Methodology cactus ma panfilova description. Graphic technique “Cactus”

"Cactus" graphic technique M.A. The Panfilova Test is carried out with children from 4 years old. The goal is to identify the state of the child’s emotional sphere, identify the presence of aggression, its direction and intensity. Instructions. On a sheet of paper (A4 format) draw a cactus the way you imagine it! Questions and additional explanations are not allowed. The child is given as much time as he needs. Upon completion of drawing, a conversation is held with the child. You can ask questions, the answers to which will help clarify the interpretation: 1. Is the cactus domestic or wild? 2. Can you touch it? Does he prick a lot? 3. Does the cactus like to be looked after: watered, fertilized? 4. Does the cactus grow alone or with some plant next door? If it grows with a neighbor, then what kind of plant is it? 6. When the cactus grows, what will change in it? Processing of results and interpretation: When processing the results, data corresponding to all graphic methods are taken into account, namely: - spatial position - size of the drawing - characteristics of the lines - pressure on the pencil Aggression - the presence of needles, especially their a large number of. Strongly protruding, long, closely spaced needles reflect high degree aggressiveness. Impulsiveness - abrupt lines, strong pressure Egocentrism, desire for leadership - large drawing, in the center of the sheet Dependence, uncertainty - small drawing at the bottom of the sheet Demonstrativeness, openness - the presence of protruding processes, unusual forms Secrecy, caution - arrangement of zigzags along the contour or inside the cactus Optimism - usage bright colors, image of “joyful” cacti Anxiety - use dark colors, predominance of internal shading, broken lines Femininity - the presence of decoration, flowers, soft lines, shapes Extroversion - the presence of other cacti, flowers Introversion - only one cactus is depicted The desire for home protection, a sense of family togetherness - the presence of a flower pot, the image of a home cactus The desire for loneliness - a wild cactus, a desert cactus is depicted . Methods for studying the emotional well-being of a child in kindergarten Goal: to obtain general idea about the positive or negative emotional well-being of older children preschool age in kindergarten based on the results of short-term selective observation, individual experiments and conversations with children. The study of a child’s emotional well-being in kindergarten takes place in two stages and begins with observations of the behavior of children in the group. At the first stage, the behavior of children is observed during classes, performing various activities, routine moments, as well as during games, eating, and walking. By observation, the number of children in the group who have two types of emotional manifestations, conventionally designated as increased and decreased emotional tone, is determined. Approximate characteristics of children with increased emotional tone: Excited Movable (runs, fidgets) Chaotic movements, sometimes convulsive Has difficulty calming down Likes to talk loudly Often shouts Plays active roles in the game, takes an active position Often changes the intent of the game Disturbs other children during play or other activities Easily distracted Shows forgetfulness Constantly turns to adults for help, calls on adults for any reason Shows interest in adults' conversations Approximate characteristics of children with low emotional tone: Passive, apathetic Inactive Has difficulty calming down Often gets upset, cries over minor issues Is capricious Avoids contact with peers and adults Agrees to minor roles Is not interested in the activities of other children and adults Avoids turning to adults Sometimes completely ignores the company of children and adults Lies out of fear Shows great anxiety when parting with their mother Based on observations of children and conversations with teachers, the number of children with high and low emotional tone, and also develop ideas about emotional balance in the group. The picture of general emotional balance in a kindergarten group usually depends on the number of children whose behavior meets the above characteristics. The number of children with increased and decreased emotional tone should not exceed 15% - 25% of total number group children (from 4 to 6 children in a group of 25 people). The data obtained will help to form a general idea of ​​the characteristics of emotional manifestations of children, however, based on the presence or absence of a large or small number of children of both types of emotional manifestations, it is impossible to create an objective picture of the emotional well-being of a child in a kindergarten group. At the second stage of the examination, individual conversations with children are conducted. It is advisable to talk with each child in the group separately. Children are asked questions: Do you like to go to kindergarten? Would you like to work in a kindergarten when you become an adult? Are you friends in the group? Do you often quarrel? Are you having a good time in the group today? Each affirmative answer is worth 2 points, each negative answer is worth 1 point. Respectively, maximum amount points that one child can have is 10, and the minimum is 5. If more than half of the children in the group scored the maximum number of points based on the results of the conversation, this information is accepted as evidence of positive trends in the emotional well-being of children in the kindergarten group. A continuation of this work is a series of individual experiments with children of the “Projective situations” type. A child, in the process of communicating with an adult, must complete the story begun by the adult. The adult addresses the child with the following words: “I would be interested in playing with you. We will tell stories together. I'll start telling you, and you will continue my story. You just need to speak quickly and not think for a long time. This is the rule of the game. How many stories can we tell you?” The child is then presented with a series of projective situations in which the child's name is the same as acting character. All stories are neutral in nature. During the communication process, the adult intonationally supports the child’s interest in the activity. Examples of projective situations: 1... must perform at a festival. He learned the poem and went out to recite it. What happened next? 2... plays with his friend (girlfriend) in a group. The teacher called him over. What happened next? 3... eats breakfast. I don't want to anymore. What happened next? 4... was drawing and stained the table with paints. What happened next? The endings of the stories given by the child can be neutral, negative or positive. It is advisable to determine the nature of the ending of the story as objectively as possible. Based on the results of the survey, it is necessary to count the number of children in the group for whom all the endings of the stories were negative character. If the number of children with such results is 50% or more percent of the total number of children surveyed, this is taken as evidence of the negative emotional well-being of children in the group. At the second stage of the examination, children are offered a set of pictures depicting various situations. During the conversation, the child needs to determine the nature of the situations depicted. In the pictures: a woman and a child are walking down the street; children play in a kindergarten group; children play on the street; the child sits at the table and eats. During the demonstration, for example, of the first picture, the adult says to the child: “Mom and ... (says the name of the child with whom he is talking) are going to kindergarten. Do you think this is a sad story or a happy story?” The child looks at the picture and answers the adult’s questions. Based on the results of conversations with children, the adult counts the number of definitions of “sad” and “funny” stories. Just as in the experiment on projective situations, if the number of “sad” stories is 50% or more of the total number of stories told to children, this is taken as evidence of the negative emotional well-being of children in the kindergarten group.

