Graphic test drawing of a family. Test "My Family". Educational issues

Methodology “Family Drawing”

The essence of the technique:

The child is given a standard sheet of paper, a set of colored pencils (a pencil, a pen), and asked: “Draw your family.” At the same time, there is no need to remind who is part of the family, let him draw like this,
as he imagines. If a child asks who to draw, give him complete freedom, even if he draws animals, the drawing will still be quite informative. After finishing drawing, ask guiding questions: Who? Where is it drawn? What do family members do? Who's in what mood? etc.

Interpretation of the results of the technique

1. After finishing drawing, ask the child “who is who”, who does what.

Remarks like “I forgot to draw my brother” or “my sister didn’t fit in” don’t matter. If someone from the family is missing from the picture, this may mean: The presence of negative unconscious feelings towards this person. For example, strong jealousy towards a younger brother; the child seems to be reasoning: “I should love my brother, but he annoys me, this is bad. That’s why I won’t draw anything at all.”

A complete lack of emotional contact with the “forgotten” person in the picture. It’s as if this person simply doesn’t exist in the child’s emotional world.

2. The author himself is missing from the picture.

Difficulties in relationships with loved ones: “They don’t notice me here,” “I feel rejected,” “It’s difficult for me to find my place in the family.” The child is “rejected” from the family: “They don’t accept me, well, I don’t need to, and it’s fine without them.”

3. The picture shows a fictional family member.

The child tries to fill the vacuum of feelings not received in the family. Children often draw birds and animals that do not actually live in the house, this means that the child longs to be needed and needed by someone, which means that parents do not satisfy the need for love, tenderness, and affection.

4. Size of characters depicted shows their significance for the child. The more authoritative the person depicted is in the child’s eyes, the larger he is. Often young children do not have enough sheet to accommodate the entire figure.

5. Child's size on the sheet.

If a child draws himself very small, located in the corner of a sheet, he has low self-esteem at this moment, or he considers himself the smallest in the family. Children with high self-esteem picture themselves very large, even larger than their parents.

6. Location of the child The figure shows his position in the family. When he is in the center, between mom and dad, or draws himself first, it means that he feels wanted and needed in the house. If a child depicts himself separately from the others, or draws himself last, this is a sign of jealousy and trouble.

7. Distance between images indicate emotional closeness or, conversely, disunity. The further the figures are located from each other, the greater their emotional disconnection. In some drawings, children emphasize the disconnect they feel by including themselves in the free space between family members various items(furniture, vases), strangers, imaginary people. With emotional closeness, relatives are drawn almost close to each other, their hands touch. The closer a child portrays himself to any family member, the higher his degree of attachment to this person and vice versa.

8. Sequence of images of family members.

Usually, the first child draws is either himself, or his most beloved family member, or the most significant, authoritative, in the child’s opinion, person in the family. Usually the most recently drawn relative has the lowest authority (this could be the child himself).

9. Arrangement of figures on the sheet.

Look carefully at who is higher and who is lower in the picture. The highest ranked character is the one who, in the child's opinion, has the greatest importance in the family (even if he is small in size). For example, if on the sheet above everyone else there is a picture of a TV or a six-month-old sister, then it means that in the child’s mind they are the ones who “control” the rest of the family members

10. The character or object that causes the greatest anxiety in the child.

It is depicted with increased pressure from the pencil, or is heavily shaded, its outline is outlined several times, but it happens that a child draws such a character with a barely noticeable, “trembling” line.

11. Body parts. Head.

This is the important and most valuable part of the body. Intelligence and skill are in the head. The child portrays the smartest, thinking member of the family as big.

Eyes.

Not only for viewing, they betray sadness. Characters with large, wide eyes are perceived by the child as anxious, restless, and in need of help. Characters with “dot” or “slit” eyes carry an internal ban on crying (i.e., the person is closed, subconsciously or consciously does not show his emotions, often negative).

Ears.

This is the organ of perception of criticism and, in general, any information about oneself. Characters with large ears listen to those around them. If there are no ears at all, a person does not listen to anyone and ignores what they say about him.

Mouth.

In the picture, the mouth is the “organ of attack”; the mouth is used to express aggression, swear, bite, and take offense. A character with a large and/or shaded mouth is perceived as a source of threat. If there is no mouth at all, it is depicted as a dot, a dash - the person hides his feelings, cannot express them in words or influence others.

Neck.

