Art test 8 squares examples with solutions. Are there devils in still waters?

Instructions for the test: “You have eight squares in front of you, each of which depicts something. Continue what you see and draw any picture in each of the squares, in any order, sign the order in which you filled out the test and indicate what is drawn in the pictures.”

Graphics test "Wartegg"

The Wartegg test belongs to the category of expressive-projective methods of personality research; it is the method of an unfinished drawing.

This research method helps to understand the visual, symbolic meanings that arise in a person regarding one or another aspect of life (relative to himself, the people around him, his plans and aspirations, his method of action, anxieties and fears, etc.).

The test allows you to measure a person’s visual-spiritual, semantic relationships, which are based on both vital (psychophysiological, subconscious characteristics) and motor-volitional (conscious) functions.

The test was proposed for use by Eric Wartegg (German psychologist) in the 30s of the last century, published in 1953. The test is most common in European countries. It is little known in Russia, but recently with the appearance of a Russian-language monograph of this test written by V.K. Kalinenko, they began to talk about him more and use him.

The test stimuli and their sequence are selected in such a way that each of them provokes the projection of a certain mental area. That is, each stimulus drawing is “addressed” to a certain area of ​​the individual, to a certain aspect of the personality.

1 square

Point – softness, organicity, invisibility, uncertainty.

Archetypally (symbolically) a point means the beginning, an instant, the middle of something. In a psychological sense, it reflects the Ego-concept, I, worldview, search for oneself, human selfhood.

2 square

Wavy line – emotionality, excitement, excitement.

Archetypally, a wavy line signifies a fetus (an unprotected human being). How a person deals with it in a drawing will mean how he adapts to the world around him. The surrounding world is an aggressive environment for this embryo or, conversely, an environment conducive to its development. In a psychological sense, it reflects emotional dependence, emotiveness, empathy, involvement with other people, contact with society, social adaptation (to people) in the human world. This square reflects the social aspect of the individual.

3 square

Strokes increasing in size are the principle of intensification, growth, division.

Three ascending lines mean rise, strengthening, ascension, development. Psychologically, they correspond to categories such as ambition, motivation, drive, perseverance, initiative, plans for the future, and career growth.

4 square

Square – angularity, darkness, heaviness.

Archetypally, a black square signifies danger, fear, guilt. Psychologically, this square reflects: the unconscious, aspects of fear, guilt, shame.

5 square

Longitudinal and transverse strokes – dynamism, jump.

Archetypally, two perpendicular, non-intersecting lines represent opposition, resistance, the impulse to act, and an obstacle in the way. Psychologically, this square reflects volitional regulation, dynamism, active principle, achievement motivation, or motivation to avoid difficulties. Moving forward and a way to overcome obstacles.

6 square

Horizontal and vertical strokes - connection, connection and separation, separation of forms.

Two lines archetypally mean opposite principles, going in different directions, and requiring intersection. Psychologically, it gives an idea of ​​a person’s desire (not desire) for integration, connection.

7 square

A semicircle consisting of dots - emotional sensitivity, responsiveness, detailed division.

The dots mean “perceptivity”, sophistication, intuition, sensual (feminine) principle, response to stimuli (threshold of excitability). How susceptible a person is to external stimuli and internal sensations.

Psychologically, it reflects a person’s ability to be emotionally sensitive, sensitive, tactful, thin-skinned, or the absence of these qualities.

8 square

Circular segment – ​​roundness, closedness.

The arc means a protective principle, harmony, unconditional acceptance, a sense of protection.

Psychologically reflects a person’s spiritual basis, balance, sense of satisfaction, inner sense of security.

Great importance is attached to the “relationship” expressed in the drawings to the original sign. Neglect, ignoring the sign in the drawings is a symptom of concentration on one’s own “I”. Diffuse attention to a sign is a symptom of ingenuity, invention. Fixed attention to a sign is a symptom of concentration on specific, material elements. The desire to qualitatively design the original sign is a symptom of creativity. The content of the drawings and their graphic execution are taken into account: features of pressure, stroke thickness, speed of movement, dynamism, staticity, emphasis on the shape of the drawing or on movement, lightness or heaviness of the lines. They will tell you about the internal structure of the personality, about innate and acquired qualities.