The goal is to identify the state of the child’s emotional sphere, identify the presence of aggression, its direction and intensity.

Instructions. On a sheet of paper (A4 format) draw a cactus the way you imagine it!

Questions and additional explanations are not allowed. The child is given as much time as he needs. Upon completion of drawing, a conversation is held with the child. You can ask questions, the answers to which will help clarify the interpretation:

1. Is the cactus domestic or wild?

2. Can you touch it? Does he prick a lot?

3. Does the cactus like to be looked after: watered, fertilized?

4. Does the cactus grow alone or with some plant next door?

5.If it grows with a neighbor, what kind of plant is it?

6. When the cactus grows, what will change in it?

Processing of results and interpretation

When processing the results, data corresponding to all graphical methods is taken into account, namely:

Spatial position

Picture size

Line characteristics

Pencil pressure

Aggression - the presence of needles, especially a large number of them. Strongly protruding, long, closely spaced needles reflect a high degree of aggressiveness.

Impulsiveness - jerky lines, strong pressure

Egocentrism, desire for leadership - large drawing, in the center of the sheet

Dependence, uncertainty - small drawing at the bottom of the sheet

Demonstrativeness, openness - the presence of protruding processes, unusual forms

Stealth, caution - arrangement of zigzags along the contour or inside the cactus

Optimism - use of bright colors, image of “joyful” cacti

Anxiety - use of dark colors, predominance of internal shading, broken lines

Femininity - the presence of decoration, flowers, soft lines, shapes

Extroversion - the presence of other cacti, flowers

Introversion - only one cactus is depicted

Desire for home protection, sense of family community - presence flower pot, image of a home cactus

The desire for loneliness - depicts a wild cactus, a desert cactus

Projective technique “Non-existent animal”

The child is given instructions to invent and draw a non-existent animal, then call it by a non-existent name.