Symbolizes the ability of self-control of the head over feelings. The character who has a neck is able to control his feelings (usually an adult).

Hands.

The function of the hands is to cling, join, interact with people around them, i.e. ability to act. How more fingers on hand, the stronger the character. The length of the arms indicates sociability, short arms betray inner weakness, indecisiveness, lack of communication

Legs.

Needed for walking, for support, for freedom of movement. The larger the area of ​​support at the feet, the more firmly and confidently the character stands on the ground. The right leg symbolizes support in non-family reality, the left leg - in the family

12. Color scheme of the picture - indicator of the palette of feelings. The child draws the closest family members and himself with the most favorite colors; the unloved, gloomy colors go to the people rejected by the child. Pay attention to the general color palette: the predominance of bright colors indicates good mood, gloomy colors indicate anxiety, depression (unless, of course, black is your favorite color
for the baby). Mothers are usually depicted in beautiful dresses, With
hairpins, with lots of small parts, the hair color can be the most unusual, the details are carefully drawn, this is how the child shows his love. Yourself children with adequate self-esteem They also draw them carefully and dress them smartly. Beloved fathers are also very elegant, like all the relatives close and beloved by the child.

13. The child draws only himself, “forgetting” to draw everyone else, this often indicates that he does not feel like a member of the family. The child is rejected in the family, troubles and emotional problems put pressure on him. The figure may be small, “hidden” in the corner of the sheet, dark, with a blurry face. But it happens that a child with high self-esteem draws only himself to emphasize his importance. He carefully draws the details of clothing, the face; The figure is very large and bright.

14. The sun in the picture - a symbol of protection and warmth. People and objects that are between the child and the sun are what prevent him from feeling protected, using energy and warmth.

15. Abundance of small details, closed details (scarves, buttons) signal prohibitions, secrets that the child is not allowed to see

The test is designed to identify features intra-family relations. It will help clarify the child’s relationship with his family members, how he perceives them and his role in the family, as well as those characteristics of the relationship that cause anxious and conflicting feelings in him.

Test Description

The child may perceive the family situation, which the parents evaluate positively from all sides, completely differently. Having learned how he sees the world, family, parents, yourself, you can understand the causes of many of the child’s problems and effectively help him in resolving them.

Test instructions

The child is given a simple pencil of medium softness and a standard Blank sheet A4 paper. The use of any additional tools is excluded.

Instructions: “Please draw your family.” No instructions or clarifications should be given. To answer questions that arise in the child, such as “Who should be drawn and who should not be drawn?”, “Should I draw everyone?”, “Should I draw grandfather?” etc., you should answer evasively, for example: “Draw the way you want.”

While the child is drawing, you should unobtrusively observe him, noting points such as:

• The order of filling the free space.
• The order in which the characters appear in the picture.
• Start and end time of work.
• The occurrence of difficulties when depicting a particular character or elements of the drawing (excessive concentration, pauses, noticeable slowness, etc.).
• Time spent on individual characters.
• The emotional mood of the child during the depiction of a particular character in the drawing.

After finishing the drawing, ask your child to sign or name all the characters in the drawing.
After the drawing is completed, the second stage of the study begins - conversation. The conversation should be light, relaxed, without causing a feeling of resistance and alienation in the child. Here are questions to ask:

• Whose family is shown in the picture - the family of the child, his friend or a fictitious person?
• Where is this family located and what are its members doing currently?
• How does the child describe each of the characters, what role does he assign to each in the family?
• Who is the nicest in the family and why?
• Who is the happiest and why?
• Who is the saddest and why?
• Who does your child like best and why?
• How does this family punish children for bad behavior?
• Who will be left at home alone when they go for a walk?

Interpretation of test results

The resulting image, as a rule, reflects the child’s attitude towards the members of his family, how he sees them, and what role he assigns to each in the family configuration.

1. Assessment of the overall structure

What we see in the picture: indeed, a family, the members of which are depicted together, standing close together or busy doing some common task, or are they just several isolated figures that have no contact with each other. It should be borne in mind that this or that image of a family situation may be is connected with the real situation in the family, and may contradict it.

