Family test: what is it and how is this projective test used?

Projective techniques aim to bring out the repressed or unconscious material of the person, through drawings, images, words, etc. In this article we will know one of them, the family test, or family drawing test, created by Maurice Porot (1952) and applied in childhood and adolescence.

In this projective type test, the child is asked to draw a family, and from there They ask him a series of questions to later analyze his answers, as well as the drawing in Yeah. It is an expressive technique aims to explore how the child is located in his family environment.

• Related article: "Projective tests: the 5 most used types"

Expressive or graphic projective techniques

In psychological evaluation, expressive or graphic techniques are a type of projective (psychodynamic) test where the instruction given to the subject is to draw certain elements; Through the drawing, the subject is supposed to express his personal way of organizing the world and trying to reproduce it. Furthermore, according to psychodynamic theory, graphic behavior (drawing) is freer from conscious control than verbal behavior.

However, there are few empirical studies for expressive techniques. In addition, the interpretation is characterized by a high level of subjectivity. This has meant that there are no standardized ways of evaluating the drawings made by children, something which makes it very difficult to compare results and draw general conclusions about their state psychological.

According to Machover (1949), with the drawings useful data are obtained to formulate clinical hypotheses, but it is essential to carry out these hypothesis from the convergence of the psychopathological signs found within the test with the data obtained by other methods.

Family test: characteristics

As we have seen, the family test (or family drawing test) is an expressive or graphic projective test, created by Maurice Porot (1952). The instruction given to the subject being examined is to draw a family, without restrictions or specifications. There are other versions regarding this slogan, such as asking him to draw his family. After the drawing, the examiner interrogates the subject about the production of it.

The family test is based on the technique of free drawing; This type of drawing is widely practiced by children, and they like it. Specifically, the test is a personality test that can be administered to children from 5 years and up to adolescence.

This is one of the most popular and widely used child affectivity exploration tests, which emphasizes projective aspects. In addition, it clinically assesses how the child subjectively perceives the relationships between family members and how he is included in this family system.

On the other hand, the family test also makes it possible to investigate aspects of the child's communication with other members of the family and the remaining members among themselves.

Interpretation

The use and interpretation of the family test is based on psychoanalytic principles. projection, since it enables the free expression of the feelings of minors towards their relatives, especially their parents.

In addition, the test intends to reflect the situation in which the same subjects are placed in their home environment.

Modifications

A major author for the proof was also Louis Corman, who introduced important modifications to the instructions given by Porot. While Porot asked the child to “draw your family”, Corman's slogan was “draw a family, a family that you imagine”.

On the other hand, Bums and Kaufman (1972) present a modified version of the family test, called "The Kinetic Drawing Test of the Family", for which they propose evaluation criteria. In this version, they use the slogans: "Draw a picture of your family, including yourself doing something" and "Try to make whole people, not cartoons, not stick figures. Remember you have to draw each one doing something, engaged in some kind of action."

Application

After giving the instructions to the child or adolescent, the examiner conducts a short interview, which greatly reinforces the interpretation that the psychologist will make.

Thus, after reinforcing the child for his drawing, he is asked a series of questions about his imagined family and its members. To do so, all the necessary questions will be included, considering the circumstances of each one and stimulating the free expression of the child or adolescent at all times.

What does he explore?

The family test is considered a test with an important diagnostic value in circles linked to psychodynamic therapies. Through him it is intended to know the difficulties of adaptation to the family environment and the oedipal conflicts and sibling rivalry.

In addition, it is a test designed to reflect the intellectual development of the child, since through different elements of the line and the drawing can determine to some extent the maturational development of the child (at each stage of childhood the drawing is of one type or another, as established by Luquet).

However, it is important to mention that the family test it is used more to evaluate or appreciate emotional aspects in the child than to evaluate their intellectual development and developmental, although it is even used to evaluate certain aspects of learning problems.

Approaches

The creator of the family test, Maurice Porot (1952), considers that telling the child to draw his family, allows to know it as he represents it to him, which is more important than knowing how it is in the reality.

Besides, Louis Corman (1961) considers that projection occurs more easily if the indication is more vague., something like: "Draw a family that you imagine." According to him, this slogan allows unconscious tendencies to express themselves more easily.

Another author, Korbman, mentioned in a series of studies that in clinical practice with young children, the most appropriate instruction in the family test is "Draw your family"; This is based on the assumption that the child is a subject in formation, where the repression is less, and it is considered that he does not defend himself as much as the adult. That is, it is projected openly.

Bibliographic references:

• Buela-Casal, G.; Sierra, J.C. (1997). Psychological evaluation manual. Ed. XXI century. Madrid.
• Cohen, R.J., Swerdlik, M.E. (2002) Psychological Testing and Assessment. McGraw-Hill. Madrid.
• Corman, L. (1967). The Family Drawing Test in medical-pedagogical practice. Kapelusz, Buenos Aires, 1-27.
• Freud, S. (1920), Beyond the Pleasure Principle, XVIII (2nd ed.), London: Hogarth Press.
• Miller, A. (1984). Thou shalt not be aware: society's betrayal of the child. New York: Merida Printing.