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FAMILY DRAWING

This test is offered to identify the features of family relationships in the perception of the child.

The method is used mainly in the examination of children from the age of four, but can also be successfully applied to clarify the attitude to the family sphere in an adult.

Conducting testing. A sheet of paper is placed horizontally in front of the subject. Instruction: "Draw your whole family on this sheet." If the subject asks questions: “Who should I draw?”, “And grandmother to draw?”, “Can I draw my friend?”, “Mine - does this mean my own or my parents, in which I was brought up?” ( last question sometimes asked by adults who have own family), then the inspector replies: “I don’t know who is in your family. You know it better than me."

In contrast, in response to the question whether to draw yourself, you should make it clear that this is desirable, for example, you can say with a semi-interrogative intonation: “Are you a member of your family?”.

Upon completion of the drawing, they find out which family member each of the drawn characters depicts. In this case, the examiner should not express his own assumptions. So, pointing to one of the characters, one should not ask: “Who is this, dad?”. Questions should sound neutral: “Who is this? And this? There may be additional questions like: “Where is all this happening?”, “What are you doing?” or “What does each of those you draw do?” etc. The interview is free-form.

Chapter 4 FAMILY DRAWING

HIERARCHICAL RELATIONSHIPS

When analyzing test results, the following indicators are taken into account:

The composition of the depicted family in relation to the composition of the real family of the subject;

The mutual arrangement of family members and the location of the entire drawing as a whole on the sheet;

Features of the image of individual family members (it is useful to compare them with the image of a person in the “Picture of a Person” test);

The activity that each of the family members is engaged in in the "Dynamic Family Pattern" test;

Sometimes you can get Additional information from the subject's comments on his drawing and from observations of the drawing process (what is the sequence of depicting family members; at what moments difficulties arose, etc.).

Family roles (functions performed by one or another family member) are most clearly traced in the dynamic pattern of the family. So, in fig. 134 Luba's dad is shown watching TV, mom is cooking dinner, Lyuba herself is doing her homework, and her younger brother- playing on the computer. This is a very common distribution of family functions in children's drawings.

The figure emphasizes the dominant role of the father, although, judging by the fact that he watches TV, his function in the family is not particularly significant; then the mother follows, and then the children are depicted at the same level. The difference in the position of children and mothers is not great. It can be assumed that in the family of Lyuba, papa's authority is very high, while the mother acts more as a partner for the children than as a leader whose instructions are unquestioningly carried out.

In Fig. 135, as in the previous one, the mother is assigned an economic role: according to the girl, she stands at the stove and cooks. Daddy's family role rather vague: he sits and makes ships (meaning the manufacture of a toy model of a ship). Regarding her own image, Mila reports: “I sweep in my dad’s room. Here lies the owl."

The Pope is depicted as the tallest, which indicates his high importance in the family.

The girl's father told the psychologist that he had a conflict relationship with his wife. In his opinion, this is one of the reasons that Mila is strongly neurotic. It can be assumed that in drawing her own family, the girl is consciously or subconsciously trying to portray the family situation as more favorable than it actually is. She reproduces not so much her immediate feelings as socially for a given template, within which dad, from her point of view, should be the main one. Probably, it was especially important for Mila to emphasize her father's importance due to her high attachment to him.

Mila portrayed herself next to her father, sweeping the floor in his room. Love for dad and his high significance for the girl were also reflected in the fact that he was drawn first, and depicted with particular care: lips, eyes with eyelashes are drawn in detail, which other characters do not have.

Fifteen-year-old Mikhail B., who is brought up in an incomplete family, has quite definitely a serving function of the mother (Fig. 137). It is especially emphasized by the description given by the boy: “It's me. AT winter time I stand in a green shirt and think about what is broken in the printed circuit that I have in my hand. In my other hand I have a dielectric screwdriver. This is my mom. She is in a dressing gown, in the summer, she goes to washing machine to wash and wring out my holiday shirt, which I have stained with lime."

Both in the drawing and in the story there are absolutely no contacts between family members. This is emphasized by the fact that Mikhail even separated himself from his mother in time. The situation is explained by the presence of a serious conflict caused by the struggle for independence typical of adolescents. According to her mother, she is unable to find with her son mutual language or control his behavior.

The drawing shows that, at least in his own perception, Mikhail is already quite an adult and independent person. He began the drawing with himself; this, as well as special care in depicting himself and emphasized negligence in depicting his mother, indicates that he treats himself very well and is, according to own opinion, a significant figure, while his attitude towards his mother is much less positive. The image of the first self is typical for demonstrative children with high self-esteem.

In the drawing of the family, made by eleven-year-old Yura M., the distribution of functions is almost the same as in the drawing by Ekaterina. However, in this case, the parents' story gives every reason to believe that Yura reproduced a real family situation, and not his idealized ideas. Picture yourself in the form small child, serving as an object of mother's emphasized care, speaks of Yuri's infantilism. Mom in the picture is shown first, then - Yura himself and the last - dad, as the least significant figure.