• If, for example, family members are depicted holding hands, then this may correspond to the real situation in the family, or it may be a reflection of what is desired.
• If two people are shown close to each other, then perhaps this is a reflection of how the child perceives their relationship, but at the same time it does not correspond to reality.
• If a character is distant from other figures, this may speak of the “distance” that the child notices in life and highlights it.
• Placing one family member above the rest, the child thereby gives him an exceptional status. This character, according to the child, has the greatest power in the family, even if he draws him as the smallest in comparison with the size of the others.
• The child tends to place the one below the others, whose influence in the family is minimal.
• If the child above all interferes with his little brother, then, in his opinion, he is the one who controls everyone else.

2. Determining the most attractive character

It can be identified by the following signs:

• he is depicted first and placed in the foreground;
• he is taller and larger than the other characters;
• made with more love and care;
• the rest of the characters are grouped around, turned in his direction, looking at him.

A child can highlight one of the family members by depicting him in some special clothes, endowing him with some details and in the same way depicting his own figure, thus identifying himself with this character.

The size of a particular family member speaks of the meaning that this character has for a child. For example, if the grandmother is drawn larger than the father and mother, then most likely the relationship with the parents is currently in the background for the child. On the contrary, the least significant character shown in the figure as the smallest, is drawn last and placed away from the rest. A child can deal with such a character more categorically: cross it out with a few strokes or erase it with an eraser.

Strong shading or strong pencil pressure when depicting a particular figure, they reveal the feeling of anxiety that the child experiences in relation to this character. Conversely, just such a figure can be depicted using a weak, thin line.

The preference of one or another parent is expressed in the fact that Which parent did the child draw himself closer to?, what facial expression can be read in the figures of the parents.

Distance between family members– one of the main factors reflecting the child’s preferences. The distances in the figure are a reflection of psychological distance. Thus, the closest people are depicted in the drawing closer to the figure of the child. The same applies to other characters: those whom the child places next to in the drawing are, in his opinion, close in life.

3. Child about himself

If The child highlights his figure the most in the drawing, draws himself more carefully, drawing all the details, depicting more vividly, so that he catches the eye, and the rest of the figures form just a background, then thereby he expresses the importance of his own personality. He considers himself the main character around whom life in the family revolves, the most significant, unique. A similar feeling arises based on the parental attitude towards the child. Trying to embody in the child everything that they themselves could not achieve, to give him everything that they were deprived of, parents recognize his priority, the primacy of his desires and interests and their auxiliary, secondary role.

Small, weak figure, depicted surrounded by parents, in which the child recognizes himself, can express a feeling of helplessness and a demand for care and attention. This situation may be due to the fact that the child is accustomed to the atmosphere of constant and excessive care that surrounds him in the family (often observed in families with an only child), therefore he feels weak and can even abuse this by manipulating his parents and constantly demanding from them help and attention.

The child can draw himself close to parents, pushing aside the rest of the family. Thus, he emphasizes his exceptional status among other children.

If a child draws himself next to father and at the same time exaggerates the size of his own figure, then this probably indicates strong feeling rivalry and the child’s desire to take the same strong and authoritative place in the family as the father.

4. Additional characters

When drawing a family, a child can add people not related to the family circle, or animals. This behavior is interpreted as an attempt to fill voids, compensate for the lack of close, warm relationships, compensate for the lack of emotional connections, etc. So, for example, a boy, being the only child in the family, can include in his drawing cousins ​​or brothers, the most distant relatives and various animals - cats, dogs and others, thereby expressing the lack of close communication with other children and the need to have constant companion in games with whom one could communicate on equal terms.

The picture may also contain fictional characters , which also symbolize the child’s unmet needs. Not receiving their satisfaction in real life, the child satisfies these needs in his fantasy, in imaginary relationships. In this case, you should ask your child to tell you more about this character. In his answers you will find what he really lacks.

The child can draw close to one of the family members pet not actually present. This may indicate the child's need for love, which he would like to receive from this person.

5. Parent couple

Usually parents are depicted together, the taller and larger father is placed on the left, the shorter mother on the right, followed by other figures in order of importance. As already noted, it should be borne in mind that a drawing does not always reflect reality; sometimes it is only a reflection of what is desired. A child who is being raised by one parent may nevertheless portray both of them, thereby expressing his desire for their union to be restored.

If child draws one parent with whom he lives, this means his acceptance of a real-life situation to which the child has more or less adapted.

One of the parents may be in an isolated position in the picture. If the figure of a parent of the same gender as the child is depicted apart from the others, then this can be interpreted as the child’s desire to be with a parent of the opposite sex. Jealousy caused by the Oedipus complex is a completely normal phenomenon for a child before he reaches puberty (on average 12 years).

