Test to draw a non-existent animal for employees. Projective technique "non-existent animal"

The “Draw a non-existent animal” test is very popular among psychologists when working with schoolchildren. Using this diagnostic method, you can understand a lot about the mental state of the child. To do this, you need to know how to conduct testing and correctly decipher its result.

The essence of the drawing projective test “Draw a non-existent animal”

The purpose of the diagnosis is to determine the degree of anxiety of the subject, his self-esteem and other important characteristics of the growing personality. Testing is directly related to the inner world of the subject: all parts of the animal’s body, which the child is asked to depict, reflect processes occurring at the mental level. Their drawing is not controlled by consciousness, since the time period allotted for the test does not allow this mechanism to be activated.

This method of psychological examination is one of the most informative of all pictorial diagnostic methods. As a rule, it is used in parallel with other psychological testing - this allows you to get a complete picture of the child’s condition.

The procedure for conducting psychological diagnostics

To pass the test, the subject will need to be given a sheet of paper and writing aids - medium soft pencils (plain or colored). Pens, felt-tip pens and paints are excluded, since the lines they make make it difficult to decipher the drawing. The task completion time is limited to three minutes.

In order for the study to be as complete as possible, the child should be clearly instructed:

After the subject completes the task, you need to ask him to tell him about his animal (how it lives). If the narrative does not contain enough information for analysis, then the child is asked specific questions (the testing person must write down the answers in detail):

• Where does the creature live?
• What does it eat?
• What does he usually do?
• What does he like to do most?
• What doesn't he like to do?
• Does he have friends, who are they?
• Who lives with him?
• Who are his enemies, if any?
• What is he most afraid of?

Processing and interpretation of results

Analysis of the manner of drawing

The pressure can be used to judge the condition of the person being tested. Weak speaks of passivity, asthenia, preconditions for depression; strong means emotional tension, impulsiveness and rigidity. The firmness of pressing the pencil with such force that it even tears the paper symbolizes aggression, increased activity and conflict.

The quality of the lines also gives a certain characteristic of the child’s condition:

The ideal location for the drawing is in the center of a vertically lying piece of paper, this indicates the normal state of the human psyche. The displacement of the depicted animal in one direction or another illustrates some psychological aspects associated with self-esteem: an upward slope from the center means overestimated, downward - underestimated. If the creature is shifted to the right, this means that the subject seeks to control his actions and thoughts, “transition” to the left side means inactivity and low social activity, shyness. A picture located in the corner may indicate depression.

The animal “ran away” from the sheet and did not fit completely on it - this is a signal of acute anxiety and impulsiveness.

With a pronounced increase in the size of the picture, you can be sure that the child is in an anxious and stressed state. If the drawn creature is very small, then the subject is most likely depressed or has low self-esteem.

An unusual character located strictly in the center indicates that the psyche of its author is normal

Examination of the depicted creature

Animal type

The task is considered completed incorrectly if the subject drew a real animal and described its natural lifestyle (for example, a dog or a cat). This may be normal for a five or six year old, but when an older child demonstrates this result, it indicates a low level of imagination.

What types of animals are most often depicted in testing?

Body parts

Certain information can also be gleaned from analyzing parts of the animal’s body. Each element speaks about one or another state of the person being tested at the time of diagnosis and about his mental health in general.

Part of the body	Characteristics of the upper body (as evidenced by this image)
	Position	Absence	Size and quantity	Form	Additional moments
Head	Facing to the right - a man of action; to the left - the subject often worries and reflects, is not confident in himself; directly - a sign of egocentrism	Impulsivity or mental illness	Two or more – intrapersonal conflict, inconsistency	Distorted - organic brain damage, psychoillness; more body - a symbol of the subject’s intellectual abilities	Painted feathers - a desire to embellish reality; horns - aggressive attitude, protection; mane - emphasizing one’s gender or increased sensuality
Eyes		Asthenia		Incorrect - neurosis	With a black iris - fears; empty, without pupils - asthenia; with blood vessels - hypochondria, neurosis; with eyelashes - high self-esteem, mannerisms
Ears		Closedness, reluctance to hear others or make contact	Large and a lot - interest in obtaining information, suspicion, suspiciousness, dependence on other people’s opinions
Mouth			Disproportionately large - erudition, developed intelligence, rationalism	Round - anxiety, fear of something	A slightly open tongue is a sign of talkativeness; with lips - sensuality; without tongue and lips - fear, mistrust; with teeth - a symbol of aggression

The figure of the animal is an equally important detail that you need to pay attention to when testing. If it is replete with many details, then this indicates the powerful energy of the subject, components very little - such a picture speaks of asthenia. A creature drawn with a large number of sharp corners is a sign of a person’s aggressive attitude; the predominance of rounded shapes speaks of the child’s isolation and closedness from the outside world.

If the animal has a tail, its position also needs to be analyzed. Facing to the right symbolizes the student’s attitude towards his behavior and actions, to the left - towards thoughts and decisions (up - positive, down - negative). Excessive beauty of the tail (for example, like that of a peacock) is evidence of demonstrativeness.