FAMILY CONTACTS

FAVORABLE FAMILY SITUATION

A sign of a favorable family situation is the location of family members close to each other, turned to face the viewer or to each other. An important indicator of normal intra-family communication is the traced hands of family members (Fig. 140).

Close communication is reflected in the spatial proximity of the characters and in the contact of hands. Based on these criteria, it can be assumed that Vita has the closest contact with her grandmother: Another close couple is mom and dad. Apparently, communication between them prevails over communication with the daughter (at least in her perception).

The hierarchical relationships in the figure are adequate and not too pronounced. The significance of different family members for Vita does not coincide with her ideas about their hierarchical position in the family, nor with close or no contacts with them. First, she drew her mother, who, apparently, is the most significant for her, then herself, thirdly, her grandmother, and only at the very end, her father and grandfather.

A prosperous system of relationships is also represented in the drawing of the five-year-old Yana (Fig. 141). Family members are next to each other, holding hands. As in the previous figure, hierarchical relations are adequate (adults are higher than children), but weakly expressed.

The drawing of the family, made by nine-year-old Yaroslav, is extremely careless and, at first glance, makes an unfavorable impression (Fig. 143). This is consistent with the complaints of parents. They note the increased conflict of the boy, they say that he is nervous, he can hit his mother or seven-year-old sister without any reason.

However, a comparison of this drawing with a drawing of a person made by the same boy (Fig. 144) shows that family members are depicted in his usual manner and even somewhat more carefully than just a person (for example, they have shoes on their feet).

This allows us to assume that family situation generally relatively benign and not the primary source of problems. Apparently, the disturbances in Yaroslav's behavior are caused by his individual characteristics with a different reason. The negligence of the drawing, its enlarged size, the lines not getting to the right point, asymmetry and deviation from the vertical indicate high impulsivity, hyperactivity, most likely caused by an organic brain lesion.

SUPER TIGHT CONTACTS

One of the deviations in building family relationships is super-close contact between family members. Sometimes it goes to the extent of a symbiotic relationship. Most often it occurs between the child and the mother. With super-close intra-family contacts, the external ties of family members with the world can be weakened. This is especially undesirable in adolescence when for the successful development of the personality of the child is very great importance acquires his communication with peers.

In the drawing of a family, super-close contacts are reflected in the fact that family members are located close to each other, and sometimes partially cover each other (Fig. 145).

When drawing a man, Marina placed him in the center of the sheet and left most of the space empty, thereby emphasizing the loneliness of her character. Similarly, the drawing of the family occupies only the central part of the sheet, creating a feeling of isolation and the impossibility of any external contacts.

The family members are depicted in an introverted pose, most of them do not have their hands drawn. This suggests that, despite the very close communication in the family, it, apparently, is not emotionally saturated. It can be assumed that this explains Marina's pronounced feeling of loneliness, noted in the analysis of the drawing of a person. In Marina's drawing of the family, interest in the sexual sphere, natural for her age, is manifested. Due to her isolation in the family, this interest is associated, first of all, with her own parents. Its signs are the breast of the mother drawn with strong pressure and the emphasized hairiness of the arms and legs of the father.

The drawing of fifteen-year-old Ira Sh. is similar to Marina's drawing (Fig. 146). It even more clearly demonstrates the isolation of the family from the outside world. The symbol of this isolation is the frame that separates the drawing of the family from the rest of the space on the sheet. The reason for isolation is the family's recent move to another country. At the time of the survey, neither the younger nor the older generation had yet managed to get used to the new social reality and find some social circle. Judging by Irina's drawing, the intra-family situation is characterized by a high degree hierarchy of relationships. Different generations arranged in groups (seniors - two by two, children - three of them). This suggests that emotional communication in the family exists mainly within these groups.

DISTURBANCE OF EMOTIONAL CONTACTS

Violation of family contacts, their insufficiency or conflict is one of the most common sources of psychological distress in children, neuroticism and deviations in personal development. In a drawing of a family, a violation of contacts can manifest itself in a deliberately careless depiction of all family members or some of them, in their mutual remoteness or separation by any partitions, in the absence of any of the family members, in their depiction from the back or turned away from each other, in signs of emotional load when depicting someone.

Ten-year-old Shurik K. lives with his parents, sister Rina and grandmother. However, in the drawing of the family, mother and grandmother are absent (Fig. 148). According to the boy, they did not work out. He really tried to draw his mother, but then he erased the drawing, he did not even begin to draw his grandmother. As a result, the picture turned out to be Shurik himself, his two sisters, cousin and dad. In fact, the older sister, 22 years old, lives separately with her family; cousin also lives separately. The absence of mother and grandmother in the drawing, as well as the inclusion in the drawing of people who are actually not family members, suggests that Shurik does not have a sense of his family as a natural stable unit. Figure characters separated vertical lines, which further emphasizes the lack of contact between them.