The case when the figure of the child and the parent of the opposite sex are removed from each other, may, apparently, be considered as a minor violation of the natural order of relationships with the parent of the other sex.

If in the picture parents communicate with each other, for example, holding hands, it means that in life there is close psychological contact between them. If there is no contact in the picture, then most likely there is none in reality.

Sometimes a child, ignoring the real situation, portrays one of the parents unnaturally big size, this often involves a maternal figure. This suggests that in his eyes this parent is perceived as a suppressive figure who suppresses any manifestation of independence and initiative. If a child has formed an image of one of the parents as a dominant, suppressive, hostile, frightening person, then he is inclined to give his figure a large size compared to the figures of other family members, without taking into account their actual physical size. Such a figure can be depicted with large hands, demonstrating through his pose an imperious, dictatorial attitude.

In contrast, a parent who is not taken seriously by the child, ignored, disrespected, is portrayed as small in size, with small hands or no hands at all.

6. Identification

In the family picture, there is also such an indicative factor as identification. The child easily identifies himself with one or another character in his drawing. He can identify himself with his father, mother, sibling.

Identification with same-sex parent corresponds to the normal state of affairs. It reflects his desire to have a preferential relationship with a parent of the opposite sex.

Identification with an older sibling, regardless of gender, is also normal, especially if there is a noticeable age difference.

Sometimes a child may identify yourself with additional characters who are not part of the family. What is identification expressed in? The figure with which the child identifies himself is depicted as the most attractive and complete; she is given more time. In addition, the results of the conversation usually provide plenty of information about this. In the conversation on which one should rely most, completely opposite things are often revealed. It turns out that a child can identify himself with the most nondescript character in the picture, who has unclear outlines, is placed aside from everyone else, etc. Such a case suggests that the child is experiencing great difficulties and tension in relationships with his family and himself.

7. Refusal to depict a particular family member

If the child draws himself away from the rest of the family, then he probably experiences a feeling of loneliness and isolation.

If the child is completely absent from the picture, then we can talk about the same thing, but in a much stronger manifestation. Experiences such as feelings of inferiority or a sense of lack of community, alienation, also force the child to exclude himself from the family picture. Similar examples can often be seen in family drawings made by adopted children. Parental dissatisfaction, excessive criticism, comparisons with brothers or sisters in an unfavorable light contribute to the formation of low self-esteem and suppression of the child’s motivation to achieve. In a milder form, this manifests itself when the child draws himself last.

A common occurrence in children's drawings - refusal to draw younger sibling. Explanations such as “I forgot to draw my brother” or “There wasn’t enough room for my younger brother” should not mislead you. There is nothing accidental in the drawing of a family. Everything has its own meaning, expresses certain feelings and experiences of the child in relation to people close to him.

It is quite common for an older child to be jealous of his parents. youngest child, because he gets it most of love and attention of parents. Since in reality it restrains the manifestation of feelings of discontent and aggression, these feelings find their way out in the family drawing. The younger sibling is simply not shown in the picture. By denying its existence, the child removes the existing problem.

Another reaction may also occur: the child may depict a younger sibling in the drawing, but exclude yourself from family composition, thus identifying himself with a rival who enjoys the attention and love of his parents. The absence of adults in the picture may indicate a negative attitude of the child towards this person, the absence of any emotional connection with him.

Sources

• Family Drawing Test/ Taylor K. Psychological tests and exercises for children. A book for parents and educators - M., 2005.

Material prepared

• Gerasimova Anna ()

You can learn about a child’s view of the situation in the family not only from a conversation with him, but also by conducting a test and deciphering the results. Invite him to make a drawing of the family in which he lives, and analyze the resulting “work of art.”

Purpose and essence of the “Family Drawing” test

The purpose of diagnosis is to identify problems in the child’s relationships with loved ones. The objectives of the Family Drawing test are:

• analyze the drawn image;
• evaluate the answers to the questions and draw appropriate conclusions about real situation within the family.

Domestic and foreign psychologists are directly related to the emergence of the pictorial method of assessing the family: V. Hules, A.I. Zakharov, L. Korman.

The essence of the study is that the child is asked to draw his family as he imagines it. The process of creating an image is under the strict control of a psychologist, he notices and takes into account everything:

• the subject's drawing style;
• the sequence of adding family members and their location on paper;
• pauses in drawing a particular character;
• comments when creating images;
• start and end time of work on the task;
• reactions in the form of screams, sighs, and so on.