Ineptitude in building relationships in the social sphere can be determined by the absence or insufficient number of paws. If, on the contrary, there are too many limbs, the person needs help, support. The same is indicated by thick or large paws drawn. Small legs indicate impulsiveness, frivolity, and a superficial attitude towards many things. The wider the limbs, the greater the likelihood that the student is balanced and knows how to not only make responsible decisions, but also be responsible for them. Paws of the same size and shape characterize a person who is not inclined to dissent and creativity.

The more detailed an animal is depicted, the more it can tell about its author.

Additional elements that may indicate:

• desire to protect yourself (scales, shell);
• aggression (needles, various thorns, drawn weapons);
• sexual significance (abundance of body hair, genitals, breasts, udders);
• demonstrativeness (patterns and drawings on the body);
• neurosis, hypochondria (presence of scars and wounds, image of blood vessels, internal organs);
• romantic and dreamy nature (presence of wings);
• difficulties in communication (parts of mechanisms in the body).

Even the nature of the connection of the limbs with the body has a certain meaning: if their clear outline is visible, a person is inclined to monitor his reasoning and take a responsible approach to decision-making. Carelessness in depicting the places where the paws attach to the body or the complete absence of this is an indicator of insufficient control over oneself.

Creature name

• “Flying crocodile”, “waterfowling lamb” and similar animal names indicate a clear understanding of the goals that a person strives for.
• Scientific-like terms with a “touch” of Latin - “zveroletius”, “ustrashonis” and others - are evidence of the child’s erudition and his desire to show it.
• The onomatopoeic names of the animals (“mamzyaka”, “karyaka”) are a sign of an easy attitude to life, a certain carelessness.
• If there is humor in the name of an animal, then this is an indicator of an optimistic attitude towards reality. Examples of such names are “bubble”, “clumsy”, “non-sapien ham”.
• When a name is very complex and long, it means that the person who came up with it is a great inventor and dreamer.

Interpretation of answers to questions

At the end of the child’s work on the task, you need to discuss with the subject the lifestyle of the creature he drew.

If a child comes up with a life for his drawn character that fully corresponds to the image, then this is normal and logically justified. A violation of the logic of thinking can be concluded if the drawing and the story about the existence of the animal are in no way connected with each other.

Fantasy, in order to compensate for any negative moments in the life of the subject, can be traced when idealizing or embellishing one’s character.

When a child claims that an invented and drawn animal lives on an island, abroad, in the subtropics, this speaks of demonstrativeness; an isolated area is named as the animal’s place of residence (space, another planet, cave, well, forest, etc.) - the test subject is alone and acutely worries about this. The subject’s aggression, fear, and desire to find protection are characterized by such answers: “in the taiga,” “in impenetrable swamps,” “in the thicket of the forest.” Neurosis can indicate an animal’s “settlement” in unpleasant conditions- mud, dirt, puddle, garbage.

“Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you who you are” - this expression can be fully applied to a person’s answers to the question of what a drawn animal eats. Here's what a student's remarks on this matter might mean:

• nothing, air, energy - introversion of the person being tested;
• everything that comes across - impulsiveness;
• inedible things (nails, stones, sticks) - violations of communication relationships;
• unpleasant elements (mucus, dust, bedbugs, cockroaches) – neurosis;
• internal organs of animals, blood - neurosis bordering on aggression;
• people - denial, negativism, aggression.

In a child’s stories, an animal can:

• sleep a lot, which indicates asthenia, chronic fatigue of the subject;
• destroying, breaking is a sign of aggressiveness, a negative attitude towards others;
• to have fun and walk - this definition of the creature’s lifestyle symbolizes the desires of the schoolchild;
• look for food - this characteristic gives a signal about any problems and life difficulties of the person being tested.

If the drawn creature loves extraordinary activities (like walking on its head or upside down), then the child who came up with such actions for the animal is not alien to the desire to go beyond the ordinary and violate standards of behavior.

Impulsiveness is present in the character of people who endow their drawn characters with the inability to sit idle.

When the description of an animal is associated with frequent mention of its enemies, we can conclude that there is a fear of aggression; excessive emphasis on problems with food is a symbol of trouble in the subject’s everyday life, attachment to material things. The creature, according to the test subject, is lonely, he has no friends - most likely, the same state of affairs is in the life of a child. A story about a large number of like-minded people indicates the importance of communication for the subject.

“Glamourous wingcat” - this is the name given to the creature by the author of the drawing

• A completely painted over iris of the eye is evidence of fear concentrated within the author of the drawing.
• The subject is fixated on himself, this is evidenced by the direct position of the animal's head and his open gaze.
• Warning signs are the shading of the tail and the location of the character on the edge of the sheet.
• Also, multiple lines in the image of some parts of the body (lower head, wings, hind legs) indicate anxiety.
• The wingcat's not-too-small ears are an indicator of dependence on other people's opinions and a desire to follow generally accepted norms.
• The author’s energy potential is very high, which can be judged by the large number of details of the animal’s figure.
• Large wings signal romantic aspirations and dreaminess of nature. Perhaps the author dreams of changing his life, but does not have the opportunity to do so.
• The test taker is prone to pragmatism and rationalism, because all parts of the body are clearly drawn and their connections are not blurred.

