Human Figure Drawings as Indicators of Sexual Identification and Inversion

In recent years the use of the Draw-A-Person (D-A-P) technique in personality research and clinical practice has received increasing attention and wider acceptance. In spite of the relative lack of data and information concerning the validity of some of the assumptions underlying the projectivepersonalicy use of the D-A-P, many clinical workers have tended to adopt it uncritically and have made sweeping generalizations concerning its applicability and significance. The purpose of this paper is to examine one of the most common hypotheses of the D-A-P, namely, that the sex of the first-drawn figure reflects the individual's sex-role identification, role preference, and/or sexual orientation. This hypothesis has been made explicit in a number of instances. For example, Machover writes: Some subjects are so identified with the opposite sex that they are unable to draw their own sex image From the standpoint of sexual identification, it is assumed to be more normal to draw the self-sex 6rst. From an empirical point-of-view, ir is of interest that evidence of some degree of sexual inversion was contained in records of all individuals who drew the opposite sex in response to the instruction, 'draw a person.' The drawings in such cases showed considerable sexual confusion (20, p. 101). The adult female is more inclined to shift in which sex is drawn first, expressing ambivalence in the preferred role more than the male. Opposite sex for the male can only express feminine identification (21, p. 90). Levy reports chat it is . usual for an unselected group of people to draw their own sex and that it is usual for a selected group of hornosexuals to draw the opposite sex first (19, p. 263). The idea of analyzing the sex of the first-drawn human figure, according to Hammer (14), may be traced to Schilder's theory which holds that the person's body image tends to be projected into his drawing, and that confusion in the individual's selfconcept and psychosexual identification is indicated when a figure of the opposite sex is drawn first. Inasmuch as the assumptions inherent in the above interpretations seem to have become widespread without conclusive testing, an examination of the relevant research literature bearing on the relationship of human figure drawing to sex-role identification and inversion is in order. The following review is presented in four sections according to the composition of Ss for whom data were obtained. Specific hypotheses commonly held with respect to each of the groups, i.e., normal adults, patients with behavior disorders, homosexuals, and children, will be indicated. The essential, relevant findings of all available studies reviewed herein have been summarized in Table 1. 'The opinions and conclusions expressed do not necessarily represent those of the Department of the Air Force.