House Tree Person Drawings The House-Tree-Person (H-T-P) projective technique developed by John Buck was originally an outgrowth

o the !oodenough scale utili"ed to assess intellectual unctioning# Buck elt artistic creativity represented a strea$ o personality characteristics that lowed onto graphic art# He believed that through drawings% subjects objecti ied unconscious di iculties by sketching the inner i$age o pri$ary process# &ince it was assu$ed that the content and quality o the H-T-P was not attributable to the sti$ulus itsel % he believed it had to be rooted in the individual's basic personality# &ince the H-T-P was an outcropping o an intelligence test% Buck developed a quantitative scoring syste$ to appraise gross classi ication levels o intelligence along with at qualitative interpretive analysis to appraise global personality characteristics# How to Start . . . (se three pieces o plain white )#*+,, paper% give the irst and say -Here . want you to draw as good a house as you can#- /uestion% give the ne+t sheet# -0raw as good a tree as you can-% question% give the ne+t sheet# -0raw as good a person as you can%- (i a pro ile or head only% say% -1ait% . want you to draw a whole person% not just the head or pro ile-)# The child is told to draw (,) a house% (2) a tree% and (3) a person on white paper# The igure gives the therapist so$e indication o how the child perceives hi$sel o hersel in the world (the igure is usually considered to be a re lection o the sel )# The Questions . . . 4sk questions a ter each picture is drawn5 Person 1ho is this person% how old are they% what6s their avorite thing to do% what6s so$ething they do not like% has anyone tried to hurt the$% who looks out or the$7 House 1ho lives here% are they happy% what goes on inside% what6s it like at night% do people visit here% what else do the people in the house want to add to the drawing7 Tree 1hat kind o tree is this% how old is it% what season is it% has anyone tried to cut it down% what else grows nearby% who waters the tree% trees need sunshine to live so does it get enough sunshine7 8or instance% the branches o the Tree overe+tended upward or outward requently $irror the subject6s overstriving or achieve$ent# Plancing o the windows against the wall o the House so that the side o the House serves also as one side o the windows i$plies eelings o insecurity# . only a part o the Person is drawn in a pro ile view ( or e+a$ple% head in pro ile% body in ront view)% it appears to re lect an evasive attitude in social relations# 9ack o $any details% inco$plete wholes% and use o very aint lines are a co$bination ound in subjects who are deeply depressed# 4 ground line sloping downward and away ro$ the drawn whole on either side $ay re lect a eeling o isolation% e+posure% and helplessness in the ace o environ$ental pressures# House interpretations are loosely based on research and on the sy$bolic $eaning o the aspects o the house# They should hope ully be nurturing places with nor$al levels o detail and nor$al si"e# Too little and the client $ay reject a$ily li e: too big and they $ay be overwhel$ed by it# 9ines and walls represent boundaries and strengths o the ego% thus weak lines in the structure o the house are weaknesses in the ego% while strong lines are proble$s with an+iety and a need to rein orce boundaries#

The roo sy$boli"es the antasy li e% and e+tra attention to it can indicate e+tra attention to antasy and ideation% while inco$plete% tiny% or burning roo s can indicate avoidance o overpowering and rightening antasies (think about ears o ghosts in the attic - these are based on the association or us)# 1indows% doors% and sidewalks are all ways that others enter or see into the house% so they relate to openness% willingness to interact with others% and ideas about the environ$ent# Thus% shades% shutters% bars% curtains% and long and winding sidewalks indicate so$e unwillingness to reveal $uch about yoursel (think about e+pression like windows to the soul or the door to the $ind)# ;ars could be signs o visitors co$ing or people in the ho$e leaving# 9ights could be signs to welco$e visitors or reveal prowlers# <pen doors or $any windows could $ean strong needs to engage others# Big windows% especially in the bathroo$% could be e+hibitionistic desires# Psychotics tends to show groundlines (their need or grounding)% clear visions o the insides o the house (they believe their thoughts and $ind are open to view by others)% strange angles (like their strange thought processes)% or a house on the verge o a collapse (like their ego)# Tree interpretations: The trunk is seen to represent the ego# sense o sel % and the intactness o the personality# Thus heavy lines or shadings to represent bark indicate an+iety about one6s sel % s$all trunks are li$ited ego strength% large trunks are $ore strength### (think about the saying that a tree that bends lasts through the wind% but one that doesn6t snaps% like the ego that is le+ible and healthy lasts through the world% but the in le+ible and neurotic ego ends up broken)# 4 tree split down the $iddle% as i hit by lightening% can indicate a rag$ented personality and serious $ental illness% or a sign o organicity# 9i$bs are the e orts our ego $akes to -reach out- to the world and support -things that eed us- what we need# Thus% li$bs detached are di iculties reaching out% or e orts to reach out that we can6t control# &$all branches are li$ited skills to reach out% while big branches $ay be too $uch reaching out to $eet needs# ;lub shaped branches or very pointy ones represent aggressiveness# !narled branches are -twisted- and represent being -twisted- in so$e e orts to reach out# 0ead branches $ean e$ptiness and hopelessness# 9eaves are signs that e orts to reach out are success ul% since leaves growing $ean the tree is reaching out to the sun and getting ood and water# Thus% no leaves could $ean eeling barren% while leaves detached ro$ the branches $ean the nurturing we get is not very predictable# Pointy leaves could be aggression% obsessive attention to detail on the leaves could be <bsessive ;o$pulsive tendencies# =oots are what -ground- the tree and people% and typically relate to reality testing and orientation# >o roots can $ean insecurity and no eeling o being grounded% overe$phasi"ed roots can be e+cessive concern with reality testing% while dead roots can $ean eelings o disconnection ro$ reality% e$ptiness% and despair# <ther details5 ;hrist$as trees a ter the season is over can $ean regressive antasies (thinking about holidays and a$ily and good ti$es to $ake yoursel eel better)# ?nots or twists in the wood% like gnarled li$bs% indicate so$e part o the ego is twisted around so$e issue# ?notholes are an absence o trunk% and thus an absence o ego control# &o$eti$es they are seen as indicating a trau$a% and the height up the tree represents the age o the trau$a (so% hal way up or a ,@ year old is at age *)# &quirrels and s$all ani$als are an .d intrusion into an area ree ro$ ego control# =esearch does show that weeping willow trees are $ore co$$on in depressed people# People with high needs or nurturance draw apples# Person intrepretations: Here% the idea is that the person o the sa$e se+ is like you% and the person o the opposite se+ is what you $ay not ad$it is like you# Aery Jungian when you think o it% in that the opposite se+ is the ani$a or ani$us# Typically% the person is centered or just below vertical center on the page% is sy$$etrical% pleasing to look at% and su iciently detailed# They tend to be clothed% although pregnant wo$en or wo$en who have recently given birth $ay draw naked wo$en% and wo$en having recently seen the gynecologist $ay draw naked wo$en# Brasures led to i$prove$ents% and the person see$s contented with the drawing% perhaps