Conducting the “Draw a non-existent animal” test is a wonderful way to get an idea of ​​the child’s inner world, character and even his living conditions. The diagnostic results will help identify existing problems and adjust the work to eliminate them.

The technique was proposed by M. Z. Dzukarevich. By nature "Non-existent animal" test is classified as projective. For statistical testing or standardization, the result of the analysis can be presented in descriptive forms. The composition of this test is indicative; as a single research method, it is usually not used and requires combination with other methods as a battery research tool.

From the available literature it is clear that the examination procedure is not standardized (sheets of drawing paper of different sizes are used, in some cases the drawing is done with colored pencils, in others - in one color, etc.). There is no generally accepted system for assessing drawings.

Instructions:“Invent and draw a non-existent animal and call it a non-existent name.”

INDICATORS AND INTERPRETATIONS

The position of the drawing on the sheet. Normally, the pattern is located along the midline of a vertically placed sheet. It is best to take a white or slightly creamy, non-glossy sheet of paper. Use a medium soft pencil; You cannot draw with a pen or felt-tip pen.

Position the design closer to the top edge of the sheet(the closer, the more pronounced) is interpreted as a high self-evaluation, dissatisfaction with one’s position in society, lack of recognition from others, as a claim for promotion and recognition, a tendency towards self-affirmation.

Position of the picture at the bottom- the opposite tendency: self-doubt, low self-esteem, depression, indecisiveness, disinterest in one’s position in society, in recognition, lack of tendency to self-affirmation.

Central part of the figure(head or part replacing it). The head is turned to the right - a stable tendency towards activity, efficiency: almost everything that is thought out, planned is carried out or, at least, begins to be carried out (if not even completed.) The subject is actively moving towards the implementation of his tendencies.

Head turned to the left- a tendency to reflect, to think. This is not a man of action: only a small part of his plans are realized or at least begins to be realized. Often there is also fear of active action and indecision. (Option: lack of tendency to action or fear of activity - should be decided additionally).

Full face position, i.e. the head is directed at the person drawing (at himself), is interpreted as egocentrism.

There are details on the head corresponding to the sense organs - ears, mouth, eyes. The meaning of the detail “ears” is direct interest in information, the importance of the opinions of others about oneself. Additionally, using other indicators and their combination, it is determined whether the subject is doing anything to win a positive assessment or is only producing appropriate emotional reactions to the assessments of others (joy, pride, resentment, grief), without changing his behavior. A slightly open mouth in combination with the tongue in the absence of drawing the lips is interpreted as greater speech activity (talkativeness), in combination with the drawing of the lips - as sensuality; sometimes both together. An open mouth without drawing the tongue and lips, especially a drawn one, is interpreted as the ease of apprehension and fear, mistrust. A mouth with teeth - verbal aggression, in most cases - defensive (snarls, bullies, is rude in response to addressing him with a negative quality, condemnation, censure ). Children and adolescents are characterized by a pattern of a drawn, rounded mouth (fearfulness, anxiety).

Special meaning give to the eyes. This is a symbol of the inherent human experience of fear: it is emphasized by the sharp drawing of the iris. Pay attention to the presence or absence of eyelashes. Eyelashes - hysterical and demonstrative behavior; for men: feminine character traits with the drawing of the pupil and iris rarely coincide. Eyelashes are also an interest in the admiration of others external beauty and the way you dress, giving it great importance.

Increased(in accordance with the figure as a whole) head size indicates that the subject values ​​the rational principle (possibly erudition) in himself and those around him.

There are also additional details located on the head, for example, horns - protection, aggression. Determine by combination with other signs - claws, bristles, needles - the nature of this aggression: spontaneous or defensive-reactive. Feathers are a tendency towards self-decoration and self-justification, towards demonstrativeness. Mane, fur, a semblance of hairstyle - sensuality, emphasizing one's gender and sometimes orientation towards one's sexual role.

Load-bearing, supporting part of the figure(legs, paws, sometimes a pedestal). The solidity of this part is considered in relation to the size of the entire figure and shape:

a) thoroughness, thoughtfulness, rationality of decision-making, paths to conclusions, formation of judgments, reliance on essential provisions and meaningful information;

b) superficiality of judgments, frivolity in conclusions and unfoundedness of judgments, sometimes impulsive decision-making (especially in the absence or almost absence of legs).

Pay attention to the nature of the connection between the legs and the body: connection accurately, carefully or carelessly, weakly connected or not connected at all - this is the nature of control over one’s reasoning, conclusions, decisions. The uniformity and one-directionality of the shape of the legs, paws, and any elements of the supporting part - conformity of judgments and attitudes in decision making, their standardness, banality. The diversity in the form and position of these details is the originality of attitudes and judgments, independence and non-banality; sometimes even creativity (corresponding to the unusual form) or dissent (closer to pathology).

