TEST INTERPRETATION

House

Size

Tiny house............................shows regression and widrawal

Tiny, bu twell drawn house......has feeling of inadequacy to the hostile environment

Larger house...........................has strong conflict with the people in the home, tends to act out against

the home or overcompensate by fantasy

Placement

far away from the person..........inaccessible

drawn to the side of the page....shows insecurity

on top of ahill or mountain, small house.......... tends to dominate

on top of a hill of a cloud like base............he is out of reality tends toward SCHIZOPHRENIA

paper pacing (edge drawing) ....................shows regression if by admit subject

split house........................ shows split between the parent and child

apartment house or has many doors........lack of family integration/impersonal contacts at home

large roof.....................shows lot of fantasy

small roof.....................shows fear of fantasy

roof with wings.............psychotic

roof with cars................epileptic

like a tent......................shows obsession

roof with leaves..............overly defensive and suspicious

overemphasis on caves of the roof............ suspicious. SCHIZOPHRENIA

Chimney

Chimney drawn...........phallic concerned

Profuse/large smoke...........shows little warth, maybe ENURETIC

Transparent smoke..............has pretense of masculinity

Wall of the house

Emphasis on walls.................has great making an effort to control

Faint wall..............................fears the break of the ego

Broken lines for wall...............he is influenced by outside forces, hypersuggestive, shows loss of

Control

Material of the wall................ (tiles, hollow blocks etc.) has overconcern with body, feels
psychosomatic tensions

Transparent wall (inside is seen and if done by child beyond 6 y/o .... lack of reality contact

Thick sides of wall .............SCHIZOID

Door of house

Larger door............... has oral needs

Smaii door .................has anal needs

Small door and barred.............tends to be on the look out for trouble

Door opened, people seen inside...has a need to be seen by others

Door opened, othing seen inside......open to vulnerability

Shaded doorway of the house....shows hostility to environment BOARDERLINE SCHIZOPRENIA

Large door knob...... shows dependent hanging into the mother

windows

large windows........ has oral needs

small windows ........has anal needs

blank windows........shows positional tendencies

windows without panes.....SCHIZOPHRENIA, has feeling of emptines and inner hallowness

lightly drawn windows....shows feeling of emptiness

barred windows.....stay away and looks out for trouble

concealed windows.......suspicious, paranoidal

windows with curtains......guarded and defensive

windows and doors high up.....socially inaccessible, SCHIZOPRENIC

Path of pathway

Well rdawn pathway or sidewalk.....has good contact with reality

Long, narrow pathway.......shows lessens accessibility

Large pathway, path is small.....has compensatory need of superficially friendliness

Pathway going narrower.......shows superficial friendliness

Backgrounds

With fences.........anxious or experience anxiety

With clouds..........experience anxiety

With shrubs and trees.......experience anxiety

Tree

Yellow tree if drawna by a child.....autistic

Yellow tree if drawn by an adult.....shows inappropriate love, SCHIZOPHRENIC

Top of tree is divided.....shows PSYCHOTIC breaks

Position
Leaning to the left.........has need for emotional satisfaction

Leaning to the right.......uses intellectualization

Shifts from left to right......has urgent basic need

Leaves drooping down.......shows aggression

Roots

Roots coming out...........has unsatisfied instictual drives

Faint,thin roots..............has power contact with reality

Roots cut off by the ground......... tends to act out self, has suicidal tendency

Pointed roots..........SCHIZOPHRENIC

Talon like roots........power oriented personality

Talon –like roots but do not go the ground.....PARANOID tendency

Large roots area, spread out roots........frail, not grasping personality

Trunk

Tiny trunk.........shows inadequacy

Faint –line trunk........shows weak control and susceptibility

Tree with splitting trunk......shows lack of integration

Tree with readiness to split......BOARDERLINE SCHIZOPHRENIA

Splitting of the tree......SCHIZOPHERNIA DUE TO CHARACTER DISORDER

Real split tree...............ACUTE SCHIZOPHRENIA

Bulging tree..................shows oral dependency

Trunk reaches above the top of the page....strong fantasy preoccupations but tends not reveal this

Cut trunk.......had traumatic experience

Shaded trunk....shows sheer effort to maintain control

Broken lines for trunk....shows in the ego boundaries

Overly large trunk.....feels environment is constricting and wants to break out of this constriction

Space between the bottom of the trunk and ground..shows difficulty in grasping reality,
SCHIZOPHRENIC

