Drawing is not just a creative process that develops fine motor skills, imagination, and more. With the help of paints or pencils, a person transfers his emotions and feelings onto paper. Drawing as a test is actively used in psychology when working with children, since children, due to their small vocabulary, cannot explain their position or mood in words. Want to understand how a child feels and how he lives? Ask to draw something.
While drawing, note the sequence of the child's use of different colors, the force of pressure on the pencil / brush, the general condition of the child at the table (back and arms are relaxed or strained, whether facial expressions change, etc.).
The use of mainly dark tones: black, dark violet, dark blue indicates a depressed mood, a high level of anxiety and tension. Pay attention to the clarity of the image. The frequent use of a simple pencil and eraser (the child draws, then erases, draws and erases again, or crosses out everything drawn all the time) is an indicator of self-doubt and fear of being criticized.
Poisonous colors and sharp contrast can indicate the presence of hidden aggression and internal conflict (rejection of oneself or a specific life situation). The pale color scheme, on the contrary, shows that the child is guided and too dependent on anyone.
Pure bright colors in an adequate combination without the predominance of any color, the correspondence of the pattern of reality (clouds - blue, the sun - yellow, etc.) are considered a sign of a favorable emotional state. The presence of one or two fantasy elements (an unusual tree or house, a person’s wings, etc.) should also not alarm you. However, the abundance of "fabulous" moments may indicate the isolation of the child from real life and his desire to get away from problems.
A common picture test is the "Draw your family" test, which allows you to assess the level of psychological comfort in the house. Pay attention to the role that the child plays in this picture.
The lack of legs of the protagonist, the image of parents separately from themselves is characteristic of the feeling of loss. The child does not feel loved and needed. The image of a wide open mouth or too long crooked hands (fingers) in one of the parents may indicate domestic violence: screaming, swearing, fighting.
As a rule, children focus on their fear with the help of large sizes. For example, a wild animal hung over the child in the picture, or one of the parents turned out to be unnaturally large. This suggests suppression and psychological aggression directed at the child.
In addition to the analytical function, drawing serves as a therapy. For example, the same fear can be destroyed: first draw everything that worries, and then offer the child to break the picture, defeating fear.
Fear can be overcome with an adult. The child draws his fear or resentment, and the adult draws on what can overcome evil, accompanying the drawing with folklore (fairy tale).