Parts that rise above the level of the figure. Can be functional or decorative: wings, extra legs, tentacles, shell parts, feathers, bows like curls; floral-functional details - energy covering different areas human activity, self-confidence, “self-propagation” with indelicate and indiscriminate oppression of others, or curiosity, the desire to participate in as many of the affairs of others as possible, gaining a place in the sun, passion for one’s activities, courage of enterprises (according to the meaning of the symbol detail - wings or tentacles etc.). Decorating details - demonstrativeness, a tendency to attract the attention of others, mannerisms (for example, a horse or its non-existent likeness in a plume of peacock feathers).

Tails. They express their attitude to their own actions, decisions, conclusions, to their verbal products - judging by whether these tails are turned to the right (on the sheet) or to the left. Turned to the right - attitude towards your actions and behavior. To the left - attitude towards your thoughts, decisions; to missed opportunities, one’s own indecision. The positive or negative coloring of this attitude is expressed by the direction of the tails upward (confident, positive, cheerful) or the falling movement downward (dissatisfaction with oneself, doubt about one’s own rightness, regret about what has been done, said, remorse, etc.). Pay attention to tails consisting of several, sometimes repeating links, to especially fluffy tails, especially long and sometimes branched.

Contours of the figure. They are analyzed by the presence or absence of protrusions (such as shields, shells, needles), drawing and darkening of the contour line. This is protection from others, aggressive - if it is done in sharp corners; with fear and anxiety - if there is a darkening, “smudging” of the contour line; with fear, suspicion - if shields, “barriers” are placed, the line is doubled. The direction of such protection is according to the spatial location: the upper contour of the figure is against superiors, against persons who have the opportunity to impose a ban, restriction, or exercise coercion, that is, against elders, parents, teachers, bosses, managers; lower contour - protection against ridicule, non-recognition, lack of authority among lower subordinates, juniors, fear of condemnation; lateral contours - undifferentiated caution and readiness for self-defense of any order and in different situations; the same thing - elements of “protection” located not along the contour, but inside the contour, on the animal’s body itself. On the right - more in the process of activity (real), on the left - more defense of one’s opinions, beliefs, tastes.

Total energy. The number of depicted details is assessed - is it just the necessary amount to give an idea of ​​an imaginary non-existent animal (body, head, limbs or body, tail, wings, etc.): with a filled outline, without shading and additional lines and parts, just a primitive outline - or there is a generous depiction of not only necessary, but also additional details that complicate the design. Accordingly, the more components and elements (in addition to the most necessary), the higher the energy. In the opposite case - saving energy, asthenicity of the body, chronic somatic disease (the same is confirmed by the nature of the line - a weak cobweb-like line that “carries” a pencil along the paper without pressing it). The opposite nature of the lines - a line with pressure - is not polar: it is not energy, but anxiety. You should pay attention to sharply pressed lines, visible even on the back of the sheet (convulsive, high tone of the muscles of the drawing hand) - sharp anxiety. Pay attention also to what detail, what symbol is made in this way (i.e. what the alarm is attached to).

Assessing the nature of the line(duplication of lines, negligence, sloppy connections, “islands” of overlapping lines, blackening of parts of the drawing, “smudging”, deviation from the vertical axis, stereotypical lines, etc.). The assessment is carried out in the same way as when analyzing a pictogram. The same - fragmentation of lines and shapes, incompleteness, raggedness of the drawing.

Thematically, animals are divided into threatened, threatening, neutral(like a lion, hippopotamus, wolf or bird, snail, ant, or squirrel, dog, cat). This is an attitude towards one’s own person and one’s “I”, an idea of ​​one’s position in the world, as if identifying oneself by significance (with a hare, a bug, an elephant, a dog, etc.). IN in this case the animal being drawn is a representative of the person drawing.

Likening the animal being drawn to a person, starting with placing the animal in a position of upright walking on two paws, instead of four or more, and ending with dressing the animal in human clothing (pants, skirts, bows, belts, dress), including putting the muzzle on the face, legs and paws on the hands , - indicates infantility, emotional immaturity, according to the degree of severity of the “humanization” of the animal. The mechanism is similar (and parallel) to the allegorical meaning of animals and their characters in fairy tales, parables, etc.

Degree of aggressiveness expressed by the number, location and nature of the angles in the drawing, regardless of their connection with one or another detail of the image. Particularly significant in this regard are direct symbols of aggression - claws, teeth, beaks. You should also pay attention to the emphasis on sexual characteristics - the udder, nipples, breasts with a humanoid figure, etc. This is an attitude towards gender, even to the point of fixation on the problem of sex.

Circle figure(especially if not filled with anything) symbolizes expresses a tendency towards secrecy, isolation, closedness of one’s inner world, reluctance to give information about yourself to others, and finally, reluctance to be tested. Such figures usually provide very limited data for analysis.

Pay attention to cases“mounting” mechanical parts into the body of an animal - placing the animal on a pedestal, tractor or tank tracks, tripod; attaching a propeller or propeller to the head; mounting an electric lamp into the eye, and into the body and limbs - handles, keys and antennas. This is observed more often in patients with schizophrenia and deep schizoids.

Creative possibilities are usually expressed by the number of elements combined in a figure: banality, lack of creativity take the form of a “ready-made” existing animal (people, horses, dogs, pigs, fish), to which only a “ready-made” existing part is attached so that the drawn animal becomes non-existent - a cat with wings, a fish with feathers, a dog with flippers, etc. Originality is expressed in the form of constructing a figure from elements, and not from whole blanks.