The research method is based on the theory of psychomotor connection. To register the state of the psyche, a study of the state of motor skills (in particular, the motor skills of the dominant hand), recorded in the form of a graphic trace of movement (drawing), is used.

By its nature, the test is a projective technique. It is not subject to statistical testing or standardization, so it is analyzed like a free drawing; the result of the analysis can be presented in descriptive forms.

Experimental material.

For research, it is better to use a white or slightly cream-colored, non-glossy sheet of paper; set of medium soft colored pencils.

Interpretation of the drawing.

When interpreting the picture, the following can be identified as indicators indicating the presence of aggression in a teenager:

· mouth with teeth;

· the presence of additional details on the head (horns - protection, in combination with other signs of aggression);

· claws, needles, bristles;

· the contour of the figure is made in sharp corners.

The data obtained from interpreting the figure according to the indicators listed above are entered into a table, where the “+” sign indicates the presence of a particular characteristic.

Data interpretation projective technique"Non-existent animal."

The data from the projective technique “Non-existent animal” are recorded in table form or in writing according to the following criteria:

POSITION OF THE DRAWING ON THE SHEET. Normally, the pattern is located along the midline of a standard vertical sheet. The position of the drawing closer to the upper edge of the sheet (the larger, the more pronounced) is interpreted as high self-esteem, dissatisfaction with one’s own position in society and lack of recognition from others; a claim for advancement, a tendency to self-affirmation, a claim for recognition.

The position of the picture in the lower part is the opposite indicators: self-doubt, low self-esteem, depression, indecisiveness, uncertainty, disinterest in one’s social status, recognition, lack of tendency to self-affirmation.

CENTRAL SENSITIVE PART OF THE FIGURE (head or parts replacing it). The head turned to the right is a stable tendency to activity - almost everything that is conceived or planned is carried out or at least begins to be carried out, if not even completed (the person actively moves on to the implementation of his plans and inclinations).

A head turned to the left is a tendency towards reflection and thinking. The subject is “not a man of action”; only a small part of his plans are realized or are beginning to be realized. Indecision, fear, fear of active action are common (what exactly needs to be clarified further).

The front position, i.e., the head directed at the person drawing, is interpreted as egocentrism. On the head there are details corresponding to the sense organs - ears, mouth, eyes.

The eyes are given special meaning. This is a symbol of man's inherent fear (Japanese drawing after Hiroshima). This meaning is especially emphasized by the sharp underdrawing of the iris. Pay attention to the presence or absence of eyelashes. Eyelashes are an indicator of hysterical and demonstrative manners. For men, feminine character traits rarely coincide with the painting of the iris or pupil. Eyelashes are also an interest in the admiration of others external beauty and the way you dress, giving it great importance.

The meaning of the “ears” detail is direct: interest in information, the importance of the opinions of others for oneself (in addition, using other indicators, their combination determines whether the subject is doing anything for a positive assessment or only giving appropriate reactions to others: joy, pride, resentment, grief without changing your position).

The “Mouth” detail can be assessed as follows. A slightly open mouth in combination with the tongue is talkativeness; in combination with painting on the lips, it is interpreted as sensuality. Sometimes both together. An open mouth without drawing on the lips and tongue, especially a drawn one, is interpreted as the ease of fears and apprehensions, mistrust. Mouth with teeth - verbal aggression, in most cases defensive: snaps, defends itself, is rude in response to condemnation or reproach. For children and adolescents, the meaning of a round mouth means fearfulness and anxiety. The increased size of the head (in relation to the figure as a whole) indicates that the subject values ​​the rational principle, and, possibly, erudition in himself and those around him.

Additional details are often located on the head: horns - protection, aggression (determine in combination with other signs of aggression - nails, bristles, needles). The nature of this aggression is spontaneous or defensive-response.

Feathers - a tendency towards self-decoration or self-justification and demonstrativeness.

Mane, fur, something like a hairstyle - sensuality, emphasizing one's gender, sometimes focusing on one's sexual role.