Testing also includes answers to questions that are asked to the child after creating his “masterpiece.” After finishing the drawing, the results are analyzed and conclusions are drawn about the state of relationships in the family.

Diagnostics helps to eliminate the child's problems through the concept of true relationships between members of the family in which he grows and develops.

Even such a simple drawing can tell a specialist a lot

Diagnostic procedure

The materials that need to be offered to the child are very simple: White list standard size paper (A4), a simple pencil of medium softness and an eraser. It is not recommended to use any other means. If the test taker himself wants to color the image, then he can be given colored pencils (at least 12 pieces of different colors).

Taking into account the level of development and age of the subject, you need to choose the most appropriate recommendations:

1. Draw your family.
2. Draw all the family members doing their usual activities.
3. Draw your family as you imagine it.
4. Draw your family, where each family member is a fantastic creature.
5. Draw your family in the form or symbol that suits you.

The first option does not involve any additional guidelines for the baby, and if due to age or psychological problems he has not developed the concept of “family”, then it will be very difficult for the child to cope with the task.

An individually differentiated approach is required when formulating a task. For example, the fifth instruction is in no way suitable for children preschool age, since they may still be unfamiliar with the very concept of an image or symbol.

The standard test time does not exceed half an hour. Usually about 15–30 minutes is enough for the subject to depict everything that he means by the concept of his family.

After finishing drawing, you must invite the child to sign or name all the characters depicted and answer the questions prepared in advance:

• Whose family did the “artist” depict (his own, a friend’s, a fictional character)?
• Where are its members, what do they do?
• How can you describe each person depicted on paper, what is his role in the family?
• Who is good in the family? Why?
• Who is often sad? Why?
• Who is the happiest? For what reason?
• Who is the most unfortunate? For what reason?
• Who is your favorite and why?
• What punishments for bad behavior are there in this family?

When discussing a drawing, you need to carefully analyze the words and emotions of the subject

The person conducting the test must understand what feelings motivated the child when he drew, why some family members are depicted this way and not otherwise, and for what reason someone is missing. You should not speak in a tone that is not conducive to conversation. Gentleness, calmness, ease - characteristics of the dialogue, stimulating the test taker to the most complete and frank answers. Some of the questions challenge the child to open up the sensory sphere and discuss it; not all children are ready for this. Therefore, in the case of formal or monosyllabic remarks, one should not force a person to expose his feelings.

In a conversation, it is best to use projective rather than direct questions. For example, don’t ask: “Who didn’t you draw?” Instead, find out: “If instead of a cat you drew a person, then who could it be?”

The child’s solution of the proposed tasks will help the teacher or psychologist determine a negative or positive attitude towards different members families:

Processing and interpretation of results

Viewing the Image

Subsequence

Having received a task, the child may not begin to complete it immediately, delaying the first strokes. Sometimes children first draw elements that are not directly related to the family - flowers, geometric figures, pets. This state of affairs is a signal of trouble and discomfort of the child surrounded by loved ones.

The sequence of images of relatives indicates the authority of a particular person. The first subject to draw, as a rule, is either the child himself or the family member who is closest to the baby. If children add themselves last, it is negative characteristic, indicating a possible feeling of rejection and uselessness.

Plot

The simplicity of the plot usually comes down to drawing all the characters (or excluding someone) without regard to the surrounding reality. Sometimes the drawing is “diluted” by pieces of furniture, flowers, and buildings.

Birds, the sun and a ball are added to the picture - everything is fine in such a family

The standard “anchor” of the plot is home furnishings with familiar furniture, wallpaper, toys and so on. If a child portrayed a family on the street or “brought” them to a holiday, in this case you can be sure of the test taker’s desire to relax, have fun, and communicate with their relatives.

A drawn sun can be regarded as a lack of attention, affection, or, on the contrary, as warmth and comfort in the family circle. Clouds grouped over the figures of loved ones, or rain pouring on them are signs of a child’s discomfort in his native environment.

Some children attach to real family members what they want to see in their environment: pets, younger brothers and sisters. To understand what exactly the child is missing, you need to collect more information about the characters depicted by asking additional questions.

There are examples when only a “shell” is present on a piece of paper (for example, a house with windows), and the family members themselves are not observed. This can be regarded as a child’s protest, and parents should draw conclusions about the true state of affairs: the child’s concept of family has not been formed or is greatly distorted.