The name can express rational combination of semantic parts (flying hare, “hipper cat”, “fly-catcher”, etc.). Another option is word formation with a book-scientific, sometimes Latin suffix or ending (“ratoletius”, etc.). The first is rationality, a specific attitude in orientation and adaptation; the second is demonstrativeness, aimed mainly at demonstrating one’s own intelligence, erudition, and knowledge. There are names that are superficial and sound, without any comprehension (“lyalie”, “lioshana”, “grateker”, etc.), signifying a frivolous attitude towards others, the inability to take into account a danger signal, the presence of affective criteria at the basis of thinking, the preponderance of aesthetic elements in judgments over rational ones. Ironic and humorous names are also observed (“rhinochurka”, “bubbleland”, etc.) - with a correspondingly ironic and condescending attitude towards others. Infantile names usually have repeating elements (“tru-tru”, “lyu-lyu”, “cous-cous”, etc.). The tendency to fantasize (usually of a defensive nature) is usually expressed by elongated names (“aberosinotykliron”, “gulobarnikletamieshiniya”, etc.).

The satisfactory convergent validity of the method was shown by establishing a connection between the results obtained with its help and the data of other personal methods based on the examination of patients in a psychiatric clinic and persons undergoing professional selection for the staff of the Ministry of Internal Affairs (P.V. Yan-shin, 1988, 1990). Validity has also been confirmed in differentiating patients with neuroses from healthy ones (T. I. Krasko, 1995). Test "Non-existent animal"- one of the most popular drawing techniques and is widely used by psychologists when examining children and adults, sick and healthy, most often as an orienting technique, that is, one whose data allows us to put forward some hypotheses about personality characteristics.

Literature: Practical psychology. Projective techniques. / V. B. Shapar, O. V. Shapar. - Rostov n/d: Phoenix, 2006. - 480 p. (Psychological Faculty).

Source: A. L. Wenger "Psychological drawing tests." - M.: VLADOS-PRESS, 2003.

INSTRUCTIONS: Draw a non-existent animal. Tell us what it is: good, evil, come up with a name for it. What does he eat, who does he live with, what kind of home does he have. Does he have friends and enemies? What three wishes does the animal have, etc.

When interpreting the results, pay attention to qualitative analysis assessing the implementation of the methodology.

There are several common options for performing this test that are useful to become familiar with. The most primitive option is an image of a really existing animal, accompanied by a description of its natural way of life. Thus, twelve-year-old Liliana T. depicted a crocodile as a non-existent animal (Fig. 1).

The drawing has the following description:
"The crocodile is a waterfowl, can move both on land and in water. It feeds exclusively on meat. It grabs its prey and drags it under water. The body will lie there until it begins to decompose, and then eats it. Eats people "He mainly eats those people who are very afraid of him and run away from him."
This way of completing the task contradicts the instructions, so the examiner asked the girl to come up with another animal, and the requirement was emphasized that it be an animal that does not actually exist. After thinking a little, Liliana drew a cobra. It turned out that she was unable to follow the instructions.
Drawing a real animal instead of an imaginary one is normal for before school age, although at good level development, even a preschooler is able to at least give his animal a non-standard name. At an older age, this evidence is especially low level development of imagination. Such task performance is often found in cases of mental retardation or learning disabilities (mental retardation).
In some cases, the reason for departure from instructions is not so much a lag in the cognitive sphere, but very high anxiety.
An anxious person has difficulty completing uncertain tasks. Not understanding what the assessment criteria for such a task are, he expects a deliberately negative assessment in advance, which can completely block meaningful activity. Drawing an existing animal is in some ways safer than inventing something new. Therefore, an anxious person simplifies the task for himself, actually replacing the unusual task assigned to him with a more familiar one.
In Liliana, the action of both reasons blocking the imagination simultaneously manifests itself.
First, based on cognitive tests, she has a learning disability.
Secondly, the level of anxiety is increased. This is evidenced by both the shading of the drawing and the theme of fears that dominates the description of the animal’s lifestyle.
Somewhat more high level completing the task, however, also in violation of the instructions - this is an image of an extinct animal, for example, a dinosaur, or an animal that exists not in nature, but in culture: Pegasus, dragon, centaur, mermaid. Thus, eleven-year-old Senya V. drew a three-headed snake, whose lifestyle is quite consistent with the fairytale gorynych snake (Fig. 2).