Bark

Sears in the tree......shows castration anxiety

Heavy, inconsistently drawn bark.....shows HYPOCHONDRIACHAL tendency

Well drawn- bark...shows good ego integration, well-balanced

Branches

Poorly integrated branches....shows disturbance in interaction or imbalance

Branches more to the left...seek immediate emotional satisfaction

Branches more to the right......has over intellectual control

Equally distributed branches....shows ambivalence and non-consistent course of action

All branches drawn to the edge of the paper....has strong acting acting out tendencies

Branches small but long trunk......has no opportunities for release of tensions

Branches like arms.....tends to escape from reality, SCHIZOID

Branches ending to the ground....SUICIDAL

Drooping branches.... shows depression

Branches cut off....has feelings of rejection

Leaves of foliage

Emphasis of green on top of the tree.....shows forced affect

Leaves really drawn ..... has obsessive desire for something or fulfillment desire for something

Shaded and diffused leaves....shows anxiety and depression, found in ANXIETY NEUROSIS

No leaves...rigid, shows chronic tendency to anticipate frustrations

Tree with drooping leaves...neurotic depression/psychotic depression

Fruits falling.......has feeling of rejection

Person

Shaded figure...shows depersonalization, done by SCHIZOPHRENICS

Back view of the person....shows withdrawal

Seated figure.......shows depression or passitivity

Immature qualities of person drawn.....HYSTERIC

Person clinging to bench or tree....ANXIETY NEUROSIS

Tall person,long legs, narrow trunk and long neck ....SCHIZOPHRENIC

Clothing

Overemphasis on clothing....has feeling of inferiority to which he overcompensates through physical

attraction

Heavy coat....shows isolation against the environment see in SCHIZOPHRENIC due to CHARACTER
DISORDER

With tie.....has problem of masculinity

Body

Body transparent to clothing....has conflict over sexual impulses, has poor control of sexual impulses

All parts of the body shown, or face- like body....PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIC

Intestine shows.... SCHIZOPHENIC

Head

Emphasis on head shown by heavy lines.....he is struggling for tension control

Large head....shows emphasis on intellect or superior mind, has grandeur delusions

Tiny head, on a large body....has strong impulses, butpoor control seen in CATATONIC
SCHIZOPHRENIA

Back part of the head drawn....shows SCHIZOPHRENIC widrawal, also seen in PARANOIDS
Without hair.....

Head without features....shows depersonalization

Round, lollipop-head....shows immaturity

Flat head....shows feeling of castration or stupid feeling about self

Hair

Without hair.....some social insensitivity or impotence

Well drawn hair....feels socially accepted

Whirling hair....shows rout tension and mental instability

Messy hair/female drawing (if by male subject) shows confusion on sex and unleashed sexual
confusion

Long hair but not fiiled in....shows ambivalence over sexuality

Long, overemphasized hair....shows over concern on sexuality

Eyes

Socket eyes (without eyes, no features) .... shows market reluctance to accept visual stimuli

Closed eyes....has ideas of reference

Eyes omitted....has visual hallucinations

Dot eyes...desires to seeas little as possible

With open eyes....shows fear of voyuerism

Slanted eyes....SCHIZOID tendencies

Big, slant/unseeing eyes....PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA

Face

Overemphasis on the face/with complete features...shows effort to be socially acceptable

With shades...shows guilt, embarassment and depersonalization

Features emphasized...shows suspicion, seen in PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENICS

Symmetry of features....shows personal disintegration

Without features....shows depersonalization

Man like face, mask-like...shows depersonalization, SCHZOPHRENIC

Nose

Turned up nose...............against reality

Mouth

Emphasis by shading of the mouth......shows sensuality

Line as mouth/a 1-dimensional mouth.....shows oral denial

Mouth jagged....shows oral aggression

Hands, Arms, Feet

Arms like wings.......depersonalization,SCHIZO

Hands like claws......SCHIZO

Feet like those of an animal.....SCHIZOPHRENIC

Other Graphic Considerations

Impulsive drawing ex : christmas tree/fruits....HYSTERIA

Draws very fast....ACUTE SCHIZOPHRENIA

Wide space in Drawing.....PARANOID SCHIZOPHRENIA

Lower part of the page used...NEUROTIC DEPRESSION, PSYCHOTIC DEPRESSIONive

Lacking details....NEUROTIC DEPRESSION, PSYCHOTIC DEPRESSION

Disorganization of details/confusion in drawings.... ACUTE SCHIZOPHRENIA

Excessive details....OBSESSIVE –COMPULSIVE NEUROTIC

Cleanliness.... OBSESSIVE-COMPULSIVE NEUROTIC

INTERPRETATION OF DRAW-HUMAN FIGURE TEST – by KAREN MACHOVER

THEME

a. Self-sex: if younger, emotional fixation at that age

b. Self-sex: if older, identification with parent image
c. Lane (snowman, peanutman) : evasion of body problems ( cartonistic drawings, handle
problems in concealed ways
d. Stick figures : resistance, complete denial of sex, schizophrenia psychopath
e. Well adjusted individuals usually draw people like; sick individuals draw people they do not
like