BEARING PART OF THE FIGURE (supporting part - legs, paws, pedestals). The solidity of this part of the figure is considered in relation to the size of the entire figure and in form - solidity, thoughtfulness, rationality of decision-making, reliance on essential and significant information, on essential provisions. Otherwise - superficiality and unfoundedness of judgment, frivolity of conclusions, sometimes impulsive decision-making - especially with complete or partial absence of legs. Pay attention to the nature of the connection of the legs with the body: connected accurately, carefully or carelessly, weakly, or not connected at all. This is the nature of control over your reasoning, conclusions, decisions. Uniformity and unidirectionality, as well as repeatability of the shape of the legs of any elements in one part - conformity of judgments and attitudes in decision making, stationarity, banality. The diversity in the position of these details speaks of the originality of attitudes and judgments, independence, non-banality, and, accordingly, the unusualness of the form, even of creativity in the norm or dissent (closer to pathology).

PARTS Rising ABOVE THE LEVEL OF THE FIGURE can be functional or decorative. Wings, extra legs, tentacles, shell parts, feathers, a bow, something like curls, curls, flowers. The first ones are energy, reach different areas human reality, self-confidence, self-distribution with indelicate, indiscriminate consolations of others, or curiosity, “participation” in as many events as possible, winning a place in the sun, passion for one’s activities, the courage of events - according to the meaning of the symbol (tentacles, wings, etc.) d.). The second are demonstrativeness, a tendency to attract attention, mannerism.

Tails - express an attitude towards one’s own actions or actions, or decisions, thoughts, verbal production - by whether the tail is turned to the right (+) on the sheet or to the left (-), one judges the color of this attitude, which is expressed in the direction of the tail. Up - confident, positive, cheerful. A tail falling down shows dissatisfaction with oneself, depression, regret, repentance, etc. Special attention should be paid to tails, consisting of several, sometimes repeating links. Especially the lush, long, branched ones. Their direction also matters: to the right - regarding their actions and behavior, to the left - regarding their thoughts, decisions, missed moments, and their own indecision.

FIGURE CONTOUR. The presence or absence of protrusions (such as spines, shell, needles, drawing or darkening of contour lines) is important. This is protection from others. Aggressive protection if the pattern is made in sharp corners; fear or anxiety if there is a darkening of the contour line; fear and suspicion if shields are installed; “barriers” directed upward - against people who actually have the opportunity to impose a ban, restriction, implement coercion, i.e. against elders, parents, teachers, bosses, managers. Direction: downward defense - against ridicule, non-recognition, lack of authority among subordinates, fear of condemnation. Lateral - differentiated caution, readiness for defense and self-defense of any order and in different situations. The same thing - protective elements located not along the contour, inside the contour, on the animal’s body itself. On the right is more in the process of activity (real), and on the left is the defense of one’s opinions and beliefs.

TOTAL ENERGY is assessed by the number of details depicted: is it only necessary to give an idea of ​​the animal (body, head, limbs, etc.) with filling in the contours without shading and additional lines, or is there a generous depiction of not only the necessary, but also complicating the design parts (additional). Accordingly, the higher the energy, the more details, and, conversely, the absence of such - energy saving, asthenicity, organics: chronic somatic disease. The same is confirmed by the nature of the lines: with asthenia - weak, cobweb-like. The opposite character of the line is not polar (bold with pressure), it is not energy, but anxiety. Pay special attention to the sharply pressed lines, visible even with reverse side(convulsive, high tone of the muscles of the drawing hand - severe anxiety). Pay attention also to what detail, what symbol is made in a similar way, what anxiety is attached to.