E. Wartegg, in his theory on which the interpretation of the test is based, eclectically combines the principles of psychoanalysis, behaviorism and the physiology of higher nervous activity.

The art of interpreting drawing tests requires familiarity with a large number of different options for completing tasks.
To successfully conduct psychological diagnostics using Russian methods, it is not enough to know the meaning of certain test indicators. It is also necessary to master the general logic of analysis, which allows us to consider these indicators in their relationships. Otherwise, instead of a holistic picture, we will get a haphazard set of psychological characteristics. For example, evaluation criteria are given such as: “Eyes bulging - rudeness, callousness... Eyebrows sparse, short - contempt, sophistication.” However, the indicators taken into account when interpreting drawing tests are not unambiguous. Thus, bulging eyes can appear in a drawing not only as a result of rudeness or callousness, but also as a symptom of fear or as a manifestation of a suspicious attitude towards others. Very often, the same feature can be interpreted in two, three or four different ways, depending on what other features it is combined with.

KGKOU SKSHI 8 types 3 Khabarovsk

Associative drawing test (ART.)

This test was developed by E. Wartegg and is used as a psychodiagnostic and aimed at identifying such personality traits as emotiveness, will, thinking, fantasy, and characterological characteristics of the individual. The test has 8 squares, each of which contains the beginning of a pattern. The respondent is asked to complete a picture in each of the 8 squares that matches the given plot. The author based the interpretation on the doctrine of I.P. Pavlova. Development of an interpretation of the ART methodology and its main provisions by Yu.N. Kudryakov carried out from the standpoint of the theory of psychomotor connections by I.M. Sechenov. He claimed that human mental activity always expressed by external signs, primarily muscular (literally - every thought ends in movement). Each psychological phenomenon, according to Sechenov, represents not a phenomenon of consciousness, but a holistic act, a meeting of the organism with the real world. He attached great importance to a person’s ability to voluntarily delay the external manifestation of his mental activity. This leads, in his opinion, to the fact that mental activity may remain without external manifestation, in the form of thought, intention, desire. If real behavior or real movement is not carried out for any reason, then this will cause a certain tension in the corresponding muscle groups and in the human psyche, which will be reflected in any products of his activity, in particular in drawings. At interpretation of drawings Thus, it is necessary to proceed from the assumption that with their help a person can express situations and events that are not always possible to convey orally and which, for various reasons, cannot be realized in behavior. The results obtained using the ART technique must be assessed during psychodiagnostic conversation, where you can test the hypotheses that arise as a result of testing. In this case, all 8 drawings of the method must be analyzed as one whole, i.e. the hypothesis based on one of the drawings should be confirmed in other drawings. When interpreting the test, it is advisable to proceed from the general patterns of pattern analysis.

Interpretation schemes for the ART drawing test:

1. In the first position of the test, the characteristics of the individual’s orientation in the environment and the extent to which he takes into account the elements of the world around him are revealed;

2. In the second position of the test, the presence of aggressive behavioral tendencies is revealed in a person;

3. In the third position of the test, the characteristics of a person’s behavior in a social group and the extent to which he adheres to conventional norms are revealed;

4. The fourth position of the test is intended to identify the characteristics of a person’s communication;

5. In the fifth position of the test, the features of subjective perception and assessment of reality are revealed;

6. The sixth position of the test is aimed at identifying the current personal situation of the subject in the sphere of relationships with persons of the opposite sex.

7. The seventh position of the test reveals the characteristics of a person’s behavior in an unstable conflict situation;

8. In the eighth position, the subject is stimulated to depict a person or only his face. The interpretation of this position is based on the fact that the subject creates his own self-portrait in it or projects the most characteristic features of his personality.

It is most advisable to use the ART technique individually, and not in groups in order to obtain information about some characterological characteristics, personal problems and needs of the subject. This test should be used along with other diagnostic techniques and is not the only research method. The ART technique is easy to use, reliable and is one of the express methods that allows you to get an idea of ​​a person’s character and his current life situation in a short period of time (15 minutes). The validity of this test is entirely determined by the experience of the researcher and his skill in interpreting drawings. Therefore, when conducting research it is necessary to have additional information about the individual.

