Table of contents:
- Karen Machover Human Figure Test
- Technical sheet of the human figure test
- What does the human figure test measure?
- How to apply the Karen Machover human figure test
- How to interpret Karen Machover's human figure test
- Human figure
- Figure size
- Drawing symmetry
- Figure position
- Drawing subject
- Interpretation of a drawing of a person: the face
- Facial expression
- Mouth
- The lips
- Chin
- The eyes
- Hair
- Nose
- Ears
- The neck
- Interpretation of the human figure test: the body
- The arms
- Hands
- The fingers
- The legs
- Feet and shoes
- The log
- The chest
- Interpretation of the human figure test: clothing
- The buttons
- The pockets
- Conflict indicators according to the Machover test
Rating: 4.2 (29 votes) 68 comments By Mayte Aparicio Meneu. Updated: June 28, 2019
The Karen Machover Human Figure Drawing Test uses an extremely simple application technique, as well as being economical and feasible to apply. What facilitates its administration and diagnosis to subjects with low performance and poor education or with difficulties to express themselves orally.
The Machover psychological test application consists of presenting the examinee with a sheet of white paper, a pencil and an eraser and is simply asked to “draw a person”. While the subject works, the examiner will secretly take notes of his identification, the approximate time he takes to draw each part of the body and the sex he drew first, the comments he makes while drawing… When he finishes, he is given another sheet and You are asked to draw another human figure of the opposite sex.
Next, in this Psychology-Online article, we explain in detail what the human figure test is for, how to do it and how to interpret it.
You may also be interested in: How to interpret the house, tree and person test Index- Karen Machover Human Figure Test
- Technical sheet of the human figure test
- What does the human figure test measure?
- How to apply the Karen Machover human figure test
- How to interpret Karen Machover's human figure test
- Interpretation of a drawing of a person: the face
- Interpretation of the human figure test: the body
- Interpretation of the human figure test: clothing
- Conflict indicators according to the Machover test
Karen Machover Human Figure Test
Given the difficulty of evaluating the personality and psychological state of children through language and reasoning, a widely used option is test projects. These tests consist of the interpretation of drawings. Among them is the Karen Machover human figure drawing test or DHF test. There are also other widely used projective tests such as the family test, the tree test and the house test.
If you want to know more about the interpretation of projective techniques, we recommend this article on how to interpret the house, tree and person test.
Technical sheet of the human figure test
- Author: Karen Machover
- Classification: projective test
- Application: individual or collective
- Age: from 7 years
- Material: 2 sheets of white paper and pencil
- Time: approximately 20 minutes
What does the human figure test measure?
What does the human figure drawing test evaluate? What is the Machover test for?
"Personality - says Karen Machover - does not develop in a vacuum, but through movement, feeling and thinking of a given body"
Graphic-projective methods have been born thanks to the need to explore the motivations for behaviors that cannot be manifested by direct communication between people. These methods are better known as projective techniques or tests. Intense experience has shown that drawings of the human figure represent a deep and intimate expression of the personality of the person who draws. When a subject tries to "draw a person", he must solve different problems and difficulties by looking for a model within his reach.
How to apply the Karen Machover human figure test
The Machover test can be applied to boys, girls, adolescents, women and men. The person is asked to draw a whole person. If you only draw the head, you are kindly asked to complete your drawing. If he is reluctant to draw, it is explained that the drawing only has to do with a psychological test and not with the quality of the drawing. It is important to note the order that the sequence of the drawing follows, that is, which part of the figure does first and which part it does last.
The second part of the drawing has to do with “associations”. The examiner takes the picture and says, "Okay, now let's see if we make up a story about this person as if they were a character in a theater or a novel." Depending on the age of the subject, several questions will be asked about the subject that have to do with the patient's attitudes towards himself and towards others. The information obtained in these associations is of great clinical value and should not be dispensed with in order to interpret drawings.
How to interpret Karen Machover's human figure test
The basic assumption verified by clinical experience is that the human figure drawn is closely related to the individual's characteristic impulses, anxieties, conflicts and compensations. In a sense, the figure drawn is the same person. For example, if in a drawing a person erases his arms and changes their position, he does not know what to do with his own arms. Next, we show other aspects about the interpretation of the human figure drawn.
Human figure
- According to your sex; indicates that the behaviors of their sex are identified and stereotyped.
- Not according to your sex; indicates conflicts or ambivalences in sexual identification.
- If it is a profile figure; indicates an escape from the environment and problems with the environment.