Fig 2. Serpent Gorynych

Rice. 3 Non-existent animal - drachesha

This task is normal for children under 8-9 years old. Later, it indicates poor imagination and a low general cultural level (often with pedagogical neglect) or a learning disability (mental retardation). In this case, a learning disability was diagnosed.
The most common way to complete the task is to use an image of an animal that does not match any of the real ones, but is constructed according to standard model: horizontal body, head with eyes and mouth, limbs (legs, tentacles, arms, wings). Additional details are possible - ears, nose, neck, fins, trunk and other body parts of ordinary animals. Among such animals, two types are distinguished: composite and integral.
A composite animal is built from parts of different real animals. This is how they are built, in particular winged fish and the animal, made up of man, dog, horse and cat. The names of such animals usually more or less fully reflect their structure. In particular, an animal that has both human and dog elements is called chelsa (human + dog).
Inventing and depicting composite animals is typical for people with a rationalistic approach to a task, with low creative orientation, and a performative rather than creative attitude. This attitude is most typical at the beginning of primary school age (up to about eight years), but it does not represent a deviation from the norm even in adults. With the rationalistic method of creating an image, the assessment of the level of imagination is determined by the number of prototypes and the degree of their heterogeneity. Thus, a combination of four animals (see figure below) is a more complex invention than a winged fish.

The same fish would be more original if it were equipped not with wings, but, for example, with hare ears.
A complete non-existent animal is also constructed in accordance with the general scheme of the animal, but without involving the body parts of specific animals, although the result may resemble a dragon, a heffalump, a dog or something else. The name in this case does not include references to prototypes. Examples of such animals are the bumbuborousasu and the rabbi (see figure below).

The less the created animal resembles something that really exists (in nature or in culture), the higher the level of imagination is assessed.
Special group are humanoid animals. Their torso is located vertically, with legs below, head above, and arms on the sides (instead of arms or legs there may be wings or tentacles). It is possible to increase the number of arms or legs, or include additional organs. A humanoid animal can be called a robot or a cyborg, can resemble a devil, can be declared an alien, etc. The image of such animals is typical of a high need for communication. In particular, it is especially typical for adolescence when the need for communication is greatest.
Much less common are images of non-existent animals, which are essentially mechanical structures or include individual mechanical parts. Examples would be a Martian and a strange animal that serves as a home for humans (see picture below). Such images are typical of non-conforming people with unique thinking and a non-standard approach to the world and to life, with a low level of socialization.
Often these are people with schizoid accentuation and difficulties in communication.

And finally, some people have animals built according to an original model that does not correspond to either the animal, the person, or the technical designs. These models can be very complex and intricate: multi-headed, aura, or they can be extremely simple (see figure below).

This method speaks of a creative personality. It is possible both with a predominantly rationalistic and predominantly artistic approach to reality, if only a person has real creative capabilities. In children under 9 - 10 years old, this method of constructing an image is quite rare. When approaching a task creatively, the level of imagination is assessed by the degree of naturalness of the resulting creature and, in particular, by the degree of correspondence between its appearance and description of lifestyle.
The most non-standard animals, equipped with unusual organs or without organs at all, are often found in people with schizoid accentuation.
If the image is too pretentious, then this usually indicates not so much creativity and originality, but rather a desire to demonstrate to others that you are different from others.

AGGRESSIVENESS

LOW LEVEL OF AGGRESSIVENESS

Most full information the level of aggressiveness of the subject is determined by comparison classic version methods “Non-existent animal” with an additional option “Evil animal”. In particular, such a comparison allows us to identify hidden, including deliberately hidden, aggressive tendencies.
In addition to drawing an animal, ask to draw an angry animal in order to see the level of aggressiveness of the child you are examining. The instructions are the same as in the first case.
An indicator of the absence of such tendencies is the absence of aggressive symbols (weapons of attack) in the main drawing and a slight increase in aggressive accessories when moving to the “Evil Animal”. An example of this is the drawings of eighteen-year-old Polina Sh. As an ordinary non-existent animal, she made a drawing that corresponded to the generally accepted scheme, devoid of signs of aggression (pic. below).

Aggression is also completely absent in the description of the animal’s lifestyle, which Polina called the striped round log: “A very kind and sweet animal, very devoted to people. Loves to eat grass, eats apples and wild berries. A very smart creature. Lives mainly in villages closer to the forest "He himself is brightly colored, and can be seen from afar. He himself is a hybrid from various most beautiful animals. He lives in a hut with his family and children."
In the drawing of the “most evil and terrible” animal, a very moderate symbolism of verbal aggression appears: a toothy mouth (pic. below).

In the story about her animal sorcerer, Polina provided him with many negative characteristics, but there is no aggression among them: “This creature lives in deep space, away from people. A rude, arrogant traitor and a liar. A very big pretender - a chameleon. Hates people and seeks to destroy earth. It feeds on small organisms that live on his planet, where he lives alone, called Koldumania."
The statement that the “most evil and terrible” animal “feeds on small organisms” is a sign of a very low level of aggressiveness. Sometimes similar statements (for example, that the animal eats vegetables and fruits) appear among subjects who deliberately hide their aggressiveness. However, in this case, such an assumption would be extremely doubtful, since Polina conscientiously supplied her animal with negative signs and even reported that it “hates people and seeks to destroy the earth.” This message itself is not a sign of aggressiveness, since the girl, neither in the drawing nor in the story, did not give the animal any means that would allow him to realize his inhuman aspirations.

INCREASED AGGRESSIVENESS

One of the most common signs of increased aggressiveness in a drawing of a non-existent animal is the presence of sharp protrusions and outgrowths, regardless of what they represent (horns, ears, tentacles, claws). An example of such a drawing is the drama robot depicted by eight-year-old Arthur S. (Fig. below).