THEMATICALLY, animals are divided into threatening, endangered and neutral. This is the subject’s attitude towards his “I”, an idea of ​​his position in the world, and his identification with animals. IN in this case, the animal being drawn is a representative of the person drawing. SIMILARITY OF AN ANIMAL TO A HUMAN, starting with placing the animal in an upright position (two paws instead of four, etc.), ending with dressing the animal in human clothes, including the similarity of the muzzle to the face, legs and paws to hands - indicate infantilism and emotional immaturity. The mechanism is similar to the allegorical meaning of animals and their characters in fairy tales and parables. The figure of a circle, especially one empty of anything, symbolizes the tendency to conceal and isolate oneself. inner world, reluctance to give information about yourself to others, and finally, reluctance to be tested. Pay attention to the emphasis of sexual signs - udder, nipples, breasts when human figure. This is an attitude towards gender, even to the point of fixation on sex problems. Rarely and very unusually, attention is drawn to the installation of mechanical parts into the living part of an animal - placement on a pedestal, tank or transport tracks, a tripod, attachment of a propeller, screw, wires to the head, installation of electric lamps in the eyes, wires in the body or limbs, handles and keys , antennas, etc. This is observed mainly in patients with schizophrenia and rarely in profound schizoids.

CREATIVITY is usually expressed by the number of elements combined in a figure. Banality, absence creativity takes the form of a ready-made, existing animal.

NAME can express a rational connection semantic parts(“Flying Hare”, “Hippopotamus”). Other variants of word formation with a book-scientific, sometimes Latin suffix or ending (“Reboletius”, “Vopliolaris”). The first is rationality, a directed attitude towards a certain orientation. The second is demonstrativeness (of reason, erudition). There are names that are superficial and sound without any meaning (“Gryakter”, “Lelye”), signifying frivolity. There are also ironic and humorous names (“Ripochurka”, “Davashpor”, “Bubbles”), characterizing the corresponding attitude towards the environment. Infantile names usually have repeating elements (“Trutru”). The tendency to fantasize (most often of a defensive nature) is expressed by an excessively long name.

The presence of certain qualities indicates that the teenager has aggressive behavior

The technique is intended for working with children over 3 years old.

Target: study of the child’s emotional and personal sphere.

When conducting diagnostics, the test subject is given a sheet of paper in A4 format and a simple pencil. It is possible to use colored pencils of eight “Lusher” colors, then the corresponding indicators of the Luscher test are taken into account when interpreting.

Instructions:“On a piece of paper, draw a cactus the way you imagine it.” Questions and additional explanations are not allowed.

Data processing.
When processing the results, data corresponding to all graphical methods is taken into account, namely:

• spatial position
• picture size
• line characteristics
• pencil pressure

• characteristics of the “cactus image” (wild, domestic, feminine, etc.)


• characteristics of the drawing style (drawn, schematic, etc.)


• characteristics of needles (size, location, quantity)

Interpretation of results: based on the results of the processed data from the drawing, it is possible to diagnose the personality traits of the child being tested:

• Aggressiveness – the presence of needles, especially a large number of them. Strongly protruding, long, closely spaced needles reflect a high degree of aggressiveness.


• Impulsiveness – abrupt lines, strong pressure.


• Egocentrism, desire for leadership - large picture located in

center of the sheet.

• Self-doubt, dependence - small drawing, located at the bottom of the sheet.


• Demonstrativeness, openness - the presence of protruding processes in the cactus, pretentious forms.


• Stealth, caution - arrangement of zigzags along the contour or inside the cactus.


• Optimism – the image of “joyful” cacti, the use of bright colors in the version with colored pencils.


• Anxiety – the predominance of internal shading, broken lines, the use of dark colors in the version with colored pencils.


• Femininity - the presence of soft lines and shapes, decorations, flowers.


• Extroversion – the presence of other cacti or flowers in the picture.


• Introversion - the picture shows only one cactus.


• The desire for home protection, a sense of family community - the presence of a flower pot in the picture, an image of a home cactus.


• Lack of desire for home protection, a feeling of loneliness - an image of a wild, desert cactus.

1. Is this cactus domestic or wild?
2. Does this cactus prickle a lot? Can you touch it?
3. Does the cactus like it when it is looked after, watered, and fertilized?
4. Does the cactus grow alone or with some plant next door? If it grows with a neighbor, then what kind of plant is it?
5. When the cactus grows, how will it change (needles, volume, shoots)?

Diagnostic results using the “Cactus” method (M. A. Panfilova)

Sasha P. Protruding, long needles located close to each other are evidence of a child’s aggressiveness. A large drawing located in the center of the sheet is an indicator of egocentrism and the desire for leadership. Optimism - the use of brightly colored pencils, the image of “joyful” cacti.