The children are drawn in an emphatically careless, schematic way. Such an image is typical of a negative attitude towards the characters. The dad, drawn first, is depicted in much more detail and detail, but he is aloof from the rest of the family. It can be assumed that Shurik's attitude towards him is favorable, but he is rarely present in the house and communicates little with children. This is confirmed by information received from the mother.

The relation of the child to mother, apparently, is ambivalent. He tried to draw her in detail and carefully (starting to draw her second - right after dad), but her image caused a serious emotional load, which led to the fact that the drawing was never completed.

Six-year-old Lena M. reflected in the drawing her desire to communicate with her mother: she has a pronounced extroverted pose with her arms wide apart (Fig. 149). However, judging by the picture, her focus on communication does not find a response from her mother. Mom is depicted in a pose of refusal to communicate: her hands are rested on her sides, her hands are not drawn. The absence of contact is emphasized by the fact that Lena and mother are depicted very far from each other, at different ends of the sheet. The special significance of communication with her mother is determined by the fact that Lena lives with her alone, she has practically no one else to communicate with.

Meanwhile, she has a high demonstrativeness, the need for the attention of others. This is evidenced, in particular, by the image of oneself in the first drawing, the carefully drawn hairstyles of the characters, the desire to decorate clothes (buttons, pockets).

Judging by the mother's story, Lena uses extended tantrums to attract attention, which is typical for highly demonstrative children. Mom's reaction to these manifestations is grossly inadequate, which makes them especially stable. Mom said: “Lena is a cruel girl, completely uncontrollable. I can’t do anything with her, I beat her, but she still continues to throw tantrums. ”

Until the age of five, Lena was brought up by her grandmother, where she received a lot of attention. There were no complaints about the girl's behavior. At the time of the survey, she is in first grade. She is successful at school, which ensures her attention and encouragement from the teacher. The teacher characterizes her behavior as ideal.

Thus, negative behavioral manifestations serve as a means for Lena to attract her mother's attention. Inadequate reactions of the mother lead to the fixation of those forms of behavior of the child with which she is trying to fight. To overcome violations in family communication, family psychotherapy is recommended.

In the dynamic drawing of the family, made by sixteen-year-old Vika O. (Fig. 150), family members are turned away from each other, and Vika generally drew herself on reverse side sheet and the last, which indicates low self-esteem. Violation of family contacts was also manifested in the fact that the mother preparing dinner is depicted from the back, and younger sister, walking with her little sister, stands with her back to both mom and dad, who is watching football.

The stroller with the younger sister is highlighted with a line with particularly strong pressure, indicating an emotional load. Apparently youngest child is perceived by Vika as a competitor for the attention of other family members.

Thrice underlined inscription "We have the most best family in the world ”speaks of an attempt to displace a feeling of trouble, to convince oneself and the inspector that Vika is completely satisfied with the family situation.

CONFLICT RELATIONSHIPS IN THE FAMILY

Seven-year-old Sasha K.'s family drawing shows a close-knit group consisting of grandmother, mother and father, while he himself is drawn to the side, sharply reduced in size (Fig. 153). The head is especially small, the size of which to the greatest extent reflects the degree of importance of the character. Sasha, apparently, views himself as an insignificant member of the family. This is confirmed by the fact that he painted himself last. When depicting himself and especially his father, a pronounced emotional load manifested itself (the figures are shaded with strong pressure). When depicting mother and grandmother, the load is much less pronounced.

Dad's hands are not drawn, which indicates the absence or insufficiency of meaningful communication with Sasha. Based on the fact that the boy depicted him closest to himself and with the largest head, it can be assumed that his father is very significant figure. Perhaps the tense attitude towards him is caused precisely by the lack of communication.

Comparison of the drawing of a family with the drawing of a person (Fig. 154) shows that the latter is made more carefully and does not contain signs of emotional stress. From specific features drawing of a person, it should be noted the deviation from the vertical, the increased size and the mismatch of the lines at the desired point. These signs suggest the presence of impulsivity associated with organic brain damage. Empty eyes (without iris and pupils) are a sign of possible autism. In the drawing of the family, this feature is even more pronounced, since the eyes are much larger than in the drawing of a person. .

Parents complain that Sasha is disorganized, highly conflicted, sometimes aggressive (sometimes he throws objects at people - however, not heavy ones). The boy has no friends, relations with both peers and adults are developing poorly. These problems can be partly explained by Sasha's individual psychological characteristics, which manifested themselves in the drawing of a person. However, they are certainly exacerbated by a tense attitude towards his father and Sasha's general unfavorable self-perception in the family.