Relatives holding hands can be interpreted by a psychologist both as a real situation within the family hearth and as a dream. In this case, a conversation will help to find out how things really are in the child’s relationship with loved ones.

The plot of the drawing in which all relatives are engaged in a common cause - positive characteristic, signaling a favorable intra-family climate. The lack of cohesion, the distant location of the characters is a sign of detachment from each other in real life.

If the drawing reflects any events of the past, this means the test taker’s subconscious desire to return to that time, dissatisfaction with the present. The same negative attitude to the current situation in the family can be “read” in a drawing with the plot of a future life.

Dimensions and location

How larger size of the depicted character, the higher his importance in the eyes of the child. The authority of the person being tested can be expressed in his own image as higher and larger than everyone else, and children who do not receive enough love and attention paint themselves as small, sometimes tiny.

The exclusivity of a character's status can be judged by the fact that he is placed on foreground drawing, is depicted before others and is “written out” with special love and care.

The size of the drawn family member may be insignificant, but if it is placed on the sheet above the others, this is a sign of the special power of the household member.

The character’s parameters in the picture show the role that a loved one plays in the child’s life. Often children who spend most of their time with their grandmothers can draw her as the largest one. Family members who do not play a special role in the author’s life find themselves crossed out or erased.

By the location of relatives in the figure, you can determine the family hierarchy: the dominant roles belong to grandmother and mother

A child’s drawing of himself is very revealing. Large size, central location on the sheet, images of parents are much smaller and on the edges - you can be sure that the child is the “navel of the family”, taking all the attention of other inhabitants family nest. Placement in the corner or bottom of the picture is an alarming signal; such “artists” feel unnecessary, superfluous.

Distance between figures

This parameter characterizes emotional intimacy. Disunity and conflict can be judged by the too large distance between the figures. If family members are drawn side by side, this is a projection of affection between them.

The child drew himself next to his dad - he is close to him if he holds his mother’s hand - at the current stage there is no one closer and closer to her.

No image

If there is no relative in the picture, then that family member is probably causing negative emotions at the test taker. Perhaps that is why the child “forgot” to draw it.

Jealousy leads to the fact that children do not include family portrait younger brothers or sisters. If the subject is subjected to violence and humiliation, then the subject who allows such an attitude towards the child may also be absent from the picture - this is a kind of “revenge” of the child on the offender.

When the pictured family is missing the test taker, perhaps not all is well in it. Conflict situations between loved ones or a child’s quarrel with family is reflected in the “elimination” of his figure from the general portrait.

If on a piece of paper you can see only the author of the drawing and no one else, then parents should think deeply about what is wrong in family relationships. Most likely, the child grows up in an atmosphere of hypertrophied love and care and is self-centered. The image is accompanied by additional bright (even festive) elements.

But such a case (drawing only oneself) can also speak of rejection, a feeling of uselessness. In this case, the “masterpiece” will not be joyful, but gloomy and emotionally depressed.

Drawing details

A family member whose face shows only eyes may be regarded by a child as a dictator, watching his every move. By analogy with this interpretation, one can draw conclusions about the appearance in the picture of relatives with very large ears or an open mouth - such household members look in the eyes of children as an all-hearing and boring phenomenon, lecturing and constantly teaching.

A carefully drawn head of someone means the great importance and authority of this relative for the child. A detailed image of “your beloved self” is a reflection of a special attitude towards yourself, a sign of narcissism.

An aggressive relative may be depicted with excessively long arms; such a drawn detail should be considered as a fear of aggression. And, on the contrary, the absence of these body parts in someone may be associated with the child’s desire to protect himself from this member of the household.

The powerless and powerless position of the baby in the family can be determined by the fact that the subject draws himself without arms.

Color

Using colored pencils is not only positive, but also informative

• The choice of bright, rich tones is an indicator of the child’s optimistic mood, his positive attitude to life and family.
• The presence of fears can be “read” by painting the details of the picture with gray or black.
• Particular sympathy for a character or for oneself is the use of a pencil of the same shade in all the details of a figure.
• Children with emotional tension prefer the red tone.

Analysis of drawing style

Weak pressure from the pencil indicates low self-esteem of the child, his passivity, asthenia and possible depression; strong - about the subject’s high self-esteem, his impulsiveness and tension. An indicator of aggressiveness and hyperactivity is very strong pressure, which leads to tearing of the paper. If the firmness of pressure on the pencil changes, then the child is emotionally unstable.