Teacher - psychologist Larisa Aleksandrovna Zhabina

Psychology studies human nature and can explain various forms of human behavior. Such an opportunity as the study of characteristic personality traits using drawings has grown into a whole technique. Research tests are suitable for both children and adults. The techniques are extremely simple and do not require special preparation. The results are striking in their accuracy. What are the most common psychological tests for unconscious drawings?

Drawing test “Draw a house”

The test task is easy to understand based on the name of the psychological test. It is also not difficult to interpret the results from the drawings; human psychology is structured in such a way that without meaning to, he will talk about his inner world.

This drawing test can act as an independent study, or it can become the key to other tasks in which a person depicts a house.

Drawing test “Choose a figure”

The sheet shows square, triangle, rectangle, circle and zigzag. A person is asked to first choose one figure that he associates with himself, and then arrange the remaining elements in order of personal preference. The psychological response consists of two components: the figure chosen first characterizes the dominant personality traits, the remaining details complement the image.

Incorrigible workaholics put first place square. Such people always finish what they start with perseverance and diligence; they have excellent memory and a sense of responsibility. Idealists do not lose sight of any details and like to “put everything on the shelf.” Undoubtedly, such qualities are useful at work, but they are very annoying in their personal life. Family happiness is guaranteed if you manage to find a soul mate with the same character.

Triangle They are chosen by true leaders who are strong, courageous, energetic, self-confident, able to soberly assess the situation and sensibly analyze what is happening. In all areas of life, these people reserve the right to a decisive vote, do not change their decisions and do not know how to admit their own mistakes. All life is spent in competition and struggle for first place.

Personalities - " rectangles“are in a state of constant change. They are inconsistent and unpredictable, always dissatisfied with something and always looking for something better. Naivety and curiosity generate not only a keen interest in everything unknown, but also incredible courage. Therefore, such people are rarely alone.

Selected circle always strive for harmony. Through the efforts of these philanthropists, a friendly atmosphere in the work team and a favorable atmosphere in the family union are maintained. They know how to listen and support, are very sensitive and insightful. Psychology can become their life's work.

Open zigzag- preference for creative creative people. They are often expressive and eccentric, almost always naive and impractical. Excellent intuition, a subtle sense of humor and the ability to find a common language with everyone compensate for shortcomings.

Drawing test “What do the doodles hide?”

Involuntary tracing of a pen on a piece of paper can tell a lot about a person's character.

This psychological test is considered one of the most truthful. After all, the information that a person gives out unconsciously is considered the most true. All secret thoughts, hidden experiences, unjustified hopes are projected onto paper.

Drawing test “Secrets of the inner world”

A very interesting and easy-to-perform psychological test that can ultimately provide significant answers to many life questions. To conduct this you will need a pen (or pencil), a blank piece of paper and a few minutes of free time.

First you need to divide the sheet into four equal parts. In the upper left sector you need to draw a dot, in the upper right sector - a rectangle, in the lower left part the “=” sign is drawn, and the lower right part remains empty. Now you need to discard all extraneous thoughts, calm down and start performing the test. To do this, you need to finish drawing in the first three fields everything that first comes to mind. You shouldn’t waste effort on masterpiece paintings, even if it takes no more than 15 seconds to create one image. And in the last square you should draw a boat floating on the waves. That's all, you can start decoding.

Answers to the psychological test “Secrets of the inner world”

1. Top left picture talks about interaction with the outside world. If more dots or other small scattered details were added, then we are talking about a sociable, open personality. And spirals, circles, ovals indicate a closed, alienated person.
2. Top right picture reveals the inner self. Selfish people try to reduce the area of ​​contact between the drawing and the rectangle or even draw elements away from the figure. Good-natured, sociable people associate their image with the one proposed. Most often this is a wall, a parallelepiped, or a brick. Altruists tend to draw a picture of the house.
3. Third drawing responsible for relationships with the opposite sex. The fewer details and the further they are from the lines, the easier and simpler the thread of communication is built. Unconfident individuals draw piled-up pyramids of various symbols and signs.
4. Last drawing- this is Love. Romantics add a lot of unnecessary details: sails, stars, clouds, oars, people, animals. Practical natures with a strong character and alien to sentimentality depict a simplified scheme without any frills or intricacies. Passionate dreamers rushing headlong into feelings will undoubtedly draw a stormy sea, on the waves of which the boat of love rocks.