laughing at it a bit# (sually the sa$e-se+ person is drawn irst% and the opposite-se+ed person second# &o$e interpret drawing the opposite-se+ irst as a sign o gender con usion% which has not been well-supported# 4r$s are the way we reach out to the environ$ent% and hands the way we e ect it# <pen ar$s indicate willingness to engage% closed ar$s are de ensiveness% disconnected ar$s are powerlessness### pointed ingers or balled ists can be aggression% hidden or gloved hands can be an+iety or antisocial tendencies### .t could also be di iculty drawing good hands# 9egs and eet are also like the roots o trees% and represent grounding and power too# . cut o at the botto$ o the paper (think o cutting so$eone o at the knees) it can $ean loss o autono$y% s$all eet (inadequate base) can indicate a need or security% while big eet can indicate the sa$e# The neck separates the head (cognition) ro$ the body (drives and needs)% so no neck is no separation% long neck is desire or $ore separation o the two% etc### Couth is how we get needs $et (think 8reud and oral stu )% so big or open $outh is neediness% cupid bow or luscious lips is se+uali"ed needs% closed tight $outh is denial o needs or so$e passive-aggression% and rowns% sneers% and s$iles $ean with they do in real li e# There is li$ited support or oral-dependency the$es% and $ore or slash $ouths and teeth to be consistent with verbal aggression# !enitalia% breasts% etc### are seldo$ drawn% and indicate se+ual concerns and disco$ ort# B$phasis on breasts though are not unco$$on in prepubescent girls% and both disturbed and non-disturbed boys e$phasi"e pectorals# 0rawing clowns (hiding ace and person)% robots (loss o e$otions in a psychotic way)% cowboys ($asculini"ed needs)% snow$en (rounded bodies% regressive the$es)% stick $an (childish or regressive the$es) etc### can $ean what is noted in parenthesis above# B+cessive details are consistent with so$e obsessiveness when dealing with an+iety% while a $arked lack o detail can indicate withdrawal% low energy% or boredo$# =orschach

=orschach% who pioneered the test in ,D2,% did not provide a co$prehensive scoring syste$# .n response to co$plaints about validity% scoring $ethods have been devised that ai$ at providing greater objectivity by clearly speci ying certain personality variables and relating the$ to clinical diagnoses# <riginally published in the ,DE@s% the B+ner ;o$prehensive =orschach &yste$ used today (the ,D)F updated version) is a co$puter-based scoring syste$ that provides score su$$aries and lists likely personality and adjust$ent descriptions or each test taker# &peci ically% this scoring syste$ considers aspects o a test taker6s response such as the content o the response% the reasons or the events present on the card% the location o events on the card% and elaboration on cooperative and aggressive behavior# B+ner also recorded certain popular and co$$on responses to the cards and the degree to which test takers chose these responses# .t should be noted% however% that $any e+a$iners still interpret the scores without bene it o a co$puter# Test scores% whether based on =orschach6s original or$ulation% B+ner6s co$prehensive scoring syste$% or other scoring syste$s% are based on several actors# <ne is location% or what part o the blot a person ocuses on5 the whole blot% sections o it% or only speci ic details within a particular section# 4nother is whether the response is based on actors such as or$% color% $ove$ent% or shading# These actors are re erred to as deter$inants# 8or e+a$ple% people who tend to see $ove$ent in =orschach blots are thought to be intellectual and introspective: those who see $ostly stationary objects or patterns are described as practical and action-oriented# 8inally% content re ers to which objects% persons% or situations the person sees in the blot# ;ontent categories include hu$ans% ani$als% clothing% and nature#

Cost e+a$iners also assess responses based on the requency o certain responses as given by previous test takers# Cany psychologists interpret the test reely according to their subjective i$pressions% including their i$pression o the subject6s de$eanor while taking the test (cooperative% an+ious% de ensive% etc#)# &uch interpretations% especially when co$bined with clinical observation and knowledge o a client6s personal history% can help a therapist arrive at a $ore e+pansive% in-depth understanding o the client6s personality#