COMPARISON OF THE FIGURES

a. Figures almost the same : does not recognize the role of the sexes
b. Female figure drawn bigger than male figure: recognizes female as the stronger sex, more
powerful than male
c. Male figure bigger than female : normal, recognizes the male as the powerful sex

SIZE AND LOCATION

a. Figure towards the right : environmentally-oriented

b. Figure towards left : self-oriented
High up on the page : optimistic
c. Low down on the page : depressed
d. Scattered figure over the page with expensive used of paper and extravagance of energy :
manic
e. Very large figure placed aggressively in the middle of the page : grandiose paranaoid with
high self-esteem , ego-centric
f. Placement is relatively high on page : lack of insight, unjustified optimism, low level of energy
and lack of secured footing
g. Thin figures : repressed and negative schizophrenic with low energy energy level
h. Small figure : subject feels small, inadequate or rejected that he responds to the demands of
the environment with feeling of inferiority
Large figure : subject is resposible to environmental press with feelings of expansion and
aggression
i. If the drawings are not self-concept, the drawings maybe projection of the ideal self-image or
projection of parent figure. Large drawing mean that the subject reacts to feelings of
inadequacy with compensatory fantasy : in the latter case, a large drawing indicates that the
parent is strong, capable, dependable/threatening/aggressive
 STANCE

a. Legs pressed closely together : (figure shade) : tense, self-conscious, awkward and
apprehensive, neurotic when this is extreme in female figure (S is female) : fear of sexua l
attack. (S is male) : anticipation of resistance to fantasies attack
b. Tight stance combined with arms pressed tightly to body as if toward off the blow of
environment: paranoid and schizoid
c. Wide apart legs : insecurity of footing expressed in tiny painted /shaded reinforced first :
hesitant to paint line throughout
d. Legs apart : figure is planted firmly on the ground as if drifting in space and precariousness of
porch; among chronic alcoholics

HEAD

a. Head emphasis is generally given by depressed and socially withdrawn. Big head –depressed
Without eyes,nose,mouth- socially withdrawn
b. Disproportionately small head (with big body) obsessive-compulsive
c. Drawing ape – likes physical power
d. The sex that is given the larger head is accorded the intellect and authority
e. Children often given large head and draw heads only smaller heads, girls draw larger heads
shorter arms, smaller hands, legs, feet than male subjects
f. Drawing the head last disturbance in interpersonal relationships
g. Tiny heads with lollipop : immaturity
h. With big body : intellectual capacity (if body is not well defined : brain damage
i. Fragmented , looks like robot : lack of control of impulses, denial out of
j. Flat, shaded : fear of castration/ rejection
k. No frailties. Just plain head; depersonalization given by schizophrenic paranoid
l. Head smaller than body drawn by catatonics

MOUTH

a. Overemphasis : food fadism and gastric symptoms, profans language and temper tantrums,
oral aggression and sexual conflict
b. Detaining with teeth : infantile oral aggressio, simple schizophrenic, hysteric
c. d etaining with tongue : intensified oral concentration a primitive level erotic
d. Concave and orally receptive mouth : infantile, dependent indiviual whose dependency is
manifested also in undue emphasis , passive to receive nourishment
e. Well –painted, well –shaped: social conflict
f. Heavy lined lips : verbally aggressive, over critical and sadistic
g. Individual starts with considerable pressure but withdraws impulses toward aggression is
strong but anticipated rebuff makes individual withdraw cautiously
h. Single line mouth : with marked expression of shutting mouth tightly against something,
among individuals with active fellatic experience, perverted sexua lrelationships
i. Jagged : more sexual conflict than oral aggression
j. Wide upturned lines (as of grinning clown) : orced congenitaly , an effort to ruin approval or
even inappropriateeffort depending upon other aspect of drawing
k. Omission: among asthmatics, patients express guilt which was in his mind about oral
aggression tied up with sadistic trends

EARS (singled out for specialconflict treatment

a. Large (esp. If emphasized) : paranoid with guarded suspicious and distruct,

homosexualityconflicted individual, sensitivity, auditory hallucination
b. Not balanced individual’s personality is disintegrated pathological psychosis or brain
damage
c. Not drawn or seen: refuses tohear, withdrawal from a reality, desire to hear as a little as
possible, shunning from criticism
d. No ears : low intelligence
e. Moderate ears accentuations : given by individuals who are given to takeoffense, resistance
to authority