Everyone wants to look at themselves from the outside, to evaluate the psychology of the inner world from a different angle. You can determine a psychological portrait using drawings. A person will spontaneously put on paper all his personality traits, even those that are difficult to admit to himself.

Let us pay special attention to some subtleties of interpretation of the drawings in the first position. The subject can turn the point into the central semantic element of the drawing, but take a passive position in relation to it (for example, draw a person looking at it through a telescope). This type of pattern is often found in people with psychasthenic character traits. They carefully strive for every element of the surrounding world, but are extremely indecisive and anxious, do not believe in their own strength, which leads to a detailed, but purely contemplative and passive orientation.

In another version, the subject can, as it were, “disguise” the point (for example, draw a mass of snowflakes, raindrops, stars, etc. in the form of points). Such drawings are usually found in people who strive to obtain the most complete information about the environment, exaggerating its significance. For them there is no unnecessary information, “little things”, so they collect any information about others. They carefully analyze, accumulate and use this information in social interaction.

In the second position of the test, the presence of aggressive tendencies in a person is revealed, which is very important for criminological research. In people's minds, the crocodile is usually associated with a trait such as aggression. Therefore, his drawing is a projection of aggressive character traits, attitudes, rancor, and suspicion. When analyzing the drawing, it is necessary to pay attention to the presence of direct symbols of aggression: open mouth, teeth, claws, aggressive pose (especially indicative when a crocodile is eating something or someone. The presence of aggression will also be indicated by pointed elements of the drawing and the large size of the drawn crocodile . Careful drawing of the crocodile, in comparison with other drawings, also indicates the presence of actual aggression. The eyes in this drawing have an informative value, their outline indicates increased receptivity, suspicion and the search for manifestations of aggression on the part of others. The tail symbolizes the presence of such a trait as vindictiveness The more it is expressed in the drawing, the more strongly this trait manifests itself. Sometimes there are drawings in which the crocodile seems to be camouflaged (swimming in the water, hiding in thickets, etc.), which indicates the presence of latent aggression. This usually occurs when when for one reason or another it cannot be openly implemented

The following variant of the drawing is also possible: the crocodile is drawn as extremely aggressive (open mouth, many teeth, etc.), and in the verbal description the subject describes it as kind, soft, lazy. This occurs in people who declare their friendly attitude towards others, hiding the presence of aggression. Those convicted of violent crimes give this different impression.

In the third position of the test, the characteristics of a person’s behavior in a social group and the extent to which he adheres to conventional norms are revealed. Undoubtedly, such information is important for predicting the behavior of a convict in a correctional facility. If the drawing of an elephant goes beyond the rectangle, as if breaking it, then this usually indicates a tendency to violate norms. This is explained by the fact that the rectangle itself is a limitation, symbolizing the effect of norms. Naturally, neglect of these restrictions, despite the instructions, which is also a model of the imperative action of norms, indicates a person’s inability or unwillingness to adhere to normative instructions in his behavior. The study of criminals using ART suggested that this position reveals a person’s tendency to violate not any specific types of norms (legal, moral, etc.), but rather the psychological tolerance of any external restrictions on behavior, formal and informal. Most often, as our research has shown, the elephant pattern goes beyond the rectangle for criminals who, while in prison, are malicious and active violators of the regime.

Since most people imagine an elephant as an animal not solitary, but living in a group, that is why the author of the test chose it as a stimulus material for indirectly identifying the characteristics of human behavior in a group. In addition, in our opinion, it is also important that for a European an elephant is a fairly neutral concept that does not evoke personal emotions or associations associated with past experience of interaction, unlike, for example, a horse, a cow and other herd animals.

Thus, the drawing of an elephant is a direct analogue of human behavior in a group. Aggressive behavior in a group manifests itself in cases where the elephant’s tusks are drawn and the elephant is in a threatening pose. The meaning of such a detail as ears is direct: interest in information, the importance of the opinions of others about oneself.

