Abstract
[The Drawing of the Human Figure as an Indication of Features of the Adolescent Personality]
The present paper compares the drawings of the human figure between two groups of adolescent girls who were interviewed in order to select those who could adapt to a new familial and socio-cultural setting in a foreign country for a period of one year. The criteria for the selection were mainly characteristics such as adaptability, sociability, initiative and resourcefulness, intellectual capacity and maturity. I he sample consists of 80 girls, aged 16-17, all of them having had a normal school aptitude and record One half of the sample was chosen on the basis of the interview while the other half was rejected. The drawings were of course not included in the selection procedure. The Machover technique was used in this study. Both the masculine and the feminine figures were analysed separately by means of the schedule set up by Osterrieth and Cambier (Department of Genetic Psychology, University of Brussels). Considering all criteria employed in this study, the drawing of the feminine figure was found to be more sensitive than the drawing of the masculine figure in distinguishing between girls chosen and girls rejected. It seems, therefore, that girls tend to reveal their problems relatively easier in the same-sex than in the cross-sex drawings For both drawings, the best adapted subjects draw most frequently an adolescent figure (Tab. 1 and Fig. 1). and a smiling facial expression. Compared to a normative group, the refused subjects draw more frequently a child or an adult figure. With regard to the feminine figure, as compared the refused subjects, those chosen arc characterized by higher frequencies of drawings presenting a posing posture (Tab 2), indicating of shoulders (Tab. 3). lively expression of the face and relatively more often both hands. The paper also examines the meaning of non-essential additional features (Tab. 5) more frequently associated with the feminine figures of the chosen subjects. The psychological meaning of these additional features were tested in comparison with a normative group as well as with different control groups This type of analysis shows that the drawings should be considered as a whole, since the significance of any particular feature depends upon the entire indicated context It appears that the drawing of the human figure can be a useful tool in the investigation of the adolscent personality, and it can supply information even in the case of specific tasks such as the selection of the most suitable candidates.