The reflection of a particularly acute intra-family conflict can be seen in the dynamic picture of the family of eleven-year-old Kirill 3. (Fig. 160).

In the drawings considered earlier, if there was no communication between family members, then at least one of them performed a certain family function. As a rule, it was my mother preparing dinner.

In Cyril's drawing, there is no family theme at all. Each of the characters is busy with their own business, in no way connected with the others. Most expressive element drawing is the toilet door behind which the boy has placed himself. Shortly before the visit to the psychologist, Kirill was locked in the toilet by his parents for a long time as punishment for being rude. aggressive behavior at school. In the figure, the situation is rethought. There is a sign on the toilet door: “Do not enter. I'm busy". Thus, Kirill demonstrates that he locked himself, although in reality his parents locked him up. The scene depicted in the figure can be interpreted as a counter refusal of the boy from any contact with his parents. It is emphasized with additional touches that separate the door from the surrounding space. The strokes are careless and made with very strong pressure, which indicates a high emotional tension.

The parents are caricatured. The father has a huge belly, acne is painted on his face (dots on the forehead). The mother has something like hooves instead of feet, her lips are deliberately underlined, her eyes are empty, her posture is ridiculous. This expresses Cyril's negative attitude, his protest against the applied "pedagogical" influences. Interesting detail on the door - a badge that is customary to mark the male public toilet. In this case, he apparently says that the attitude towards the mother is more conflicting than towards the father: she is finally and irrevocably forbidden to enter. The same is evidenced by her remoteness and focus solely on herself, while the father is heading for the door, behind which the boy is supposed to be.

In this situation, urgent measures are needed to establish normal communication with the child. If it is not restored, then the most acute protest reactions are very likely. The form of their expression may turn out to be even more rudely aggressive than in the previous case, when he injured his classmate.

AGGRESSION IN FAMILY RELATIONS

In the ironic, emphatically expressive dynamic drawing of the family of fifteen-year-old Sergei K. (Fig. 161), the mother, like in many other drawings, is busy with household work. However, her militant appearance does not at all testify to a serving, but, on the contrary, to a leading function. An aggressive posture and a sword (instead of a utility knife, more appropriate in this situation) in the hands suggest that this function is often carried out with the help of aggressive means. The inscriptions in the picture read: “Mom is cutting chicken in the kitchen”, “Dad is talking on the phone and watching TV”, “I play”. The chicken that mom cuts is extremely similar to dad (see enlarged fragment of the picture). This may be an indirect indication of who exactly is the usual object of mother's aggression. The top point of the drawing is the tip of my mother's sword, which demonstrates her dominant position in the family.

Sergey painted himself in the form of a very small child playing with a toy. Apparently, this reflected his self-awareness, which testifies to his infantility and the absence of any other function in his family, except for the function of a ward (most likely over-guarded) child.

At the same time, frank sexual symbolism (nipples on the chest and the genital area emphasized) indicates that the boy's psychosexual development is quite consistent with his age. The image of oneself also contains the symbolism of verbal aggression: a wide-open mouth with detailed teeth. Probably, the struggle for independence, natural for a teenager, manifests itself in Sergey in the form of rudeness and frequent screaming.

The pose of the boy in the picture is extremely extraverted, the image of large hands suggests a particularly high need for communication. It can be assumed that Sergei's communication with his father, who is drawn first, is more emotionally saturated than with his mother: the father's hand with a brush drawn in detail is directed towards the boy, while both mother's hands are clutching the sword. In addition, in the picture, mother is separated from Sergey by a table.

The aggressive position of the mother is also represented in the drawing of twelve-year-old Mitya D. (Fig. 162). In it, mother's aggression, expressed by her entire posture and raised hand, is directly directed at dad. As the boy explained, “My mom makes dad study; there are books on the table; I stand in amazement that they swear."

In this figure, as well as in the previous one, the dominant role of the mother is demonstrated (she rises above the rest of the family). However, unlike Sergei, Mitya drew her first and depicted himself next to her. The Pope is depicted in an emphatic caricature and clearly resembles a devil. It is obvious that he does not enjoy Mitya's respect. Drawn teeth (a sign of verbal aggression) indicate that dad is unlikely to take down mom's attacks in silence.

Mitya portrayed himself as a little boy sucking his thumb. It can be assumed that he, like Sergey, is infantile and is in conditions of hyper-custody on the part of his mother. At the same time, his drawing is not devoid of sexual symbolism (underlined hairiness of the father's body and limbs), which indicates sufficient psychosexual maturity. Consequently, infantility in this case, as in the previous one, is determined not by the psychophysiological characteristics of the child, but by the characteristics of the family situation.

In the drawing of ten-year-old Misha G., all members of the family, except for mother, are depicted with a raised hand and with large brush(Fig. 163). This position of the hand is interpreted as a sign of aggressiveness. Misha himself explained that in the picture he, his sister and dad “say: “Hello!”, Say hello to someone.” Such an explanation does not change the interpretation of the depicted gesture.