People who have a particularly pronounced trait draw an elephant with its ears raised, as if the elephant is listening. Other details determine whether the subject is taking any actions to gain the recognition of others. A raised trunk is a desire to attract those around you, to be the center of attention. Eyes - interpreted in the same way as in the crocodile drawing. Eyelashes are a sign of the presence of hysterical-demonstrative traits (if they occur in men, then they indicate the presence of “feminine” behavior patterns). The tail symbolizes the attitude towards oneself, one’s own actions, self-esteem. A raised tail is a positive assessment of oneself and one’s actions in the group. Downward - dissatisfaction with oneself, one's social actions, and position in the group.

The location of the elephant in the rectangle is of great informative value. If the drawing occupies the entire rectangle, the elephant seems to be “cramped” in it, this indicates a desire for dominance in the group. Small size of the picture - lack of tendency to dominate, underestimation of one's social status. More often the elephant is depicted from the side, but there are other options: it is drawn from the front or from behind. The side view does not have any special informative load. The image of him from the front is interpreted as egocentrism in interactions. The image from behind is a disdainful attitude towards a social group. Sometimes this may be a defensive reaction or reflect a reaction of withdrawing from social contacts.

Of particular interest are drawings when an elephant is depicted within the boundaries of a rectangle, but a painting, photograph, lithograph, etc. is made from the rectangle itself. Such drawings are more often found in people who perceive the social environment (or their group) as something unchangeable, frozen, and familiar. During social interaction, they are passive and do not strive to change their socio-psychological position, and at the same time their behavior is stress-typical, it consists of the same forms. Quite often, such drawings are found in people who are not accepted by the social group or they themselves usually do not quite justifiably believe that the group does not accept them. But in any case, the behavior of such persons will consist of certain social cliches, which are defensive reactions.

This behavior is most typical for schizoid individuals who strive for psychological isolation from the social environment. This behavior is also typical for many convicts who are poorly adapted to correctional institutions. Their behavior in the group is devoid of naturalness, they are closed and try to avoid any obligations and responsibilities. Criminals serving sentences in penal colonies often draw an elephant as if behind bars, thereby reflecting in their drawings the impossibility of desired social behavior, problems of separation from the usual environment, and social isolation.

The fourth position of the test is intended to identify the peculiarities of communication. People who adhere to formalized and regulated communication usually put their signature not in the center of the square. If the signature is located at the top of the square, then this is interpreted as a desire to emphasize one’s social (and sometimes socio-psychological) status. The signature made at the bottom is found among people who strictly adhere to social-role communication. Sociable people who easily establish contacts put their signature in the middle of the square; the presence of the initial letters of the name and patronymic in the signature indicates a pronounced tendency towards self-affirmation. Excessive emphasis on the length of the signature compared to the number of letters making up the surname has a similar meaning and is found in people suffering from a lack of social recognition. For example, in persons who committed a crime motivated by overcoming a distance with a reference group. A signature can also serve as a subject for graphological handwriting.

The fifth position of the test is the features of subjective perception and assessment of reality. Since the fifth position contains a real contradiction (the moon and the sun), the drawing in it is a model of a person’s subjective attitude to the ambiguity of life situations. There are several basic options for this type of relationship. There are people whose perception is completely determined by polar assessments (good - bad; good - evil; light - dark, etc.), and such a division is also present in their drawings. For example, they draw a line dividing the space of the fifth position in half according to the principle: day - night or similar.

The opposite type of assessment and attitude to the situation is found among people who strive to combine or reconcile this contradiction in their drawings. For example, they depict the state of nature that occurs in the evening or early morning, when you can see both the sun and the moon at the same time. Such people have a flexible system of assessments, do not strive to unambiguously define the situation (good - bad), they are not embarrassed by existing contradictions, and they perceive life as it exists in reality, regardless of their subjective attitude.

In this position there are also drawings that are in no way related to the stimulus material, i.e. the original contradiction seems to go unnoticed. Such a pattern, as our research has shown, occurs in people with an unformed approach to reality, who are passive and do not strive to understand and comprehend what is happening around them.