The type of lines that the test taker uses when drawing also characterizes his qualities: broad strokes, thick lines - self-confidence, determination; intersection of traits, their multiplicity - hyperexcitability, hyperactivity. If the lines are not completed, this means that the subject is impulsive and fickle.

The shading indicates the child’s high tension in the emotional sphere.

Analysis example

Irina (12 years old) was asked to draw her family, and this is the result she got after 25 minutes.

The drawing of a twelve-year-old girl speaks of a calm atmosphere in the family

From the drawing you can understand: the subject (far right) lives in an environment where the mother’s affection for her father is clearly expressed, as can be seen from the intertwined hands of the girl’s parents.

The older sister is the link between the adults and the younger family member, because she stands in the middle. But she is more attached to her parents than to the author of the image, since the girl’s head is turned in the appropriate direction.

The relationship with the sister is friendly, this can be seen from the fact that the girls in the picture are holding hands. The authority in the family is the father (depicted as the largest), and, most likely, he can be aggressive with Irina, since the girl drew her parent with his hands hidden in his pockets - apparently, this is a symbol of the fact that the subject wants to protect herself from his pressure.

Irina is a person with high self-esteem, since she stands somewhat higher than the level at which the figures of other characters are located. This is also evidenced by the fact that most of the lines in the figure are thick. Some emotional intensity of the author of the image can be judged by the multiplicity of some strokes.

In general, judging by the picture, the situation in the family is calm, but parents should pay more attention to relationships with youngest daughter, especially considering the fact that adolescence is approaching.

Family Drawing Test - good tool to determine the child’s relationship with loved ones. Diagnostic results will help detect possible problems and plan work for their timely correction.

Target : diagnostics of intrafamily relationships.

Material : a standard sheet of paper (A4 format), a set of colored pencils, an eraser.

Instructions : “Please draw a picture of your family.” All clarifying questions should be answered without any instructions, for example: “You can draw as you want.”

Progress : During an individual examination, the time to complete the task usually lasts about 30 minutes (when performing a group test, the time is often limited to 15-30 minutes).

When children make excuses by saying that they cannot draw, it is necessary to reassure them and tell them that the beauty of the drawing is not important here.

While drawing, pretend that you are doing your own thing (for example, writing something), but unnoticed by the child, watch how he draws, what he draws, where he draws... Write down all the child’s spontaneous statements, watch his facial expressions, gestures, and also record the drawing sequence, pauses for more than 15 seconds. and erasing details.

After the drawing is completed, a conversation is held with the child. The following questions are usually asked:

Tell me, who is drawn here?

Where are they located?

What are they doing?

Are they having fun or are they bored (sad)? Why?

Which of the painted people is the happiest? Why?

Which of them is the most unfortunate? Why?

The last two questions are designed to encourage the child to openly discuss feelings. If he does not answer them or answers formally, you should not insist on an explicit answer.

During the interview, the researcher should try to find out from the child the meaning of what was drawn: feelings towards individual family members, why he did not draw one of the family members (if this happened).

You should avoid direct questions and do not insist on an answer, as this can trigger anxiety and defensive reactions.

Questions of a projective nature are often productive (for example: “If a person were drawn instead of a bird, who would it be?”, “Who would win in a competition between your brother and you?”, “Who will mom invite to go with her to ...?” and so on.).

You can ask your child 6 situations to choose a solution: three of them should cause negative feelings towards family members, 3 - positive ones:

Imagine that you have two tickets to the circus. Who would you take with you?

Imagine that your whole family goes to visit, but one of you has to stay at home. Who is he?

You are building a house from a construction set (cutting out a dress for a doll), and you are out of luck (it doesn’t work out). Who will you call for help?

You have ... tickets (one less than family members) to the theater. Who will stay at home? (Why?)

Imagine that you are on a desert island. Who would you like to live there with?

You received an interesting game as a gift. The whole family sat down to play. But you are one more person than necessary. Who won't play?

For analysis children's drawing families also need to know:

Age of the child being examined.

The composition of his family, the age of his brothers and sisters.

Information about the child’s behavior in the family, kindergarten and school.

In practice, for the convenience of analyzing and evaluating the results of the “Family Drawing” test, various tabular methods are used, grouped by symptom complexes.