The figure shows a pronounced dominant role of the pope. He is also the most aggressive figure. This perception of the father is largely due to the fact that Misha is hyperactive and not socialized enough. In this regard, he very often violates the generally accepted rules of behavior, for which he is punished. In the second chapter, a drawing of a man made by Misha at the age of 5 years was analyzed. 11 months Since then, thanks to the psycho-correctional work carried out with him, the manifestations of hyperactivity have noticeably decreased, the boy's behavior has significantly approached the norm, but the problems still remain very serious.

At interpretation of family drawings psychologists always pay increased attention to those cases when more or less family members are drawn than they actually are (for example, a dad is depicted who is not there, or, on the contrary, an older brother is not drawn).The absence of one of the family members in the picture means either the presence of unconscious negative feelings to this person, or the lack of emotional contact with this character - he, as it were, is not in inner world subject. If a person does not draw himself in the drawing of his family, then this testifies to the difficulties of self-expression in relations with loved ones (I am not noticed in the family, it is difficult for me to find my place in it). Also, the absence of the author of the drawing in the drawing means indifference to relatives (I do not strive to be with them, they do not bother me).

For family drawing interpretation important is the space of the sheet, which is analogous to the living space of a person.As well as in real life, in the plane of the sheet, each person unconsciously strives to occupy as much space for himself and the products of his activity as he, in his opinion, deserves. In other words, if he has low self-esteem, then it takes up little space in real world and, drawing on a sheet of paper, will take up only a small part of it. On the contrary, people who are confident, well-adjusted, draw freely, in a big way, and can take up the entire sheet.

Location families on the figure is also important in interpretations. If a person depicted a family in the lower half of the sheet, then this indicates not only his low self-esteem, but also a low level of life claims and ambitions. That is, if the family plot is located at the bottom of the sheet, then this indicates the following: “even the smallness that I pretend to, I can’t do it.” If, on the other hand, a small image is placed at the top of the sheet, and the large bottom part of the sheet is empty, this indicates that the subject's low self-esteem is combined with high level his claims: “I want a lot of things in life, but I can’t do much.”

It happens that a person draws some inanimate objects together with his family, and possibly depicts them instead of the family. For example, instead of people, a house without doors, a garage and a fence connecting them can be drawn, while family members are not depicted at all. It is assumed that they are all somewhere inside the painted house. In such cases, when family drawing interpretation psychologists make the following conclusions. Family replacement inanimate objects shows that the closed world of the house without doors seems to be the biggest family value. The fact that there are no family members in the picture indicates a lack of emotional contact with them. The absence of the author of the drawing suggests that he does not see a place for himself in this world. Undrawn doors indicate that the subject is having difficulty opening up to others, especially in the home circle. The presence of structures (fence, garage) indicates aggression against the actual owners of the house or rebellion against what the subject considers to be artificial cultural standards.

At family drawing interpretation psychologists also note the importance of exactly how the characters are depicted. Their size, the drawing of facial features (eyes, nose, mouth, etc.), the size and shape of the arms, legs, etc.The size of the depicted character or object expresses its significance for the author of the drawing and shows what place in his soul is occupied by relations with this character in this moment time. Size is used to express significance, fear and respect. The large size of the head means the mind, respectively, the author considers the most “smart” member of the family to whom he painted the largest head. A large and / or shaded mouth is a symbol of aggression, attack. If a person has no mouth or is depicted as a dot, then this person does not have the right to express his opinion and influence others. The more powerful a character is perceived to be, the larger their hands. The absence of hands is an indicator of shyness, passivity, hidden hands express a sense of guilt. The exaggerated size of the hands, the allocation of hands and fingers - indicates a tendency to aggression.

The image in the drawing of a character who does not officially belong to the family (for example, a member of a kindred family, a family friend, etc.) speaks of unmet needs in relation to this character. The subject realizes these desires in his fantasy, in imaginary communication with this person. The same trend is indicated by the presence of a fictional (for example, fairy tale) character.

Also at family drawing interpretation the location of the characters on the sheet space is of great importance.
According to the principle of vertical hierarchy, the character with the highest power in the family (although he may be the smallest in linear size) is located highest in the figure. Below all is the one whose power in the family is minimal. The distance between the characters (linear distance) is related to the psychological distance. Whoever is closest to the subject psychologically, he depicts the one closest to himself spatially. The same applies to other characters: this person perceives as close to each other, those he will draw next to each other. Also, the characters that are in direct contact with each other in the picture (for example, with their hands) are in equally close psychological contact. Characters who do not touch do not have such contact.