Ksenia S. Protruding, long needles located close to each other are evidence of a child’s aggressiveness. The small picture below suggests that the child is not confident in himself. Extroversion - the presence of other cacti or some plants or flowers in the picture. Lack of desire for home protection, a sense of goodness - wild, desert cacti are drawn.

Daria O. The abruptness of the lines and strong pressure speak of his impulsiveness, even nervousness. Optimism - the use of brightly colored pencils, the image of “joyful” cacti. The desire for home protection, a sense of family community - the presence of a flower pot in the picture, image indoor plant, standing for example on a windowsill. The small picture below suggests that the child is not confident in himself.

Artem L. Protruding, long needles located close to each other are evidence of a child’s aggressiveness. The abruptness of the lines and strong pressure speak of his impulsiveness, even nervousness. The desire for home protection, a sense of family community - the presence of a flower pot in the picture, an image of a houseplant standing, for example, on a windowsill.

Anastasia A. The abruptness of the lines and strong pressure speak of his impulsiveness, even nervousness.

The small picture below suggests that the child is not confident in himself. Optimism - the use of brightly colored pencils, the image of “joyful” cacti.

Christina Ch. Protruding, long needles located close to each other are evidence of a child’s aggressiveness. A large drawing located in the center of the sheet is an indicator of egocentrism and the desire for leadership. The desire for home protection, a sense of family community - the presence of a flower pot in the picture, an image of a houseplant standing, for example, on a windowsill.

Alexander S. A large drawing located in the center of the sheet is an indicator of egocentrism and the desire for leadership. The presence of protruding islands on the cactus and the pretentiousness of the depicted forms indicate demonstrativeness and openness. Optimism - the use of brightly colored pencils, the image of “joyful” cacti.

Ilya D. Protruding, long needles located close to each other are evidence of a child’s aggressiveness. The desire for home protection, a sense of family community - the presence of a flower pot in the picture, an image of a houseplant standing, for example, on a windowsill.

Table 6 Diagnostic results using the “Cactus” method.

The frequency of appearance of individual elements indicating the presence of aggressiveness in adolescents is shown in Figure 2.

Fig 3.

The figure shows that the frequency of appearance of details in the drawings indicates the presence of signs of aggression. For example: Artem L., Kristina Ch. Ilya D. have almost all the main criteria for indicators of aggressiveness in their drawings (needles are sharp, long, large drawing, occupies 2/3 of the sheet in height, frequent needles located throughout the drawing, missing lines, not falling into one point).

After analyzing the data obtained during the diagnosis, the following conclusions were made: some children showed a high degree of aggressive behavior. (Artem L., Kristina Ch., Ilya D., Anastasia A.). Others have a weak one. (Sasha P., Ksenia S., Daria O., Alexander S.) When carrying out the methods, we noted that children With low level manifestations of aggression in behavior performed tasks very creatively; they were open and connected well with others. Some of them showed themselves; were prone to vanity and arrogance.

The children had fairly adequate self-esteem, although they were not always self-confident. They actively moved to implement their plans, made all decisions independently, did not make frivolous conclusions, and were not anxious.

Children with an average level of aggression are fearful, shy, and often rude; there is repressed aggression, isolation; need for love, care and support.

They were not always confident in themselves, sometimes they felt fear. Only a small part of the plans were realized, but they often made decisions impulsively, sometimes made frivolous conclusions and were anxious.

Children with high level the severity of aggression in behavior during the implementation of the techniques, children experienced a feeling of rejection and guilt; there were tendencies towards alienation and opposition; experienced difficulty opening up to others; aggressive, anxious.

Children showed high or inflated self-esteem and dissatisfaction with their own position in society. They are sometimes impulsive in making decisions, were dissatisfied with their actions, decisions, and are also quite energetic.