LIPS

a. Full lips( male figure ) : effimacy indication, toppish and narcissistic interests
b. Elaborate cupid bow (combined with heavy cosmetized features) : sexually precautions
c. Resembling phallus : actual sexual experience with mouth
d. With toothpicks or straw: individual has history of oral erotism
e. With cigarette, gun : manifest sexual symbol and when given particular emphasis and made
active usually represents acute sexual preoccupation

FACIAL EXPRESSION

a. Special reinforcement or conspicuous bulge : intellectual capacity

b. Lines added to give growing of special meaning to face (long area of nasolabia gold and
forehead): maurity depth highly developed intra psychic elaboration
c. Resembling phallus : actual sexual experience with mouth fallatic
d. Elaborate cupid boy (combined with heavily cosmetized features in the figure) : sexually
precautions
e. Emphasized face rather than the body : near to appear acceptable to environment
f. Face mask-like no features at all : depersonalization
g. Features of face well – emphasized : suspicious, fantasy, there is over compensation for
inadequacy
h. Omit facial features, details of other parts : S is evasive about the functional characteristics
of his interpersonal relationship, avoidance of the problems, superciality, caution and
hostility may characterize the social contacts of such individual

CHIN

a. If the profile figure is erased, reinforced, show changes in line or shut out permanently,
compensation for weaknesses indecision, fear of responsiblity
b. Full of view (break in line or heavy reinforcement may make emphasis for chin) over
emphasis : need need for social dominance, under emphasis: inadequate or peak
c. Predominant in female figures : dependent male

EYES

a. One bigeye, the other small: weakening of personality, strength, disintegration

b. Furtive and suspicious : conveys idea of reference
c. Piercing : aggressive social tool
d. Large,dark, menacing : hostility and repression, paranoid. Generally female make larger
and elaborate eyes
e. Male figure : large eyee with lashes : homosexuality inclined
f. Orbit area of the eyes indicated by a line : maybe large but actual eyes are tiny : strong
usual curiosity , but with some guilt connected with that function , in nature voyecuristic
conflict
g. Small eye : voyeur, fearful hostile feelings to shut out the world to concentrate better on
body,narcissism big eye
h. Well-shaded with cosmetic (male S) : femine tendencies, sexually oriented, self-absorbed,
artistics
i. Dot eye : braindamage, withdwal tendency
j. With eyeglasss and dark eyeglasses : paranoid
k. Side view : evasive, suspicious
l. Unseeing eyes : emotionally immature and egocentric
m. Closed eyes : evasion of reality

EYEBROW
a. Trim : socialistic stereotype, refelcting grooming and refinement : critical toward free self-
expression
b. Bushy : unhibited personality
c. Biased : disdain, haughtiness, querry
 Hair (sexual symbol)

a. Messy and profuse : sexual disorderliness, precise and careful coiffure

b. Hair on jews : mustache or beard : verility conflict
c. Hairy feale : sexually passionate
d. Glamorous cascading hair combined with other cosmetic details : glamorous aspiration
e. Long and not filled : confusionand ambivalance
f. Great deal of care given to the hair : narcissistic or homosexual
g. Hair conspicuosly emphasized in male figure by female S : female is stronger of the pair ,
sexual compensation
h. Side burns-associated with the “wolf” tradition in the mind of the person drawing
i. Trim and barren hairdo – traditional spinster

NOSE (masculinity and assertiveness : phallic symbol)

a. Long : sexual virility

b. Shading/cutting off : sexual uncertain on inadequate castration fear
c. Shaded,crossed out : castraded but no anxiety about it
d. Omission : regressed adults, immaturity among children: defective capacity to deal
rationally is lacking and coordinate response with adjustive behavior, castration anxiety
e. Long and thin : schizoid, physically inferior, psychosexually infantile, suffer from body
weaknesses in which they express in compensatory drive for physical power and
aggression
f. Over extended : striving for sexual virility
g. Upturned : schizoid, withdrawn, intra-tensive, fantasy pronrd individual
h. Hooked, flared : expression of rejection and contempt

NECK (connects body impulses and intellect)

a. No neck : no control of body impulses, regressed individua

b. Line to indicate neck : weakening of intellectual control over body impulses
c. Neck slashed : suicidal tendency
d. Long and narrow : inadequacy
e. Short neck : impulsive n
f. Behavior rather intellectual