The sharpest outgrowths pointing upward are the arms. As Arthur explained, “his hands are iron. They strike. His head can rip someone’s head off. His saliva is poison. If someone fights against him, he immediately melts (that is, his opponents melt from poisonous saliva). When he tears off his head, blood comes out, he feeds on blood.” When asked what the drama robot likes to do, the boy replied: “Attacking enemies. He himself is scary and powerful. He attacks unnoticed. He can attack from a tree.” When asked why he would attack “unnoticed,” the answer was received: “Because enemies also attack, they can kill. They seem to take revenge on other enemies.” When asked who his enemies were, Arthur replied: “I don’t know. Maybe cyborgs,” and about his friends he said that they were “the same as him and of a slightly different species.” He also said that the dramabot lives in another galaxy and that the three things he would ask from the wizard are: “To have very powerful troops to attack enemies”; “Endless life, so that it would be very difficult to kill him”; "So that he becomes bigger - in appearance, in height."
Such a clear manifestation of aggressive tendencies in a story about an animal’s lifestyle is relatively rare. Usually it is inhibited due to social control.
In this case, social control is weakened because Arthur has serious socialization disorders. In addition, Arthur is only eight years old, and at this age the control mechanisms are still far from fully developed. In the above story, in addition to one’s own aggressive tendencies, the fear of retaliatory aggression from others is also manifested. It can be assumed that this fear was acquired as a result of the accumulation of negative experiences. Probably, it was this that led to the fact that recently (the last year and a half), the boy, according to his parents, began to fight much less than before.
Fourteen-year-old Volodya S., following the standard instructions (to draw a non-existent animal), depicted a boxer, writing an extremely short story about him: “This is a boxer. He defeats everyone” (which is also noted in the inscription on the drawing itself: “Hurray - Victory”).
Emphasized muscles, fists and particularly broad shoulders indicate the high importance of masculine (male) values. In combination with the main activity of the depicted creature (boxing is an aggressive sport), this allows us to suspect an increased level of aggressiveness. However, the direct symbolism of aggression is represented in the drawing quite little: these are fangs and fists (boxing gloves), drawn with strong pressure. The particular brevity of the story seems to serve as a means of avoiding self-disclosure. It is very likely that it is aggressiveness that is hidden. An additional basis for this assumption is that in the drawing Volodya set a socially acceptable form of aggressiveness. A pronounced tendency to control external forms of behavior is indicated by the sharply emphasized fence around the depicted figure (ring ropes). Any doubts about Volodya’s true level of aggressiveness disappear when looking at the evil and scary animal he depicts (pic. below).

Since in this version of the test the instruction itself legitimizes aggressiveness, that is, makes it permissible, this time the corresponding symbolism is presented in full. There are two sharp horns on the head and one on the nose, long spikes on the shoulders and knee, claws on the feet, a jagged dagger or sword in one hand and a mace with large spikes in the other. All these accessories are emphasized with a line with strong pressure, partially blackened.
The story about the evil animal is somewhat more detailed than about the usual one: “This is Vikongorigosaurus. He lives in the mountains. He is evil, he defeats everyone. He lives alone. He feeds on people.”

Angry animal - Vikongorigosaurus

Interestingly, except for the aggressive symbolism, Vykongorigosaurus looks exactly like a boxer. It’s as if they are telling the viewer: “This is how I try to look (a boxer), but this is how I really am (a Vikon-gorigosaurus).”

TENDENCY TO VERBAL AGGRESSION

In the drawing of a non-existent animal, the tendency towards verbal aggression, as in the drawing of a person, is expressed in emphasizing the teeth. Like general aggressiveness, it can be hidden when depicting a simply non-existent animal, appearing only in the drawing of an evil and scary animal. Thus, seventeen-year-old Lena, according to standard instructions, depicted an animal called a merry fellow (pic. below)

She wrote the following about her animal: “A cheerful, kind, cute animal. His name speaks about this. He lives in a land of laughter. In this country you cannot be sad or cry. A merry fellow helps everyone have fun, comes up with various funny games, activities, stories.”
Anxiety appeared in the drawing (shading, especially big ears); possible fears (large blackened eyes). The story, one might assume, expresses the girl’s own attitude towards not allowing herself to be sad (“you can’t be sad in this country”). Apparently, like her character, she usually tries to distract herself from her inherent negative experiences. There is no aggressive theme in either the drawing or the story.
In the depiction of an evil and scary animal, the symbolism of physical aggression is presented very moderately: these are claws drawn with strong pressure. However, the symbolism of verbal aggression is clearly expressed in it: a huge mouth with underlined (shaded) teeth.
The story goes as follows: “The Scarecrow lives in a land of fear. He is very mischievous, loves to lie, avoids everyone, and on full moon nights he loves to scare everyone, this is his favorite pastime.” The statement that the "bogeyman" loves to scare everyone, just like general form drawing indicates a tendency towards verbal aggression.