From all of the above, we can conclude that junior schoolchildren with mental retardation, pronounced aggressive behavior is observed. For some it is more pronounced, for others less. All children use profanity to express their emotions, but under different circumstances. This is due to what reasons influence this emotional condition. After analyzing all the data obtained, we came to the conclusion that the most common reasons influencing aggressive behavior are the following: cruel upbringing of a child by parents (constant beatings, punishments, curses), ignoring the child (devoting little time to the child), raising a teenager by parents - alcoholics, parents with drug addiction. Definitely required correctional work aimed at reducing the level of aggressive behavior.

This material presents an analysis of the results psychological test, which you can follow the link:!

Initially, this method of personality diagnostics was proposed by M.A. Panfilova for children 3–7 years old. However, it would also be useful for adults to learn a little more about themselves. You can do this test with your child, friend, loved one.

Results:

Interpretation of adult drawings

General characteristics of the drawing:

1. Position of the drawing on a sheet of paper. The position of the cactus relative to the horizontal middle of the sheet indicates the level of self-esteem of the person drawing. Adequate self-esteem - the cactus is located approximately in the middle of the leaf. People with low self-esteem, prone to inferiority complexes, tend to draw at the bottom of the page. The drawings of those with high self-esteem tend to the top. If the cactus occupies more of the left half of the sheet, then this person most likely likes to focus on his past and indulges in memories. Future-oriented people are more likely to draw a cactus on the right half of the paper. Those who are focused on the present will depict a cactus approximately in the center.

2. Picture size can also tell about the level of self-esteem. If the cactus takes up less than ⅓ of the page, then this person may have a complex about himself. On the contrary, the cactus occupies more than ⅔ of the page for those who strive to stand out, to emphasize their superiority and leadership.

3. The nature of the lines. Clear, almost continuous line characteristic of people with a “steady hand” - confident, decisive. If you see shading on a cactus, then this person may be susceptible to anxiety and restlessness. About impulsiveness a fuzzy, broken line may indicate this.

4. Pressure force. Pay attention to the brightness of the lines with which the cactus is drawn. That is why it is better to carry out the test using a simple pencil. A thick, “pressure” line speaks of the tension that the drawer experiences. Notice which detail of the cactus is particularly highlighted? Weak lines are an indicator of low vitality, loss of strength, and fatigue.

Features of the cactus:

5. Needles, their number, shape and direction talk about the level of aggression. Large (in relation to the general proportions of the cactus), thick, long, poisonous, especially emphasized - such needles are more likely to be drawn by a person experiencing anger, aggression, or irritation. It can be expressed in his usual behavior, or it can be hidden as an unacceptable form of interaction. About direction You can recognize aggression by the direction in which the needles grow. The needles grow upward - aggression is directed towards people who are higher than the person in status (parents, bosses), social and financial status; to the sides – to peers, colleagues, “equals”; down - on the weaker, dependent, lower in the social hierarchy (subordinates, children, animals).

6. Cactus shape. Cactus unusual shape, “creative” means that a person is characterized by a certain demonstrativeness, a desire to express and show himself. If the shoots of the cactus protrude beyond the main “body”, then this person is quite open to other people and sociable. If additional the shoots are concentrated inside and do not protrude beyond the outline of the cactus - you are dealing with a rather reserved and cautious person.

7. Where does the cactus grow? A home cactus growing in a pot is usually painted by people seeking protection, gaining home warmth and comfort, family and close circle. If a cactus grows in the wild (in the desert), such people are characterized by the experience of loneliness, self-focus, and isolation. However, if next to a “wild” cactus there are other cacti, plants, and there are still living objects (animals, people), this may mean that a person strives to gain personal freedom, independence, and strives to become strong and independent.

8. Additional details cactus. Decorations, flowers, and the unusual coloring of the cactus appear in those who are prone to narcissism, femininity, and coquetry.

9. Colors and “mood” of a cactus show the current state of a person. Dark colors, fine shading, a general downward tilt of the cactus (as if it is withering or lacking water) can signal dominance negative states, symptoms of depression. A joyful, bright, strong cactus reaching towards the sun will most likely be drawn by a positive, easy-going person, open to the world.