The character or object that causes the subject the greatest anxiety is depicted either with increased pressure, or heavily shaded, or its outline is circled several times. But in some cases it can be outlined with a very thin, trembling line. The author, as it were, does not dare to portray him.Characters with large, wide eyes are perceived by the author as anxious, restless, in need of being rescued. Characters with “dotted” or “slit” eyes carry an internal “prohibition on crying”, that is, they are afraid to ask for help. How more area support at the feet, the more firmly on the ground the character is perceived. Lack of feet, small, unstable legs - a sign of uncertainty, instability, lack of a strong foundation, lack of a basic sense of security. If the characters in the figure are shown in one row, it is necessary to mentally horizontal line at the lowest point of the legs. Then only those people who “stand” on this line have support in reality. The rest, "hanging in the air", according to the subject, do not have independent support in life.

The "Family Drawing" technique is easy to use, helps to establish good emotional contact,
available to persons with reduced intelligence. Its use is especially productive in preschool and younger school age when children often have difficulty expressing their feelings and thoughts. At the same time, this technique and the rules for its interpretation can be successfully applied in work with adults. The technique is significant not only for diagnosing interpersonal relationships in the family, but also for choosing the tactics of psychological correction and psychotherapy of disturbed family relationships.

It happens that parents themselves cannot understand why the child began to behave differently, became withdrawn, uncommunicative. The child does not want to talk about his problems or experiences to his parents. It happens that changes in behavior are noticed by educators or teachers. Children who have problems with their parents do not always make contact. Therefore, adults have to use the services child psychologist.

There are many tests to find out about family relationships. But it is worth remembering that not all children will talk about their problems or worries. Therefore, so that the baby does not feel like he is being interrogated, psychologists use the “My Family” drawing test. Interpretation children's drawing can tell a lot about the child and his problem.

The test allows you to find out which relationships within the family. Projective technique The Family Drawing is the most informative way to diagnose a problem. With its help, the psychologist can find out how the child relates to loved ones. After all, kids see the world differently than adults. Therefore, parents may not see the problem. From the picture you can see how the parents relate to the child. The My Family test is designed for children aged 4–5 years and older. It can also be used for adults.

During the passage of this technique, it is not necessary to draw people. You can depict loved ones in the form of animals or cars, figures or flowers. The main thing in interpreting the family drawing will be:

• location;​
• hatching;
• the size;
• color scheme, etc.

The person being tested can be asked who is shown in the picture, what they do. It also has diagnostic value.

Description of the test "My family"

The rules for conducting a drawing test are very simple. To do this, ask the child to draw his family. At the same time, he does not need to tell him who and how to draw. The tested person himself knows who his family is for him. No need to ask leading questions. For example: "Why didn't you draw your older (younger) brother?". You can reformulate the original question: "Draw those whom you consider your family." It is not necessary to say that the child drew someone superfluous or non-existent.

Norma a drawing is considered, which shows all the members of the family with whom the child lives. While drawing, you need to pay attention to the order in which the baby begins to draw loved ones. The sequence of drawing is very important. Notice who the child portrayed first and last. Which of his relatives did he draw diligently or redraw several, trying to depict in more detail.

After finishing the drawing, you need to ask a number of questions:

These questions will help to find out: the child drew the desired or reality. He could draw a birthday celebration in nature that never happened or has already passed. You can decipher such a picture as “the child would like to communicate with the family more often” or “warm family relationships in the family circle”.

Interpretation of the drawing test "My family"

The image drawn by the child is a reflection of his relationship with other family members. Through the drawing, he conveys how he sees them and what role he assigns to everyone in the family.

Analysis of the group composition of the drawing

The test subject portrayed a family whose members are next to each other. In the picture, they can simply be depicted side by side or busy common cause. Or the opposite option, when family members are drawn at a distance from each other. Such an interpretation of the family drawing shows both the real situation in the family and desired by the child. Perhaps he is given little attention and he dreams of spending more time with his parents, or the family is really friendly and everything is done together.

If in the picture everyone is holding hands, then this can be understood in two ways. Either everything is fine in the family, or the child wants it to be so.

The image of two people will also be ambiguous, standing nearby. Perhaps between these people really warm relationship or the baby wants it to become a reality.

If one of the characters distant from overall picture , means that he keeps his distance from everyone and the child noticed this alienation.

Placement of one of the characters above others or below, says that he is the main one in the family, if lower, his influence is minimal. For example, the younger sister is drawn above all, that is, she directly controls everyone.

Diagnosing the most attractive character

Diagnosing the attractive character can be carried out according to featured:

• it was drawn first, it is mainly placed on the frontal plan of the drawing;
• he was drawn larger than the others;
• this character is drawn with love;
• the rest of the characters are drawn around him. They look in his direction.

The kid can draw it in unusual clothes or he draws some details and draws the same on his figure - this is how he compares himself with him.