Egocentrism, assessment and analysis of reality only from the standpoint of one’s own needs and desires find manifestation in the drawing in the form of a subjective combination of the original stimulus material. For example: you draw a house in which some events take place from morning to evening, or you draw your own pastime (for example, “in the afternoon I sunbathe under the sun”, “in the evening I go on a date”).

When analyzing drawings in the fifth position, it is also necessary to take into account that the personal problems of the subject, his desires and aspirations can be projected into them. In this case, the interpretation can also be the presence of a specific current situation, its subjective meaning for the subject.

The sixth position of the test is aimed at fulfilling the current personal situation of the subject in the field of relationships with persons of the opposite sex. It is clear that information of this kind is important for understanding sexual crimes or other violent acts with sexual overtones. In this position, the original stimulus material expresses, as it were, two opposing elements: maximum stability (land, shore) and maximum instability (water, sea, river). Therefore, water symbolizes, as a rule, the emotional and sensory aspect of relationships, constantly changing over time and in degree of intensity, and the shore personifies stability, certainty, and limitations, which can be roughly correlated with the stability of family relationships. As a stimulus material, a tree growing on the shore is aimed at identifying the presence of tendencies in everyday relationships. These conditional values ​​are the starting point for interpreting the drawings in the sixth position. But of particular importance here is the description of the drawing by the subject. As our experience has shown, the drawings of this position, especially their descriptions, really reflect the problems and characteristics of relationships with people of the opposite sex. Below is an interpretation of the most common elements of the picture.

Sometimes the subject perceives the image of water as solid soil (field, sand, arable land). This is usually due to the lack of emotional and sensory experience of relationships or extreme dissatisfaction with them. The image of birds, especially seagulls flying over the waves, has the meaning of hopes, dreams, etc. A ship, boat, sailboat suggests the presence of an urgent problem, which is solved in one way or another depending on the direction of the ship’s movement. If the ship is moving towards the shore, then this means a desire for maximum stability in relations: if from the shore, then this has the opposite meaning. Obviously, “ship” takes on such meaning because it is the only means of transportation in such an unstable element as water. And therefore, if there is a need to change the emotional and sensory aspect of relationships (toward stability or, conversely, instability and instability, as well as in the case of unfulfilled aspirations in this area), then in the drawing this can be conveyed using a ship or some other vessel , since the initial stimulus material is water. In the absence of problems and difficulties in the emotional and sensory aspect of the relationship, the subject does not need to change his personal situation. The ship or any other floating vessels are not drawn, and the current situation is fully conveyed in the description of the drawing.

Such additional details of the picture as foliage on a tree, bushes on the shore, etc. found among people who attach great importance to the everyday organization of personal relationships. The intensity of drives in the sphere of relationships with the opposite sex in men, for example, is evidenced by drawings with aggressive manifestations (an airplane diving at a target, a pirate or warship, etc.). It is significant that such drawings are most often found in people who have been isolated from society for a long time. A drawing of a person in this position is of great informative value. When describing something, subjects often endow it with their own problems, traits and desires.

The seventh position of the test reveals the characteristics of a person’s behavior in an unstable conflict situation, which, like previous data, is of great criminological and penitentiary significance. The inclined figure, which is the stimulus material here (see figure), already by virtue of its spatial position symbolizes instability. The following behaviors may appear in the drawings. People who choose an aggressive path to resolve unstable situations, going towards conflict, mistake the tilted figure for a Christmas tree and draw a person cutting it down or chopping it. But in this case, a person’s conflict is most often limited to the sphere of everyday relationships. For example, in our study, this type of pattern was found among persons who committed a violent crime on domestic grounds.