ARMS AND HANDS

a. Hands drawn out or faded into vagueness or to be dimmed out : lack of self-confidence
in social contact,in productivity or both
b. Shaded vigorously : guilt with regards aggressiveness impulses or mastubatory activity
(same when hands are placed behind)
c. In pockets : expression of evasiveness, masturbation
 d. Large : strength, compensation for for weaknesses or reaction to some guilty use of
hands, defensive from environment
e. Arms extended (in horizon mechanical fashion at right angles from body line) : shallow
and effectless than they do to fluif interplaywith environment
f. Omission : possible withdrawal frompeople and things (male S) if drawn from female
figure: felt rejected by mother and in turnfelt alienated from and acceptable to
contempoaray female
g. Very long arms: ambition either from an accomlishment or an acquisition
h. Wing-like :fantasy
i. Very short arms : lack of ambition
j. Arms moving away from thebody : aggressiveness
k. Without arms : infantle regression
l. Arms toward body : aggressiveness turned inward
m. Folded inthe breast : defensive /guarded
n. Arms cut-off/omitted : castration anxiety
o. Arms relaxed : good adjustment
p. Arms cover a part of the body : conflict with regards to covered area
q. Arms tied : feels tense about environment , tries to contact, over control rigidity

FINGERS

a. Fetal /grape-like short or rounded poor manual skill, weak personality/dependent

b. Clenched fists (arms away from the body) rebelliousness
c. Very long fingers- shallow , flat, simple type of personality in adults may have not used
their fingers for vocational in social adaptation, may have sexually symbolic significance
consistent with other features of the drawing
d. More than 5 fingers : low mental functions : distortions may have pathological
significance
e. Fanned like claw : aggression
f. Fingers out off : masturbating guilt

LEGS AND FEET

a. Full body with tiny,shaky legs : involutional as indication of feelings of decline

b. Hostile and hussy figure of legs with twisted perspective (masculine and mscular ) :
narcissistic and psychosexual immature
c. Feet with phallic likeness : sexual inadequacy and preoccupation
d. Erasures, lengthening , shortening, change of line,shading : sexual implications
e. Display with trend of pointing toe nailsin open shoes : incomplete feminine aggression
f. Cut off legs : fear of responsibility
g. Long legs : need for autonomy
h. Large feet : maladjusted in social area
i. Tip-toe : tends to hold on to reality, rigidity of postural model
j. Ground like feet : secure to reality
k. Feet on top of groundline : fantasy, schizophenic
l. Legs closelypressed together (figure shaded) : tense, self-conscious, akward and
apprehensive neurotics
m. Legs apart : chronic alcoholic

TRUNK

a. Round, less aggressive , more undeveloped, more feminine, usually omitte among
children, failure to give male trunk but shading female anxiety
b. Reluctance : close trunk where buttons are given : sexual preoccupation
c. Thin : discontent with body type possessed by subject, compensation for unwelcomed
facundity
d. Crude emphasis : infantile, narcissistic (among older subjects approaching involutional
decline )

BREAST

a. Emphasized in nude drawing : sexual conflict

b. No breast : conflict aloof affectional needs
c. Chest hairy : compensation for sexual impotence
d. Extremely large and carefully drawn breasts : infantile individual with strong and
dependency
e. Shading in breast by male subject : another dependence

SHOULDERS

a. Massive : sexually ambivalent as an over compensation for the feeling of inadequacy

b. Marked by erasures : reinforced uncertainties, drive of body dev’t as an expression of
masculinity is basic preoccupation
c. Exaggerated shoulder in male figures : expression of the subject ‘s own insecurity with
respect to masculinity
d. Square and massive: relative to others , striving for masculinity
e. Narrow : inadequate

HIPS

a. Exaggerated hipline in females : awareness that relates to functional potentialities of

ample pelvis development
 WAISTLINE

a. Sheer delay in dreaming combined with impatience to draw in the companion figure a set
of drawing will result in opposite extremes of low and high waist : blocking in regards to
meeting body areas of sexuality
b. Reinforced by broken lines : irritable and fairly direct expression of tension in the
problems of zoning the body
c. Elaborate belt : tendency of covering tension into erotic and self-display of fairness
d. Extreme high waistline : add evidence to sexual problems that are immediate and
pressing

JOINTS

a. Faulty, uncertain sense of body integrity : dependence, psycho-social immaturity

b. Elbow joints and other osteolatory region are delineated : subject is either compulsive
or dependent

CLOTHING

The significance of clothing that is shown on the figure is similar to the clothing of the
live person. It is interpreted as a need for appearance for covering up: as a social facade,
since body is our civilized world is only a minor clothing incentive.