The size of drawn characters also plays an important role in the designed methodology "Family Drawing". Baby draws big size the family member with whom a good relationship. For example, he drew a big dad. This can be understood that the child is comfortable with his father, he likes to spend time with him. The relationship with the mother of the baby is either strained or is of lesser importance to him. Less significant characters are depicted far from the rest and are drawn last small size. But also a child can cross out or erase this insignificant character.

It is worth paying attention to hatching and pressure. If, while drawing a character, the test subject presses on the pencil, this means that given character makes him feel anxious.

If the baby draws himself close to his father or mother, then he gives his preference to this parent.

The main factor determining the preferences of the baby is the distance between family members. It is this distance that is psychological distance. Children depict close people next to them.

child about himself

By distinguishing himself from other children, the child can draw himself close to his parents, pushing the rest of the family into the background.

exaggerated figure a child next to his father means that the baby is trying to be equal in everything to his father. So he expresses a sense of rivalry, he wants to be as authoritative in the family as his father.

Feeling of guardianship and helplessness will be expressed by a small childish figure surrounded by parents. He wants to be taken care of and paid attention to. Perhaps this is due to the increased guardianship of the beloved child, and he is used to such treatment of him. This usually happens when there is only one child in the family. With their lack of independence and weakness, children very often manipulate adults in order to get more attention.

The baby carefully draws his figure in the picture - this is how he shows that life revolves around him, he is unique. This also suggests that parents put all their efforts into the child in order to embody all unfulfilled dreams in him. In such a family, children's desires are in the foreground, and parents play a secondary role.

Additional characters

The image in the picture of non-existent people who are not related to the family circle, or animals suggests that the child is trying to fill the void, he lacks warmth in relationships with his parents. Or it can be deciphered as flaw emotional connections . Children who do not have siblings may portray cousins ​​as members of their own family. By portraying animals, the child shows that he lacks communication with other children, he wants to play with peers, he needs a constant companion in games so that he can communicate with him on an equal footing.

fictional characters talk about the unmet needs of children. Lack of pleasure in real life the baby satisfies in his imaginations and dreams. By asking the child about this character, you can understand what he lacks.

If a preschooler depicts one of the family members as a pet that does not exist in reality, then in this way he shows that he has little love and he wants to find it from this person.

Image of parents

Often the child draws both parents. Dad is above everyone on the left, then mom and the rest of the family. But it should be remembered that the child can portray the desired, not reality. It happens in incomplete families. The kid draws an absent family member, thereby showing that he wants dad or mom to be around. If the parents divorced, he can show his desire so that the parents get back together.

Single parent image shows that the child has passed the adaptation and accepted existing reality. Or the figure of one of the parents can be isolated. In this way, the child shows his desire to be with the parent of the opposite sex. Jealousy caused by the Oedipus complex is quite normal in children who have not yet reached puberty.

Sometimes children draw either a father or an oversized mother. This indicates that he is the dominant member of the family. This adult oppresses the independence of the child and his initiative. The child shows suppression of his will, hostility, fear of this person. Sometimes children draw too big hands, which can mean a dictatorial attitude. If one of the adults is shown small with or without small hands, this can be interpreted as disrespect and ignoring this loved one.

Reluctance to draw one of the family members

It happens that a preschooler refuses to draw one of the family members. To the question: "Why didn't you draw your brother?" the baby may answer that there was not enough space or forgot. Remember, nothing happens by chance. Such "forgetfulness" or "lack of space" may mean worries and some feelings for this family member. Basically, children, because of jealousy of their parents, do not portray younger sisters and brothers, because, as they believe, it is they who get more love and parental attention. In reality, children do not show aggression, but during drawing it can be shown in the drawing by the absence of younger children.

It happens that the baby portrays the younger members of the family, but does not portray himself. So, he associates himself with a brother or sister who has to most of parental attention. If the child does not portray one of the parents, this may be a negative attitude towards him.

A child who feels lonely in a family draws his figure away from everyone. Or he may not draw himself. It also shows alienation and loneliness. He also feels inferior, he has low self-esteem. This can happen if adults very often criticize the baby, setting older children as an example.

Test "My family"

this test will help determine psychological condition child while drawing, to identify the most significant family member for him, to determine intra-family contacts.

prepare: landscape sheet, simple pencil, colored pencils, eraser.

instructions

Have your child draw their family. while drawing tell the child nothing more. pay attention to who the child drew first - this person is most loved by the child.

when drawing he'll be ready, ask: "who did you draw?". “why didn’t you draw ... (for example, dad)?”. “Who is the happiest here? why?". “Who is the most unfortunate? why?".

dough processing

on this figure family can be judged on the relationship in the family. of course, this test cannot reflect the whole picture as a whole, but something can be gleaned from the drawing.

1. analysis of the pattern structure

the drawn composition of the family corresponds to the real one - the child has a correctly formed concept of "my family".

if the child did not draw someone or drew very far from himself - a conflict with this person, alienation, dissatisfaction with communicating with him.

drew other children or adults who do not live with the child - the child lacks communication with these people.

painted animals - there is a rejection of the child in the family and a lack of communication with people.

if there is no child in the picture - bad attitude to the child from the family.