- The figure from the front; indicates a desire to cope with the demands of the environment, is frank and socially stable.
- If you have a fund; indicates need for support to reduce concern or anxiety about conflicts with the environment.
Figure size
- If it is large, it indicates an exaltation of the ego, has an undervaluation of the environment, has a propensity for fantasy and internal self-control.
- If it is normal, with a height of 12 to 20 cms. approximately, it will indicate an emotional balance.
- If it is small, it indicates overvaluation of the environment, possible concealment, going unnoticed by the environment and a submissive reaction.
Drawing symmetry
- Excess symmetry can be interpreted as stiffness.
- The rigidity of the drawing can manifest itself as a defense against the environment.
- The very symmetrical drawings indicate perfectionism and exhibitionism.
Figure position
- If it is located in the upper part of the sheet, it indicates insecurity with a tendency to withdrawal and fantasy performance.
- If it is low, it indicates pessimism, insecurity, a tendency to depression, and the presence of little physical activity.
- If it is on the right it indicates problems with authority, negativism and resistance to change.
- If it is on the left, it indicates inhibition, it also indicates insecurity, avoidance and introversion.
- If it is in the upper left, it reveals a tendency to withdraw from the environment, a need for support and emotionality.
- If it is in the upper right, it reveals the ability to actively cope with the environment.
- If it is in the lower left it shows possible fixations with the conflicts that occurred in previous stages.
- If it is in the lower right it shows the will and the capacity for discipline, but at the same time the stubbornness.
- If it is centered, and in the middle of the sheet, it indicates emotional balance, ease of adapting to the environment, and positive decision making.
Drawing subject
- It should be inquired if the figure drawn is a stereotype, a specific person or an image of himself.
- If a ridiculous character is drawn as a representation of a person, it will indicate avoidance of feelings of physical inferiority. They are usually smaller figures and will be towards the introverted (left) side of the page.
- If the drawn figure is older, it could indicate identification with the parents.
- The content implied by the details of the body and the arrangement of the figure's clothing are interpreted according to the meaning given to them.
Interpretation of a drawing of a person: the face
It is the most expressive part of the body, generally, it is the first thing that is drawn of a person. It is the social aspect par excellence of the drawing and the communication center and it must be proportional.
The person who omits facial features indicates an aggressive delineation to his surroundings, and is evasive in terms of his character in relationships with those around him. If facial features are omitted it indicates that his relationships with people are poor and hostile.
Shy people darken the facial features, and draw the head to a greater extent, giving an importance to the “I” and a tendency to repress social participation.
Overemphasizing facial features indicates fantasies offset by aggressiveness and dominance.
Facial expression
- It is one of the characteristics of drawing that is directly judged with considerable confidence. The most frequently marked lines are found in the area of the nasolabial fold, and on the forehead.
- The large number of variants places the individual features of the face as one of the main sources in content analysis.
- The subjects unconsciously give the figure an expression of fear, surprise, aggression, admiration, etc.
Mouth
- The mouth appears in children's drawings almost as early as the head.
- If the mouth is very emphasized, it manifests being verbally aggressive and a tendency to get irritated easily.
- With forced smiles it indicates that you want to please or have a forced sympathy.
- If it has teeth it indicates aggressiveness.
- If the language is drawn, orality is intensified on a more primitive level.
- If you have full lips, it indicates effeminacy.
- If you have an emphasized beard, it indicates that you have dominance tendencies and decision problems.
- If the mouth is omitted, it indicates communication problems with its surroundings and shyness.
- If the mouth is excessively marked, it can express a whim for food, indecent language and bad humor.
- If the mouth is drawn by a thick broken line it indicates aggression.
- If the mouth is in the form of a broad line and turned upwards, giving the shape of a clown's mouth making faces, it indicates that you want the approval of the people, or an inappropriate affection, depending on its meaning on other aspects of the drawing.
The lips
- The lips contribute to the tone of the facial expression. If they are thick in the male figure, it is considered an effeminate trait
- A somewhat more complex way of showing interest in the oral erotic zone is the inclusion in the drawing of a cigarette, pipe, etc.
Chin
The chin is an area that is given little importance, however it does, it is often symbolic when it is accentuated, it is erased, this region is shaded, it can indicate a strong tendency to be socially powerful, aggressive and dominant
The eyes
- The eyes concentrate the social function of social communication, they are the basic organ for contact with the outside world.
- The eyes serve to prevent the individual from the threatening elements that surround him.
