In man the act of drawing is absolutely spontaneous. It is a mode of expression and communication used not only by boys or girls, but also by primitive populations. Therefore, we can say that drawing, as a diagnostic activity, has always been considered a very useful instrument for understanding both the intellectual maturity and personality of the individual.
Graphic tests turn out to be, due to the simplicity of administration, the material poverty, the richness of the information obtained and the ease of the task, the most used psychodiagnostic instruments in the clinical setting. Even so, many investigations question its validity and reliability. In this Psychology-Online article, we will delve into what are psychological graphic testswhat types exist and we will see different practical examples.
What are graphic tests
If you are wondering about the origin of psychological graphic tests, in the field of clinical psychology, the use of tests based on drawings has a long tradition as an instrument for integration into the interview. Its wide use in the sector is due to the fact that the playful component, implicit in drawing and painting, favors the expressiveness of the subject and allows you to make the relationship with the psychologist more productive.
So, the answer to what psychological graphic tests are is that They are tests based on the use of paper and pencil, in which the examinee is asked to draw something, or copying a standard visual stimulus or from an ambiguous auditory stimulus. In this way, a spontaneous representation is produced as a result of mixing with memory traces.
Specifically, psychological graphic projection tests are tools that come close to psychographological interpretation, because they take into account the layout, the pressure on the sheet, the feature, but also the psychological contents projected in the drawing. Takes into account aspects of personality of which the subject undergoing the test is not aware.
Graphic expression tests, in fact, are particularly suitable for subjects of evolving age, especially if they seem shy or inhibited when speaking. The boy or girl, more than the adult, reflects in the drawing his or her own inner world, his or her own way of living reality, the figures that are significant for him or her, his or her own fears, anxieties and needs.
Bender Visual Motor Gestalt Test
This test evaluates the development of visuomotor function of the Gestalt and its possible deviations or regressions and determines the response capabilities of the subject to the environment in relation to age.
This psychological graphic test is made up of 9 different figures representing the Gestalt, which the subject must reproduce as they see. The evaluation depends on the shape of the figures reproduced, the relationship between them, the location in space and the temporal succession.
Image: Semantic Scholar
The human figure test
Another example of a psychological graphic test is the human figure test. This requires drawing a human figure or person. Then you have to draw a person of the opposite sex. The execution times, spontaneous comments and the order in which the body parts have been drawn are recorded, as well as the succession of the figures. Next, research is carried out to investigate the characteristics of the figures, such as age or gender.
The task allows detecting how the subject combines, in its design, the conflict between objective and subjective realities. The psychologist must first look at the figure as a whole, and then proceed to an increasingly detailed analysis. He must analyze the general characteristics to the symbolic meanings attributable to the various parts of the body.
Image: Personality and Intelligence
The tree test
Another type that exists is the tree test. It is based on the hypothesis that the tree, due to its upright position, can symbolize man, that is, the person who draws it. The tree test consists of draw any treeexcept for a fir tree, and then try to feel what it communicates, in an analysis that goes from general to detail. It is necessary to take into account what Koch calls primary forms, that is, the first forms in which a boy or girl draws the tree, normal from 3 to 7 years old, but indicative of problematic aspects when present in the adult.
This graphic test seems to reflect unconscious and very deep feelings, unlike the human figure test that seems to bring out a more conscious vision of the subject about himself.
Image: Isfap
The family test
The family psychological graphic test, for subjects from 6 to 15 years old, includes different types of tests:
- The design of the family, more linked to the level of reality.
- The design of a family.
- The design of an enchanted family.
- The design of a family transformed into animals. Better investigate fantasies and aspects of personality.
The drawing is followed by a survey about the drawn family. He asks about the role, sex and age of each character. He also asks himself who is more or less nice or happy and who he would like to be or not. It is important to note the various emotional reactions and mood changes. For interpretation, the formal and content graphic level is taken into account. The theoretical reference of this graphic test is the .
The family test detects the problems that most concern the subject, particularly sibling rivalry and the Oedipal conflict. In this article, you will find more information about .
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The house test
The psychological graphic test of the house, applicable both in the developmental age and in adulthood, evokes the subject associations linked to family relationships. It can be used in place of the family test, which is not applicable in late adolescence or adulthood. The house-tree-person approach gives a more varied vision of the person’s relationships with themselves and the environment.
Image: Psychodiagnosis
Drawing test of the person in the rain
The objective of the drawing of the person in the rain test is evaluate how subjects experience frustrating situations and, consequently, bring out their defensive modes to understand if they are adequate and effective. The usefulness of the test lies in the detection of adaptive and defensive attitudes put into practice by a frustrating situation, symbolically represented by rain.
The typical reactions of a person in the rain are two: the most classic and traditional, the umbrella, and the less common but effective, the raincoat. Both indicate the ability to activate appropriate defensive modes.
Image: Self-taught psychology
Watch test
Another example of a psychological graphic test is the clock test. It consists of the subject drawing a clock and verbally instructing it to indicate the hands of two specific hours, previously decided by the professional performing the test. This produces the activation of various neuropsychological functions, such as auditory perception and memory, visual memory, working memory, programming abilities, visual and spatial functions, visual and motor functions, abstraction abilities and executive functions. The clock test is very useful for capture the possible presence of motor difficulties or attention disorders.
Image: Sanitas
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
- Abazia, L. (2020). Graphic test in clinical and forensic scope. Criticism, validity and problems. Milan: Franco Angeli.
- Abazia, L. (et al.) (2009). Psychological expertise in civil and criminal spheres. Milan: Franco Angeli.
- Gavirati, N. (2004). I test intelligence and personality. Quesiti, giochi e test per mettersi alla tried in a new and fun way. Milan: Alpha Test.
- Lis, A. (1993). Clinical psychology. Problems diagnosed and elements of psychotherapy. Florence: Giunti.