HouseTree person

House
Mixture of conscious and unconscious associations
concerning home and intimate interpersonal
relationships (siblings and parents, especially the
mother)
It also give an idea about individual`s ability to
function in stressful situations.
It also tells about individual`s accessibility, level of
reality contact and degree of rigidity.
 Tree
Its about Less conscious, more sub-conscious
and unconscious associations

Individual`s self experience, view of his

personality and interpersonal relationships in
his environment

Reality contact
 Interpretation
1. Normal Features
2. General observation

3. Proportion

4. Perspective

5. Detailing

6. Non-essential Details

7. Irrelevant Details

8. Line Quality

9. Conventional Use of Color

10. General Use of Color

 Normal Features
Y/N Time 10-20minutes, Latency <30 seconds
Y/N Few erasures
Y/N Symmetrical
Y/N Lines not sketched or overemphasized
Y/N Deficiencies accepted with good humor
 General Observations
Post drawing inquiry
Attitude
Criticalness
Erasing (indecisiveness, conflict,
criticism, anxiety)
Spontaneous Comments
Time, Latency, Pauses
 Post Drawing Inquiry for House

1. How many stories does that house

have?
2. Whose house is that?
3. If that were your own house and you
could do whatever you liked with it:
1. Which room would you take for your own?
Why?
2. Whom would you like to have live with you?
Why?
3.

4. What is the weather like in this picture?

5. What does that house need more?
 Post Drawing Inquiry for Tree
1. What king of tree is that?
2. How old is that tree?
3. Is that tree alive? If not which part of it is dead? What
caused it to die? Will that tree ever come to life again?
and when?
4. Which does that tree look more like to you? A man or a
woman?
5. What is there about it that gives you that impression?
6. What is the weather like in this picture?
7. Show me in hat direction the wind is blowing?
8. What does that tree needs most?
Post Drawing Inquiry for person
Is that man or women? (boy or girl)
How old is he?
Who is he?
What is he doing? And where he is doing it?
How does he feel? Why?
What sort of person he is?
What is the weather like in this picture?
What king of clothing does this person have on?
What does that person needs most? Why?
 Proportion
Image Size
Large: restrictive environment, compensation,
tension
Small: Insecurity, withdrawal, discontent,
regression
Distortion:
obvious: psychosis, normal: anxiety
 Perspective
Placement
Left: withdrawal, regression, self-preoccupation, impulsivity, rumination over past
Right: environmental pre-occupation, stability, control, ability to delay gratification
Central: rigidity, common for young children
High: unrealistic striving, fantasizing, frustration
Low: concreteness, depression, insecurity, inadequacy
Rotation: opposition
Edges:
Bottom= need for support, side= feel constricted, top= fear, avoidance
Relation to viewer: seen from above= grandiosity, rejection
Seen from below: inferiority, withdrawal
Transparencies: poor reality orientation
 Irrelevant Detailing
Clouds, shadows: anxiety
Mountains: defensiveness
Steps and walkways: (long/narrow)= withdrawal
Excessive Shrubbery: Insecurity
Bizarre Details
Detail Shading: excessive: anxiety
Line Quality:
Heavy: tension, anxiety
Light: hesitancy, fear, insecurity
 Detailing
Essential Details: one wall, roof, door, window,
chimney
Excessive: OCD, Anxiety
Lacking: withdrawal
Anthropomorphic:
immaturity, regression
 Chimney
Emphasize: sexual concerns
Omission: lack of warmth
Excessive smoke: extreme tension in home
Angle: regression
Door
Large: dependency
Small: inadequacy, indecision
Absence: inaccessibility, isolation
locked: defensiveness
Open: need of warmth

Roof
Emphasize: introversion, fantasy
Roof only: psychosis
Single line: constriction
Walls
Thin/faint: weak ego
Emphasize: effortful ego
horizontal: environmental pressures
vertical: poor reality contact, sexual concerns
Absence: poor reality contact
Double : regression

Windows
Emphasis: social ambivalence
Open: poor ego control
Many: exhibitionism
Small: withdrawal
Absence: withdrawal
Detailing of Tree
Essential detail: Trunk and at least one branch
Branches:
Excessive: compensation, mania
Very tall: schizoid
Broken dead: impotence, suicidality
Mirroring roots: psychosis
Cotton wrapped: guilt
Crown
Cloud like: fantasy
Flat: environmental pressure, denial
Ground-line:
Drawn in depression: inadequacy
Hilltop: grandiosity, isolation
Key hole: hostility
Split: psychosis, organicity
Trunk
Broad base: dependency
Narrow Base: loss of control
Long: regression
Scars: trauma
One dimension: organicity
Animals: regression

