Understanding your child is not easy. In addition, children can not always correctly tell what is happening in their head. The picturesque methodology “My Family” helps to analyze the child’s relationship with parents, to understand the problems that have arisen and to eliminate them in time.
Test purpose
Before you ask your child to draw a family and begin to interpret the results, you need to understand exactly what this technique can give you. When a child draws, he does not think about whether it is right or not. Everything that lies on his heart, he depicts on paper. This can help parents understand how the child treats them, who he feels in the family, and which has hidden problems. Also, his psychological state of health will turn out. What the child is silent about, he will show on a piece of paper. This test can help parents build relationships with the baby, as well as avoid many unpleasant situations.
The task
In a quiet and peaceful environment, invite the child to draw his family. Give him a piece of A4 and colorful pencils. In addition to the family, you can depict other objects as desired. At the same time, you should not look closely at what the baby will do. Watch him from the side. It is very important to notice the sequence in which he will draw. At the end, you can also ask questions about the drawing.
The drawing methodology “My Family” helps to identify a wide variety of problems, and therefore every detail, every painted stick and dot is very important. It is worth paying attention to how people are located in the picture, what color they are painted. It is also important to analyze the size of each family member.
Assignment
If the child lives in a calm and friendly atmosphere, he will immediately begin to draw the task. And he begins precisely with family members. If the baby began to draw complementary details, this means that he feels uncomfortable and insecure. Probably, the family is not the best period now, and he does not want to be there at all. If he completely forgot to draw someone, it means that the little artist has no contact with this person. If strangers are present in the picture, the child lacks care and love. The most difficult case if the artist himself is not in the image. This means that the child does not feel like a member of the family. He is not emotionally involved with her.
Before you begin to decipher the picturesque methodology "My Family", be sure to ask the child what is drawn. Without a little artist, interpreting an image will be very difficult. For example, a girl drew the following drawing.
It has only the artist herself. And from adults - nobody. She explained that parents are in the house with a little sister. Such a picture is a real cry for help. The child does not feel necessary and important. Most likely, with the advent of the sister, parents began to pay her less attention and care. Dark trees, smoke and smoke from the chimney indicate a depressed state of the girl.
In this case, the “My Family” methodology helped to identify that the child is closed from communication. The girl feels lonely and unnecessary. The fact that she painted herself above the house suggests that she is trying with all her might to draw attention to herself. The girl seemed to be crying out to her parents: "Here I am, look at me!", But no one hears. Perhaps recently such a child will become even more naughty and moody. And all this is just a way to attract the attention of loved ones.
Sequence
It is very important to pay attention to who the little artist painted first. He loves this particular person most of all, it is with him that he has established contact. If he was the first to draw his image, then he considers himself the best in this family. If at the same time the figure is also large - perhaps the child grows up as a selfish person.
The last place in the figure is reserved for the person with whom the baby does not get along well. If the child seems to be rejected, he will draw himself last. Sometimes in the children's drawing of the family, the baby depicts everyone at once. He draws three heads, three torsos, each with arms, legs, eyes. In this case, this will mean that he does not single out anyone and for him all are equal. But this happens extremely rarely.
Shape size
This parameter indicates the authority of family members. Not to be confused with the previous paragraph. After all, the sequence means the child’s feelings for family members, but the size indicates the influence of the drawn figure. So, in a family where even mom is afraid of dad, the child will draw him the most.
Children who bathe in love, care and have a significant influence on all family members draw themselves as the tallest, sometimes even more parents. And vice versa, if an artist feels himself useless to anyone, he will depict his figure as small, barely noticeable. The identical size of the figures suggests that everyone in the family is equal.
Often, children's drawing of the family helps to identify problems in the relationship of parents. For example, if papa constantly offends mom, the child will draw the aggressor big and evil, and the victim small and offended. It is very important to pay attention to what place the child will choose for this. If he is the same size as dad, then he agrees with his actions, and if as a mother, then he pities her.
