex.
7.- Regression to a state of narcissism in which one is ONE with the mother.
INSTABILITY OF THE SEX ROLE.
The instability in this area can be detected in this subtest with the
following signs:
1.- When the image of the complementary sex is drawn first.
2.- The examinee begins by drawing the representation of their own sex, but
then switch to the complementary.
3.- Verbalize by asking what should be drawn first, a man or a woman.
The female figure is larger than the male one.
5.- When the person examining is a woman and draws the figure of a woman lacking
detailed curves characteristics of the female sex.
6.- If the subject being examined draws the male figure with detailed curves.
7.- If the examined subject is male, he emphasizes the hips in the male figure.
buttocks.
8.- If the male draws the male figure emphasizing the hair and in shape
detailed, accompanied by feminine features.
9.- When a man draws the figure of his own sex with eyebrows and eyelashes very
elaborators.
10.- Being male, draw small hands on the male figure.
11.- If the examined person is a woman, it represents shoulders in the female figure.
broad shoulders and other masculine features.

12.- Being a woman, she draws the female figure with a large nose and features.
masculine.
13.- If the examined individual is represented in the female figure with large hands and feet.
14.- If the examinee draws the female figure in a woman's dress, but with
tie
These characteristics refer to drawings of young people and adults. It is necessary
warn that if the examinee first draws the figure of the complementary sex the
the psychologist must try to explore the reason for that atypical behavior, the
same that can be interpreted as: sexual inversion, identification confusion
sexual, etc.
These features refer to drawings of young people and adults. It is necessary
It should be noted that if the examinee first draws the figure of the complementary sex, the
The psychologist should try to explore the reason for this atypical procedure, the same
which can be interpreted as:
a) Defective identification with one's own sexual role.
b) Marked dependence on the parent of the complementary sex
c) Strong dependence of one person on the other sex
d) A possible psychosexual investment.