Type
Fruit/ Christmas: immaturity, dependency
Dead: severe disturbance
Wind blown: environmental pressure
 Interpretation
Large head size shows her awareness of
intellectual limitations and obsessive tendencies
Detailing and repetitive similarity shows rigidity,
obsessions about her feelings , loneliness, need to
be filled.
Small sized trees, without roots and baseline
shows insecurity and inadequacy
Two trees shows extreme needs of affiliation and
anxiety about being alone
 PROPORTIONS
A marked proportional difference between right and left side indicates
sexual role confusion and personality imbalance
Maladjusted individuals who place undue emphasis on intelligence draw
an overly large head
Disproportionately small head are drawn by OCD and may represent
denial of painful thoughts and guilt feelings
Small eyes connote a desire to see as little as possible
A large mouth implies oral eroticism
A long, thin neck suggests schizoid characteristics
 PROPORTIONS
TRUNK
Disproportionately large trunk implies presence many unsatisfied drives
Disproportionately small trunk suggests denial of body drives or feeling of
inferiority
A tall, narrow trunk carries schizoid connotations
Shoulder size is an index of the feeling of basic strength or power both
physical and psychological SHOULDER
Disproportionately large shoulders connote feelings of strength or over
concern about the need for strength or power
Tiny shoulders imply feelings of inferiority
Inequality in the size of shoulder suggests personality imbalance
 PROPORTIONS
ARMS
Overly long arms imply over ambitious striving
Very short arms connote an absence of striving
Broad arms suggest a basic feeling of strength for striving
Thin arms portray feelings of weakness
Large hands imply impulsivity
Tiny hands suggest a reluctance to make refined and intimate contacts
 PROPORTIONS
LEGS
Disproportionately long legs a strong striving for autonomy
Short legs imply feelings of constriction
Disparity in leg size implies striving for autonomy or independence
Long feet imply a need for security
Tiny feet imply dependence
 PERSPECTIVE
PAGE EDGES
If the legs are chopped by the page’s bottom edge the individual’s feeling
of a lack of autonomy is almost overwhelming

RELATIONSHIP TO VIEWER
The person is really drawn as above the viewer. When it is, the implication
seems to be that the individual feels oppressed and dominated by the
person represented
 PERSPECTIVE
POSITION
A person drawn full face and the arms fully extended at right angle to the
trunk implies that the individual is essentially rigid and with a suggested
willingness to face everything directly and firmly
A person drawn in complete profile implies strong withdrawal and
oppositional tendencies. This is most commonly used by paranoid states
A broad based stance may represent strong need for security. If the legs
are tightly together in a frozen attitude; rigidity, tension and possibly
sexual maladjustment are indicated

TRANSPARENCIES
The most common and least significant transparency for the person is an
arm seen through a covering sleeve. However, visible body organs such as
heart or lungs suggest presence of pathology.
 PERSPECTIVE
MOVEMENT

Indicates the individuals feelings of satisfactory adjustment

A person walking in an easy manner suggests good adjustment. Blind

running indicates individual might well be prey to panic states at time

 DETAILING
The person must have following:
ESSENTIAL DETAILS
Head : Represents area of control, intelligence and fantasy
Trunk : Seat of basic physical needs and drives, Absence of trunk implies denial of
body drives
Two legs : Bodies implements for locomotion. Maybe regarded as individuals view
of his/her autonomy
Two Arms : Viewed as tools for attempting to control or mark changes in the
environment. Omission indicates inadequacy
Two eyes : Receptors of visual stimuli, Absence is pathological and may indicate
presence of hallucinations
Nose
A mouth : Receptor of earliest pleasurable sensations. May also be an instrument
of aggression. Chin is believed as masculine symbol.
Two ears : Are often omitted by well adjusted, retarded individuals
 DETAILING
NON ESSENTIAL DETAILS
Presentation of genitalia indicates pathology
Absence of hand indicates inadequacy
Spike like fingers connote hostility
Omission of feet implies strong feelings of constriction

IRRELEVANT DETAILS
Objects are often drawn that bear a close relationship to the individual and serve to
indicate what the person is doing. A pipe, cigar or cigarette mild oral eroticism
Canes, Swords and other weapons imply aggressive tendency
DETAILS SHADING
By shading the entire trunk of the person individual can show, the body is clothed
Partial shading suggest a dress
Heavily shaded hands are said to be pathognomic of masturbatory guilt
 DETAILING
DETAILS SEQUENCE
A pathological sequence is seen when the individual begins withdrawing a foot and
draws the head and facial characteristics last

DETAILS EMPHASIS
Nose: Possible castration fear
Ear: Paranoid individuals
Chin: Need for social dominance
Waistline: Conflict between expression and control of sex drives
Knees or Buttocks (by same male individual): Connotes homosexual impulses
Shoelaces or feet: Obsessive characteristics or Narcissism component