Distance between figures
In interpreting the “My Family” methodology, an important part is also given to the arrangement of objects in the figure. If a child grows up in a friendly atmosphere, everyone will be located on the same level and close to each other. The farther a child draws himself from someone, the more difficult he develops a relationship with this person. A lot of foreign objects between family members also speak of conflicts, misunderstanding, quarrels. There are barriers between these people in real life that interfere with normal relationships.
Often children fill such gaps in the picture with various animals. An alarm if those in your house do not live. Cats and dogs are nothing but attention. If he is lacking, the child will include in his “family” new members who will certainly love him and play with him.
The child drew only himself
In the interpretation of the “My Family” methodology, this case is considered rather severe. A child who separates himself and his parents is actually very lonely. He does not feel like a member of the family. At the same time, the baby can explain its absence in various ways. In the example above, the girl said that the parents are in the house. Sometimes children say that mom and dad are at work or somewhere else. But everything indicates that there is no strong emotional connection between the child and the parents.
Sometimes such a pattern can be found in children - the idols of the family. A similar situation is considered the exact opposite. The child considers himself the most important in the family. All the rest for him is an empty place. In this case, a lot of bright colors will prevail in the picture. And the figure of the artist herself will be joyful and happy.
Drawing of the face and other parts of the body
In drawing tests, every detail matters. How a child draws himself and his parents is very important. To get started, see if all the body parts are in family members and what sizes they are.
So, for example, the absence of ears suggests that this figure does not hear anyone except himself or, perhaps, does not want to hear. In families where there are constant quarrels and conflicts between parents, children often portray themselves without ears. Thus, they show that they do not want to hear it all the time. Big ears, on the contrary, indicate that this character listens to everyone and everything, has no opinion.
The mouth is a symbol of attack. They express the whole spectrum of emotions, from anger to happiness. The child who is painted with a large and formidable mouth is very afraid. If the artist has arrogated to himself such, it means that he displays despotic inclinations. The absence of a mouth, or the point instead, indicates isolation.
The neck is responsible for controlling the senses. If the drawn figure does not have it, then, in the concept of the child, it is this person who does not know how to control his emotions.
Hands in picturesque tests symbolize strength of character and interaction with other family members. If someone doesn’t have any at all in the picture, it means that the child believes that this person cannot change the situation. The length of the hands and the detailed drawing of the hands indicate sociability. But short ones can be a symbol of weakness.
The legs are responsible for the position of a person in society. The large footing area indicates that this figure is a confident and strong personality. Legs-sticks hanging in the air - self-doubt and self-confidence.
Color spectrum
When conducting the "My Family" test, the child is offered to use colored pencils or felt-tip pens. This is necessary in order to study in detail the palette of feelings that is radiated by the child when he recalls relatives and friends. He will paint his beloved relatives with bright and colorful flowers. Conversely, people who cause him fear or other unpleasant feelings will be “dressed” in black, brown and bright red colors. Often children try to justify themselves and say that the figure is drawn like that because it is her favorite color. But in reality, the child subconsciously considers it completely different.
Most often, the most beautiful children portray mothers. They are dressed in bright dresses, have incredible hairstyles. Unnatural hair color (blue, pink) also speaks of love for the mother. The more a child is attached to a particular family member, the more colorful he will depict him.
It happens, and vice versa, the whole picture is rather plain-looking, and only some detail is highlighted. This is no accident. Pay attention to her. It is this detail that is currently closest to your child. In a family where the baby feels lonely, bright colors are often given to cats, dogs or some kind of object: a swing, cars.
In the test "My family" special attention should be paid to black. The more it is in the figure, the more depressed the child feels. If the kid draws his beloved relative in black, then there is a clear problem between them.
Types of parenting
The projective methodology “My Family” allows you to accurately determine by what principle a child is raised in the family. In psychology, 5 main types are distinguished. We will consider each of them and find out how to determine it with the help of the drawing technique “My Family”.
- Idol. If the child in the family is idolized, then he will start drawing with himself. Moreover, the figure will be right in the center of the sheet. Parents will watch their idol from the side and admire it. Most likely, the child will be painted colorful and much more than all other family members.