- If they are large, they tend to extroversion, hypersensitivity of social opinion and aggression problems. If they are small, it indicates introversion problems.
- If the eyes are not drawn, the pupils indicate introversion and egocentric problems. Also perceives the world vaguely, with little discrimination of details.
- If you draw them closed, it indicates a tendency to deviate from reality, they close to the world with the purpose of isolating themselves in their own narcissism.
- If they are provided, it does not manifest any type of conflict.
- The penetrating eye indicates a socially aggressive attitude.
- Large, dark, pointed, or threatening eye indicates hostility or suspicion.
- There are differences; women draw larger and more elaborate eyes than men.
- Drawing an empty eye indicates emotional immaturity.
Hair
- Hair is related to sexuality.
- If the hair is abundant it indicates narcissistic tendencies, desire for virility and vitality.
- If it is excessively shaded, it indicates aggressiveness.
- If omitted it indicates little physical activity.
- Its emphasis on the head, chest, beard or mustache indicates a drive to virility.
Nose
- The nose in the drawings is considered to have a sexual meaning.
- If the nose is too elaborate it can be interpreted as extreme attention to opinion and sensitivity.
- Shaded or cut nose indicates internal fears.
- If the nostrils are very marked and open it is considered as a specific accent of aggression.
Ears
The ears are usually of little importance in normal drawings, they are often omitted. However, when it is given an outstanding role in the drawing for being too large, transparency through the hair, shading, it can indicate that it has had a special importance for the one who draws; it may be overly sensitive to criticism or social opinion, or it may reflect a notable social deficiency.
The neck
- The neck is a last indicator that children draw. When it is of proportionate size it indicates that it manages its mood well.
- If the neck is short and wide it indicates problems with the environment and stubbornness.
- If the neck is long it indicates stiffness in behavior, formality and morality, as well as problems interacting.
- If it is long and thin it indicates feelings of weakness and problems managing impulses.
- The omission of the neck indicates immaturity in children's drawings and poor ability to handle impulses.
Interpretation of the human figure test: the body
The image of the body changes due to physical or mental illness, frustrations, adaptation disorders, etc. Movements or contacts with the outside world give unity to the body image. People who have experienced problems in their mobility or in their contacts with the outside are tied to the perceptions and sensations derived from their own bodies, they can project an elaborate expression of the activity of their inner fantasy; or lacking these active compensations of their fantasies, they can draw an empty, vegetative, regressive and sometimes even silly figure, reducing the image of the personality to the most crude and essential.
Children and young people show more movement and tend to project socio-heroic stereotypes, because they have more fantasy.
The arms
The arms tend to have a great relationship with the development of the self and with adaptation.
In general the direction and flow of the lines of the arms are related to the degree and spontaneity of interpersonal contact within their environment, but it is also important to observe the direction and type of drawing of the drawing to understand it.
- Arms appear in children's drawings from an early age.
- If the arms are vigorous and extended, it indicates being an ambitious and aggressive person.
- If they are attached to the body, it indicates being a defensive person and with problems interacting with their environment.
- If they are very large, it indicates the need for protection.
- If you have a muscular emphasis, you tend to be aggressive and have a desire for physical power.
- If they are short indicates a lack of ambition, with feelings of inferiority in their environment.
- If they are in the form of jugs it indicates to be a person who tends to be anarchic and arrogant with weak people.
- If they are very extensive it indicates to be a person who manifests to be simple, withdrawn and without affection.
- If the arms are stiff at the sides it indicates rigidity with their social environment.
- If they are shaded, it indicates anxiety in front of social contact.
- If the arms are very reinforced it indicates a tendency to aggressiveness and desire for power.
- If they are bent, they indicate a hostile attitude and a feeling of rejection.
- If they are relaxed and flexible it indicates to be a normal person.
- If they are omitted in the drawing of the opposite sex indicates a feeling of rejection by the opposite sex.
- If the arms are drawn in simple dimensions and appear fragile or consumed, they indicate deficiency and weakness of their physical reality.
- The omission of the arms should never be taken as a casual oversight. No arms indicates conflict with others.
- Extremely long arms are associated with ambition.
Hands
- Functionally they are related to the Self and to social adaptation.
- The hands are the most commonly missed feature and then the feet.
- If they are blurred it indicates a lack of confidence in himself and in doing some work.
- If they are shaded it indicates anxiety in the activity of social contact, aggressiveness and impulsiveness. If they appear vigorously shaded, they indicate guilt.
- They can be placed behind the back in an evasive manner.