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 caregivers 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 child does not feel like he is being interrogated, psychologists use the “My Family” drawing test. Interpreting a child'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“Family Drawing” is the most informative way to diagnose the problem. With its help, a psychologist can find out how a 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 treat the child. The “My Family” test is designed for children 4–5 years old and older. It can also be used for adults.

While going through 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;
• size;
• color scheme, etc.

The test taker can be asked who is shown in the picture and what they do. It also has diagnostic value.

Description of the test “My Family”

Rules picture test very simple. To do this, ask the child to draw his family. At the same time, you don’t need to tell him who and how to draw. The test taker himself knows who his family is. There is 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 to be your family.” There is no need to say that the child drew someone superfluous or non-existent.

The norm A drawing is considered to be one that depicts all the family members with whom the child lives. While drawing, you need to pay attention to the order in which the child begins to draw loved ones. The drawing sequence is very important. Notice who the child portrayed first and last. Which of his loved ones he carefully drew or redrew several, trying to depict in more detail.

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

These questions will help you find out: the child drew what he wanted or reality. He could draw an outdoor birthday celebration that never happened or has already passed. Such a picture can be deciphered as “the child would like to communicate with his family more often” or “there are 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 relationships with other family members. Through the drawing he conveys how he sees them and what role he assigns to each in the family.

Analysis of the group composition of the drawing

The test taker depicted a family whose members were close to each other. In the picture they can simply be depicted side by side or engaged in a common task. Or the opposite option, when family members are drawn at a distance from each other. This interpretation of the family drawing shows both the real situation in the family and the one desired by the child. Perhaps he gets little attention and 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 that way.

The image of two people standing next to each other will also be ambiguous. Perhaps there is a really warm relationship between these people, or perhaps the little one wants this to become a reality.

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

Placing one of the characters higher or lower than others, indicates that he is the head of the family, if lower, his influence is minimal. For example, younger sister is drawn above everyone else, that is, she directly controls everyone.

Diagnosing the most attractive character

Diagnosis of the most attractive character can be done using the following signs:

• it was drawn first, it is mainly placed in 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 him in unusual clothes, or he draws some details and draws the same on his figure - this is how he compares himself with him.

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

It is worth paying attention to both shading and pressure. If, while drawing a character, the test taker presses on the pencil, this means that this character causes him a feeling of anxiety.

If a baby draws himself close to his dad or mom, it means he gives his preference to this parent.

The main factor determining the baby's preferences 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, a child can draw himself close to his parents, pushing other family members into the background.

Exaggerated figure a child next to his father means that the baby is trying to be equal to his father in everything. This is how he expresses a sense of competition; 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 given attention. Perhaps this is due to increased guardianship over his beloved child and he is accustomed to such treatment. This mainly happens when there is 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 drawing - this is how he shows that life revolves around him, he is unique. This also suggests that parents invest all their strength in the child in order to make all their unfulfilled dreams come true. 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 part of the family circle, or animals, indicates that the child is trying to fill the void, he lacks warmth in his relationship with his parents. Or it can be deciphered as lack of emotional connections. Children who do not have siblings can portray cousins ​​as members of their 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 equal terms.

Fictional characters talk about unmet children's needs. Lack of pleasure in real life the baby satisfies in his imagination and dreams. By asking a child about this character, you can understand what he is missing.

If a preschooler portrays one of the family members as a pet that does not exist in reality, then he shows that he does not have enough love and wants to receive it from this person.

Picture of parents

Often the child draws both parents. Dad is highest on the left, then mom and the rest of the family. But it should be remembered that a child can depict what he wants, not reality. This happens in single-parent families. The kid draws an absent family member, thereby showing that he wants dad or mom to be nearby. If his parents are divorced, he can show his desire for his parents to get back together.

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

Sometimes children draw either a huge father or mother. This indicates that he is the dominant member of the family. This adult oppresses the child's independence and initiative. The child shows suppression of his will, hostility, fear of this person. Sometimes children also draw big hands, which can indicate a dictatorial attitude. If one of the adults is depicted as small in size with small or no hands, this can be interpreted as disrespect and disregard for that 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 that he forgot. Remember, nothing happens by chance. Such “forgetfulness” or “lack of space” may mean worries and some feelings towards this family member. Mostly, out of jealousy towards their parents, children do not portray their younger sisters and brothers, because, as they believe, they receive 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 younger family members, but does not depict himself. So, he associates himself with a brother or sister, who receives most of the parental attention. If a child does not imitate one of the parents, this may be a negative attitude towards him.

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