Projective drawings 

During the past century, there has been an overwhelming interest in the study of drawings in the context of psychotherapy. In psychoanalytic theory, both conscious and unconscious ideas are expressed in both the verbal and nonverbal realms. Since the unconscious refers to aspects of personality about which one is unaware (Freud, 1966/1991), an individual would be incapable of expressing their unconscious realities, either verbally or via questionnaires or self-rating scales. It is hypothesized that, in order to reach the unconscious content, one must evade the conscious resistance and the associated unconscious defenses (Freud, 1966/1991; Groth-Marnat, 1990). Projective measures were developed as a tool for indirect access to the unconscious realm (Hammer, 1958). Anastasi (1982) argued that the way in which “the individual perceives and interprets the test materials, or ‘structures’ the situation, will reflect fundamental aspects of her or his psychological functioning” (p. 564).

Drawings are considered an alternative means to verbal communication for expression of emotions and psychological states of persons, according to Malchiodi (1998), “to offer an alternative to self-expression that could bring out information about children that words alone could not” (p. 5). In this regard, drawings are seen as a product of the projections of people’s inner psychological realities and subjective experiences (Malchiodi, 1998). Projective drawing, one of the several projective techniques being used in clinical situations, is believed to be less emotionally threatening to clients. It helps bring forward specific issues for focused discussion, it stimulates creative clinical solutions, it provides visual representations of problem areas, and it helps expand therapeutic engagement (Oster & Crone, 2004). In sum, it enables clinicians to obtain an understanding of the inner worlds of clients and to gain insights into their unconscious processes and deeper psychological functioning (Hammer, 1958; Wadeson, 1980; West, 1998).  As noted earlier, Leifer, Shapiro, Martone, and Kassem (1991) pointed out that an inherent value of projective drawing is in its capability to bypass clients’ conscious resistance and unconscious defenses. West (1998) argued that projective drawing could reveal what the client may be unaware of.