If a person is conflicted and aggressive in both the domestic and social spheres, then this is manifested in the drawing as follows: several similar inclined figures are drawn, one of which is supported by a similar inclined figure. Such drawings can be interpreted as a desire to resolve the conflict by exacerbating it. The opposite meaning is given to drawings of faces that try in any way to stabilize the instability of the figure. For example, they can draw a support or a person supporting a figure, draw a root system, etc. People who show a desire for a rational solution to an unstable situation usually draw straight figures or trees next to an inclined figure, thereby, as it were, showing an example of what should really be. Sometimes an inclined figure is made, for example, into a rocket or a flock of cranes flying into the sky, which is usually found among people who try to psychologically neutralize any unstable situation by displacing it from their consciousness. An extremely passive attitude towards an unstable situation is evidenced by pictures such as: “mushrooms grow under the tree”, “hedgehog runs away from under the tree”, “mushrooms are picked next to the tree”, etc. Sometimes such drawings are found in infantile individuals who are incapable of perceiving a situation that is unstable or conflicting for themselves.

There are also drawings where the stabilization of a tilted figure is carried out by someone putting it on their shoulders (“Santa Claus is carrying a Christmas tree”) or carrying it in his hands or in another way. Such drawings are typical of people who, without actively trying to resolve a conflict situation, become involved in it as much as possible, hoping to neutralize it in this way (literally “pulling the conflict on their shoulders”). Sometimes the drawings show paradoxical and unusual reactions to an unstable situation. For example, an inclined figure turns into a Christmas tree and is decorated in every possible way, or it is set on fire, or a person is depicted collecting fruits from it.

The first version of the picture can be found in people who receive a kind of emotional satisfaction from being in a conflict-unstable situation. In the second option, a person resolves conflict situations by completely exiting them, psychologically destroying the source of the conflict. And in the latter case, the drawing symbolizes the use of a conflict situation to obtain certain emotional benefits. All these three variants of the pattern are often found among various categories of criminals, especially among selfish and selfishly violent ones, which suggests that the so-called “selfish motive” does not play the main role in the genesis of this type of crime.
The initial test material in the eighth position stimulates the subject to image a person or only his face. The interpretation of this position is based on the fact that the subject creates his own self-portrait in it or projects the most characteristic features of his personality. If a person or a person’s face is drawn, it is necessary to ask the subject to characterize him as fully as possible, talk about this person’s problems, character traits, habits, inclinations, etc. A person's facial expression is a characteristic of the subject's personality type.

As our experience shows, drawings of animals or inanimate objects are often found in this position of the test. Such drawings are also a direct characteristic of the subject’s personality and require careful additional questioning. For example, they can be drawn: a doll, a snowman, a fairy-tale hero. In all these cases, a correctly constructed survey of the subject will lead to the fact that he will endow the character he has drawn with his own traits and problems. But the very nature of the depicted object can also be of great informative value. For example, a snowman in the eighth position is most often drawn by people who are soft, passive, and feminine. The dolls depict infantile personalities with an unstable self-image. No matter how paradoxical the drawing in this position may be in terms of characterizing the personality, it must be considered as the subject’s idea of ​​himself, and not necessarily a conscious one. But sometimes there are cases when the subject projects in his drawing only the most pressing personal problem, which becomes clear during the conversation.

Our experience in using the ART methodology shows that it is most advisable, due to its extremely applied nature, to use it to study a specific individual, rather than social groups, in order to obtain information about him that allows us to reveal some of his characterological characteristics, and most importantly, personal problems and needs , having criminological and correctional labor significance.

By its nature, this test is indicative and cannot be used as the only research method, since its validity is completely determined by the experience of the researcher and his skills in interpreting drawings. Therefore, when conducting scientific research using this test, it is necessary to have additional information about the personality obtained through the use of other psychodiagnostic techniques, study of materials, etc. The test material of this technique, as our experience has shown, has a high stimulus potential for activating projection mechanisms. The particular value of the methods, including in the criminological aspect, in our opinion, lies in the fact that it makes it possible to obtain fairly complete information about those aspects of a person’s personality and life that he usually hides from others. The technique is easy to use, belongs to the category of express methods and allows you to get an idea of ​​a person’s character and his current life situation in a relatively short period of time (10-15 minutes). The technique is quite reliable, since the instructions and the initial stimulus material do not cause any fears or “withdrawal” reactions in the subject. Its value in the aspect of studying the personality of a criminal, in our opinion, is primarily in the fact that it provides information that allows us to construct a probable module of human behavior in one way or another, especially in a critical situation, and also allows you to assess the general psychological state, the presence of pathological traits and drives.