- Hypoopeka. This type of education is expressed in the fact that the child is left to his own devices. Parents do not pay too much attention to him. The child seems to be growing in the family, but on the other hand, he does not feel care and love. A young artist can depict this type of education in different ways. Very often, he draws only himself on a piece of paper. Performing the analysis of the “My Family” methodology and asking the child leading questions, you can get the answer that the parents were at work or went to visit. But in fact, these are the most ordinary versions. At heart, the child does not perceive himself and his parents as one family.
- Manifestations of jealousy, or "like Cinderella." This type of upbringing is found in families with several children. Most often, one of them considers himself an idol, and the other, on the contrary, is deprived of attention and care. Parents distinguish his brother and sister, and he feels lonely and useless to anyone. In the figure, this is also manifested. A brother or sister will be drawn first. Near them are parents. Most often, their eyes are also turned to the second child. The artist himself paints himself small and unprepossessing somewhere in the corner. If you get such results of the “My Family” methodology, you should definitely review your family relationships. The child should feel important and necessary.
- Education "in the cult of the disease." Very often, parents take care of their children too much. Such education leads to the fact that the child is afraid of everything, closes in himself. The figure that will show this type of upbringing is permeated with egocentrism. A small artist will be in the center, and around him all the family members who try to please him. Quite often, in the figure, adults hold such a child by the arms or hug very tightly. This symbolizes their hyper-custody. The “My Family” methodology for younger students allows you to determine who cares too much about the baby. This person will be in the picture closest to him. In addition, the figures of the child and the person who takes care of him will be very similar to each other (the same eyes, hands, lips, color of clothes). The more similar the parents and the child in the picture, the more they patronize him.
- "Hedgehogs". This type of education implies that one of the parents, or maybe both, often punishes and abuses the child. The young artist will certainly depict this in the picture. The aggressor will look angry, disheveled, painted in dark shades, with a large mouth. The “My Family” method for preschoolers helps to understand the attitude of the child to this family member. If he draws it too hard, presses the pencil hard, makes rough touches, it means that he feels anger towards this person. If the baby is afraid of the aggressor, he will draw it with very thin curved lines.
Decoding examples of the “My Family” picture test
Initially, it may seem that interpreting test results is very difficult. Many small details are simply confusing. In fact, having adapted a little, you can easily decipher the picture of your child.
Figure number 1 from the side seems very positive. The first child painted himself, then dad, two years older sister, as well as mom. It should be noted that the smallest artist in the picture. Mom, dad and sister are all almost the same height. Most likely, the baby interacts best with dad, as he painted himself next to him. But with his mother and sister, relations with him are not easy. Firstly, they stand farthest to him, and secondly, they are painted in bright and cold colors.
The second drawing was drawn by a girl of 11 years old. At first glance, it seems that the family is very friendly, because everyone holds hands. But in this case, it shows that parents care too much for their children. In addition, the sister turned her back on the artist, probably in their relationship not everything is as smooth as it seems.
The third image clearly demonstrates the principle of education "idol". Here the young artist portrayed herself very large and colorful. Parents against her background look completely nondescript.
The fourth figure clearly indicates family conflicts and troubles. Between mom and dad is a grandmother. Apparently, it is she who is the source of quarrels and conflicts (in any case, the artist thinks so). Grandmother’s small stature indicates that the child does not consider her authority. Meanwhile, the children are very friendly and know their place in the family.
In the last, fifth figure, you can see a friendly family, where children imitate their parents. This is evidenced by the color of the clothes. Dad’s hands are much shorter and pressed to the body, which suggests that he is spineless, and most likely, it is mom who is the main in the house.
To summarize, we can say that the goal of the “My Family” methodology is to identify problems and the general psycho-emotional state in a certain section of society. It is very important that the child performs this task in a relaxed atmosphere. Before this there should be no quarrels and conflicts. The test can be performed many times. Suppose you identified specific problems and tried to solve them. After a month, it is recommended to repeat the test. Thus, you can track the dynamics of changes in the family, the condition of the child, his feelings and problems.