- If they are very small it indicates a lack of contact with people.
- If they are in the pockets it indicates problems with the authority.
- If they are in the form of mittens it indicates aggressive repression.
- Excessive size in the hands indicates some compensation for weakness, or reaction against some misuse of them. If they are very large it indicates having problems with their environment.
The fingers
- They are very important because they are the point of contact with their social environment.
- In children, the fingers usually appear before the hands.
- Short, round fingers indicate little manual dexterity.
- If the fingers are very shaded or forced they indicate guilt.
- The hand with carefully articulated fingers, but closed by a line expresses aggression.
- The elongated fingers indicate aggressiveness. Another expression of aggression is seen in the drawings with the fingers projected as claws.
The legs
- The legs, like the feet, are a source of difficulty in many drawings.
- The bedridden, the depressed, the disappointed, or the physically disabled may show resistance to drawing the legs and feet.
- In children with developmental disorders, large bodies with small, thin legs are seen as an expression of a feeling of decline or deficiency.
- If they are emphasized, it indicates depressive problems.
- If they are very long, it indicates autonomy.
- If they are too short it indicates that you do not know how to make your own decisions.
- If they are highly reinforced, it indicates a tendency to aggressiveness.
- If they are uneven it indicates a need for independence.
- If they are close together, it indicates being very rigid in their social environment.
Feet and shoes
- Women tend to draw small feet and men large feet.
- If they are highly emphasized, it indicates aggressive tendencies.
- If they are barefoot it indicates a sign of aggression.
- If they are elongated, it indicates being an insecure person and therefore will have conflicts to make decisions.
- If they are small it indicates insecurity and dependency.
- If they are omitted it indicates independence.
- The foot also refers to personal safety, it also has aggressive implications that start from its function of propelling and driving the body forward and as an instrument of attack (kicking).
The log
- The trunk is often limited to a square, round, etc… unit.
- If it is round it indicates a less aggressive personality
- If it is wide and fat, it indicates that you are projecting yourself.
- If it is very small and thin it indicates a feeling of inferiority.
- If it is very big, it indicates that you have many desires to improve.
- When it is more angular it indicates to be more masculine.
- The especially thin body, as a representation of one's own sex, is usually indicative of discontent with one's own body and also appears as compensation through an unpleasant roundness of the figure.
The chest
- The chest usually presents a greater interest when it is shaded, with erasures, these are symptoms that correspond to sexually immature males.
- The chest is commonly accented in the context of people who have a strong and powerful mother image, both in men's and women's drawings.
- Excessively large shoulders are found in ambivalent subjects, from the sexual point of view, as an overcompensation for feelings of maladjustment.
Interpretation of the human figure test: clothing
Body image can be increased, altered, or enhanced by clothing.
There are two types with respect to the individuals who care about the dress: those who dress the figure with too much detail (narcissists of the dress) and those who make the drawing half naked marking the muscles (narcissists of the body). Both groups are immature and have a self-centered emotionality.
The buttons
- Buttons are frequently seen in representations of immature and dependent individuals and are generally obsessive in character.
- The emphasis on buttons occurs especially in boys, and even more so in boys.
- They are used as indicative of clothes.
- The buttons are related to the attitude of maternal dependency.
The pockets
- Like buttons, boys put emphasis on pockets.
- If a growing child draws a large pocket full of trinkets, it is an index of a fully developing Self and of a certain age-appropriate maturity.
- Pockets are also used by boys as an expression of the struggle for virility that antagonizes emotional dependence on the mother.
Conflict indicators according to the Machover test
The most important are the erasures and shading. Erasures usually occur in obsessive-compulsive neurotics. The tendency to erase is considered an expression of anxiety, but they differ from shadowing, in that they demonstrate conscious dissatisfaction.
Motor restlessness is a common symptom in eraser users a lot. Strong and vigorous scratching also usually represents a form of aggressiveness discharge and is often found in children.
This article is merely informative, in Psychology-Online we do not have the power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.
If you want to read more articles similar to Human Figure Drawing Test, we recommend that you enter our Personality Test category.
Bibliography- Escribano, JM (1976). Karen Machover Human Figure Test (practical assessment manual).
- Hammer, EF, Bernstein, J., & Brodesky, A. (1969). Graphic projective tests . Buenos Aires: Paidós.
- Machover, K. (1963). Human Figure Drawing: A method of investigating personality. Projective techniques of psychological diagnosis, Anderson and Anderson. Madrid, Rialp.