10. The presence of “babies” on the cactus. There is an opinion that “babies” on a cactus mean in fact children, either existing or planned in the future. Most often, “babies” are found on “domesticated” cacti, which already means a desire to create a family.

An example of interpretation of the “Cactus” drawing test

Drawing of a 20 year old girl:

The cactus is located in the middle of the leaf, occupying approximately ⅔ in height - this indicates adequate self-esteem.

The spines are small, but there are quite a lot of them. According to the girl, “you can touch it, the cactus is soft, but if it pricks, it will sting.” That is, the girl is friendly, but if they offend her, she will show aggression (she will defend herself).

The cactus is round, there are protruding shoots, the flower is feminine and demonstrativeness(pay attention to me!).

Home cactus (in a pot, on a napkin, on a windowsill, with a curtain nearby) - high value family relations. There is a sad cat nearby - in this case, this is the desire to have a cat that has not yet come true. However, there are no other living creatures in the picture - this may indicate some loneliness, unshared interests.

According to the girl, she had just such a cactus when she was 14 years old and she really liked it. And in the picture the cactus is slightly tilted to the left - into the past. Thus, that period in life is resourceful for her: a pleasant memory, from which you can draw strength.

The dominant color in the drawing is blue (although there were 24 pencils in the set) - this is a calm and satisfied current state.

“The cactus will not grow anymore, it is already an adult” - a feeling of being an adult, mature personality. “He will just start to have shoots” - this could be the implementation of plans, ideas, or the desire to have children.

Interpretation of children's drawings

When processing the results, data corresponding to all graphical methods is taken into account, namely:
spatial position
picture size
line characteristics
pencil pressure

In addition, specific indicators specific to this methodology are taken into account:
characteristics of the “cactus image” (wild, domestic, feminine, etc.)
characteristics of the drawing style (drawn, schematic, etc.)
characteristics of needles (size, location, quantity)

Based on the results of the processed data from the drawing, it is possible to diagnose the personality traits of the child being tested:

Aggressiveness – the presence of needles, especially a large number of them. Strongly protruding, long, closely spaced needles reflect a high degree of aggressiveness.

Impulsiveness – abrupt lines, strong pressure.

Egocentrism, desire for leadership - a large drawing located in the center of the sheet.

Self-doubt, dependence - a small drawing located at the bottom of the sheet.

Demonstrativeness, openness - the presence of protruding processes in the cactus, pretentious forms.

Stealth, caution - arrangement of zigzags along the contour or inside the cactus.

Optimism – the image of “joyful” cacti, the use of bright colors in the version with colored pencils.

Anxiety – the predominance of internal shading, broken lines, the use of dark colors in the version with colored pencils.

Femininity - the presence of soft lines and shapes, decorations, flowers.

Extroversion – the presence of other cacti or flowers in the picture.

Introversion - the picture shows only one cactus.

The desire for home protection, a sense of family community - the presence of a flower pot in the picture, an image of a home cactus.

Lack of desire for home protection, a feeling of loneliness - an image of a wild, desert cactus.

Interpretation of colors

The color of the plant indicates how mobile the child’s psyche is:
green symbolizes constancy and confidence;
yellow - fear of being rejected by society;
blue - the baby is comfortable in the conditions in which he is located at a specific period of time;
red - the subject is experiencing strong emotional arousal;
gray - the child has a neutral attitude towards everything that happens;
White color sometimes it indicates that the person being tested has vision problems, and he does not notice that he is losing the plot in terms of color;
black - the person being tested is used to contradicting his loved ones about everything, perhaps he is too spoiled.

After completing the drawing, you can ask the child questions as an addition, the answers will help clarify the interpretation:

Is this cactus domestic or wild? Where does it grow (at someone's home or in the desert)?
Can you touch this cactus? Does he prick?
Does anyone care about him? He likes it?
Does this cactus grow alone or with some plant nearby?
When the cactus grows, how will it change? (volume, needles, shoots)

Marina Aleksandrovna Panfilova– candidate psychological sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Clinical Psychology, State Educational Institution of Higher Professional Education "Moscow State Medical and Dental University of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of the Russian Federation"