The family test is a projective personality test, which is administered from five years old to sixteen. It analyzes the child’s perception of her family and the place he occupies in it. The family test was created by Porot (1952) and based on the free drawing that children like so much. Luis Corman (1961) introduced important modifications in the instructions he gave to the child.
While Porot gave the child precise instructions “Draw your family”, because she was interested in knowing how he represented her and not how she was. Corman, on the other hand, said: “draw your family, a family that you imagine”. The instruction was vaguer and less precise since he was interested in analyzing the unconscious tendencies that were expressed more easily in this way.
In this Psychology-Online article, we will show you how to apply the following technique and what basic elements can be interpreted in the family test.
Current studies and theoretical framework of the family test
In other more current studies:
- Korbman (1984) in clinical practice the slogan was: “draw your family”, all of them are younger children, and they tend to project themselves openly.
- Bums and Kaufman (1972) present a modified version of the Family Test: The Kinetic Family Drawing Test, for which they propose evaluation criteria.
- JMLuis Font (1978) The slogan will be “Draw your family” shares with Corman the objective of the test: To measure the relationship that the child has with the different members of his family.
- Regarding the JMLluis content, it analyzes the characteristics of the drawings, valorization, devaluation and hierarchical components. Corman performs an analysis of the graphic, structural and content plan.
- Currently, it applies The Corman Family Test since its approach is more oriented to the analysis of the drawing itself and the search for true unconscious processes.
Various approaches to family drawing
Although the psychological community has certain discrepancies regarding psychodynamic theories, the focus and priority objective of the family test is diagnostic value. By analyzing this projective technique, the difficulties of adapting to the family environment, oediptic conflicts and paternal rivalry can be analyzed.
Furthermore, it reflects the intellectual development of the child and his maturation, although it is not the most relevant or precise. It is especially important to mention that Corman’s family test is used more to appreciate emotional values. It is a technique for children’s affective exploration, one of the most valued among projective tests.
This test clinically evaluates how the child is from subjectivity perceives the relationships between family members, its inclusion within it, the place it occupies. In addition to communication between the different members of the family and your own. All authors agree in considering it necessary to interrogate or talk with the child, after completing the test and prior to its interpretation. It is also important to note, during the course of the process, the first figure that appears, the crossouts, erases, the time it takes to make a certain figure, the doubts and the setbacks.
Can the family test be done in adults?
It is possible that this doubt arises when giving the test to the little ones. Although it is true that the objectives in adults will not be diagnostic in tone, we can do the family test in adults. In this case, it will serve as a complementary tool to clinical interviews and other questionnaires and tests.
Application of the family test in children
Luis Coleman Apply the family test as follows:
- The child is given a sheet of paper and told “Draw a family” or “imagine a family Make it up and draw it. If the child does not understand the proposal, he is told: “Draw everything you want, the people in a family and, if you want, objects and animals.
- When the child finishes his drawing, he is praised and asks me to explain it, The explanation is written down and questions are asked such as: Where are they? What are they doing there? Who is the nicest of all in this family? Because? Which is the baddest? Why? Which is the happiest? Because? Who do you prefer in this family? Assuming you belonged to this family, who would you be?
How to interpret the family test: Technical sheet
First of all, the interpretation of the content is divided as follows:
Body size: This is one of the most easily analyzed elements, when one of the bodies is larger and stands out above the others, that figure is very important for the child. On the contrary, small characters can reflect emotional distance and little affection.
Size of different parts of the body: the head, the nose, the eyes, the mouth, the legs… each element is potentially analysable and projects a part of our subconscious. A large head, for example, can be a symbol of egocentrism or a mouth with large or sharp teeth can denote repressed aggression.
Other elements: Spots on the face can reflect anxiety or low self-esteem, the erasure of one of the elements denotes impulsiveness and resentment towards a character.
On the other hand, Corman makes an interpretation of the family based on the analysis of three planes:
- Graphic plan
- Formal structures plan
- Content plan
Next, we will list each of the elements that are analyzed and interpreted in the family test.
Layout
The way in which the child draws the drawing can define characteristics about his/her sensitivity, hostility, sociability…in general, about the minor’s temperament.
Rhythm of the layout
Page Sector
To know how to interpret the family test by Coleman correctly it is necessary to analyze how the child uses the space we offer him/her to draw.
Plan of Formal structures
The shape of the complete drawing is an index of maturity. In this case what we analyze is the entire drawing itself.
Children with attitudes, emotions and thoughts within the norm:
- Sensory: Predominance of curved lines. Spontaneous. Free of movements and expressions. The characters relate to each other.
- Rational: Stereotyped characters, rigidity, authoritarian educational education
Interpretation of content
We now analyze the content plane:
A) Anguish in the face of an external danger: Threatening environment
- Regression: Returns to a less threatening situation
- Displacement: When the child who draws is a boy and identifies with the drawing of a girl or vice versa. Misidentifications with their sexual role
- Role reversal: He is the smallest
B) Anguish in the face of an internal danger (aggression, sexual tendencies, guilt)
- Disguise aggressiveness: Draw weapons or draw wild animals
- Displacement and reactive formations: It does not present itself as it is, it attributes aggressiveness, evil to another, it transforms into the opposite.
- Self-devaluation: It is identified with the least well drawn, representing itself in an attitude of submission and undervaluation.
- Auto-delete: Does not draw
- Self-denial: Denies oneself
C) Preferences and identifications
Real ID: when the character he identifies with corresponds to his place in the family.
Trend or desire: He identifies with characters other than himself, in whom he sees his dreams and desires realized.
Defending: He identifies with some character in the family with whom he defends himself from the anguish he feels.
D) Typical defense mechanisms of the test
Rating of the main character:
- The child’s way of defending himself against anxiety is verified if;
- The first one is drawn
- It is the largest
- It is the one with the most details
- Occupies a central position
- Stand out in the interrogation
- Is frequently identified with him
Devaluation:
- The most frequent way that the child has to express his aggressiveness; is when she identifies with:
- The smallest
- The furthest drawn
- Latest
- The unidentified, without age or name
- The most incomplete
Distance relationship:
- When he has difficulties with his parents he distances himself from them
Animal symbols:
It means that there may be aggression if the animals you draw are wild.
Summary of the family test
Projective techniques, and more specifically the family drawing test, allow the child to express with graphic language, your conflicts, tensions, desires and needs in relation to the family environment.
Observation and detailed study of the drawing allow us to know the child’s family as he represents it, which is more important than knowing what it really is like.
Interpretation of the family test in adults
It is important to note that, although this technique is more focused on children, the test can also be applied to the adult population. It is recommended to perform the test in adults as an aid tool in couples therapy, in young adults and in cases where family conflicts influence the maintenance of psychological discomfort in the adult. The application protocol will be practically the same as in the case of minors.
This article is merely informative, at Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
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Bibliography
- L. Corman; The family drawing test. Kapelusz Publishing House, Buenos Aires
- Jimenez Gómez F; Psychological evaluation techniques University of Salamanca (2002-03 academic year)
- Esquimel Ancora Fayne; Clinical psychodiagnosis in children. Modern Handbook 1999