I drew only myself - there is no sense of community (they do not go anywhere together, each separately). if, moreover, a lot of details are drawn - egocentrism.

2. location of family members

all family members are connected by hands, joined hands - psychological well-being.

if united by a real common activity - an indicator of family cohesion.

busy with fictitious activities - psychological distress (we rarely go together).

family members at a great distance from the child - alienation, fear, negative relationships.

grouping by interests (parents are busy with one thing, the child with another) - disunity (parents have their own problems, the child has his own, “don’t stick your nose into your own business”).

whom the child drew next to him - that one is more emotionally closer to the child.

the child first of all draws the most significant person for himself, in the last - the less significant one.

dad is drawn separately, but carefully drawn - often missing.

if there is a frame around the family (everything in the building) - isolation from the outside world.

careless depiction of all family members, their separation by partitions, the depiction of people from the back or turned away from each other - a violation of emotional contacts.

3. analysis of the features of the drawn figures

all the details of the body are drawn - the norm. mom without a mouth - “don’t scream”, no eyes - “I don’t want constant supervision”, dad without hands - “don’t beat me”, didn’t draw a face - “you don’t like me.”

omission of details on the head or face - hostility, fear, secrecy, distrust of this person. drawn hands - very good family relations, no hands - no meaningful communication with other people.

huge ears - praise me.

decoration (details of clothing, outfits are carefully drawn) for the one whom the child loves more.

if the child carefully draws himself - a high need for attention, demonstrativeness, a tendency to tantrums.

a schematic representation of people - the child's lack of emotionality.

the size of the figures - main member families - the largest, but not necessarily the most beloved.

if the child is drawn as the largest - egocentrism. great parent and very Small child- the parent is very strict, the child is not self-confident. if everyone is the same height, everyone in the family is partners.

hands up - hostility to others.

the child is drawn without hands - a feeling of powerlessness, resignation.

each member of the family is drawn the same way - all faceless, stamped.

different faces of family members - individuality.

if a child draws himself like mom or dad, he wants to be like her or him.

colors used - light, juicy tones - joy, loves this person.

black gray, Brown color- an unfavorable attitude towards this person.

4. analysis of the drawing process

drew himself in last turn- low self-esteem.

a lot of erasing with an eraser is a sign of anxiety, dissatisfaction with this person.

small size of the drawing, shading - unfavorable physical condition,
tension, tightness.

large sizes, bright colors - good location spirit, looseness, absence
tension and fatigue.

Material for the lesson.

While he is drawing, do not interfere in the process itself, but follow the order in which household members appear on paper. When the drawing is ready, ask the kid what the names of all the characters in his picture are and proceed to the analysis.

In order: the sequence of appearance of family members indicates the attitude towards them young artist. Children usually draw their favorite or most significant member of the family first. If he forgot to draw someone, this means that the child has a strained relationship with this person. The child often portrays himself in the very center - it means that he is sure that his parents love him. Conversely, he feels abandoned and lonely if he has not painted himself at all.

By composition: If one of the family members is missing from the picture in the form of a group photograph, ask the child why he forgot him. Such an incomplete portrait is a serious reason to think.

By distance: When there is peace and quiet in the house, all the characters are depicted almost close to each other. The closer the baby draws himself to one of the parents, the stronger his attachment to this person. Any object drawn between people symbolizes a barrier in the relationship between these family members.

By color: Everything that your child loves, he will paint with warm tones. Express special affection juicy, bright color. If someone’s clothes are painted blue by a kid, it means that he is comfortable next to this person. If it is green, then this person is respected and significant for the child. Yellow will mean impulsiveness and a guide to action, red - aggression, black color signals the emotional rejection of one of the relatives.

By body parts: Carefully traced facial features mean the love and importance of the parent for the child. If the author of the drawing singled out his face - this is a sign of narcissism or heightened attention to their appearance, but up to 4 years, such a pattern can be considered the norm. If a little artist portrayed the mouth of one of the parents too large, then perhaps this person makes a lot of remarks to the child.

If there is no mouth or it is very small, the character hides his feelings in life. Painted teeth speak of aggression. Characters with big eyes they feel fear, and with little ones they hide something. Long hands, as well as their complete absence, mean that this person is very domineering and psychologically puts pressure on the child. Short arms betray inner weakness. And if a child draws himself with his hands up, he wants to assert himself in the family, he lacks attention.

Your child can help not only find, but also neutralize pain points family relationships.
If you are confused in the interpretation of your child's masterpiece, then just turn over a sheet of paper and take a test with him on the topic "The Family I Want". Ask your kid to draw the family of his dreams, and you will see what each of you lacks in order to be happy and give love to loved ones.