FEAR OF AGGRESSION AND DEFENSIVE AGGRESSION

In addition to the level of one’s own aggressiveness, the drawing of a non-existent animal shows one’s attitude towards possible aggression from others. Fear of attack leads to a desire to protect the imagined animal. As protection, a shell, scales, armor, or especially thick skin can be depicted (it may not be in the picture, but it is described in the story). The image of quills, like those of a porcupine, or spines is very widespread. An example is an animal called a dragon (picture below). He has two arms, six legs, thorns on his body, “so that no one bites him,” and numerous bites, depicted in the form of circles with a dot in the center.

Grisha spoke about the animal’s lifestyle as follows: “He lives in the mountains, in a cave. Only he has already died. He is a dinosaur. He loves meat, a lot of meat, he loves to eat.” When asked what this animal eats, the boy replied: “Other dragons and men that were a long time ago.” When asked to describe the size of the animal, he said that the dragon was "fearful, and big, and huge; like three houses." When asked about friends, there was a clear answer: “No. He lives alone.” Dinosaurs were named as enemies. When the inspector asked what this animal likes to do, Grisha answered: “Eat.” When asked to name any other favorite activities of the animal, the boy said: “Fighting, biting,” and when asked what it doesn’t like, he said: “Eating stones.” It also turned out that the “dragon” is afraid “of being eaten and having huge stones thrown at it.” The inspector asked who could do this, and Grisha explained: “There are dinosaurs even bigger than him.”
Three wishes of the “dragon”: “To be big”; “So that they don’t eat him, so that they don’t throw stones at him”; "So that he has friends."
Regarding the first wish, the inspector expressed some surprise: “It’s already very big.” “No, little one,” Grisha answered. “It needs to be bigger than everyone else.”
The state of anxiety is also diagnosed by the image of a non-existent animal (greatly enlarged in size). Depressive symptoms did not appear in the drawing, but were reflected in the story: this is the theme of death (“only he has already died”).
Based on the drawing and story, one can more specifically determine the nature of the anxious fears characteristic of Grisha. This is, first of all, the fear of aggression: the animal is afraid “of being eaten and having stones thrown at it”; his desire is “not to be eaten, not to have stones thrown at him”; despite the thorns, it was all bitten. The image of bites, like any wounds, is an expressive sign of a neurotic state.
Apparently, Grishin's fear of aggression is associated with his inability to communicate with peers. It is reflected in widely spaced arms with very large hands (high unsatisfied need for communication), empty eyes. The “Dragon” lives alone in a cave, he has no friends, one of his wishes is to have friends. The topic of eating stones is also typical in cases of communication disorders.
Fear of aggression is characterized by a description of the gigantic size of the animal (in Grisha it is “huge, like three houses”) and the desire to become even larger (“you need to be bigger than everyone else”). At the same time, the drawing itself can be large (as in this case), or it can be small, so that the theme of gigantic dimensions occurs only in the story.
In the story, Grisha repeatedly tries to counter the external threat with the aggression of the dragon he depicts. He is "scary", eats "other dragons and people", loves to "fight, bite." This manifests a tendency towards defensive aggression (the desire to defend oneself by attacking). However, judging by the absence of truly aggressive accessories in the drawing and the extreme conciseness of the aggressive theme in the story (it is heard only in answers to questions), this trend is not being realized.
A more pronounced tendency towards defensive aggression is manifested in fourteen-year-old Ilya R. (Fig. below). The “three-horned monster” he depicted is completely covered with thorns. Along with this, he has five large sharp spikes on his back, which could be used not only for defense, but also for attack. The thorns themselves are also protected by spines.

In the story, themes related to the fear of aggression are combined with aggressive themes themselves and with statements reflecting a feeling of loneliness: “This is a three-horned monster. It is very evil and eats everyone.
It is very large, about the size of an elephant. It is protected by thorns so that no one attacks it. He has another mouth with teeth on his body." From the answers to the questions, it turns out that the three-horned monster lives in the forest, alone. He has neither friends nor enemies. When asked about who it protects itself from with its thorns, if it has there are no enemies, Ilya replied: “For example, from a tiger.”
Ilya reported that the animal would express the following wishes:
“So that all the animals that he likes come to him; for example, he likes to eat rabbits”; “He doesn’t look scary so that they don’t fear him; someone comes to him and he eats him”; "To have his eye done from behind."
When asked why the three-horned monster needs an eye at the back, the boy replied: “To see the prey.” The desire to increase sensitivity - characteristic feature anxiety, fears. The motivation indicated by Ilya (“to see the prey”) reflects attempts to overcome fears using one of the psychological defense mechanisms - rationalization.
Parents brought Ilya to psychological consultation with a complaint that he does not communicate with anyone. If, while walking down the street, he sees one of his classmates, he tries to hide so as not to meet him, although, according to his parents, his classmates treat him well. Not only communication with peers is disrupted, but also communication with teachers. In particular, Ilya does not answer in class, although he copes well with all written work. All these complaints can be explained by greatly increased anxiety and fear of aggression, on the basis of which a fear of any communication has developed. In Ilya’s behavior, his parents did not notice the tendency toward defensive aggression that appeared in the test materials. This can be explained either by the fact that it is suppressed by fears, or simply by the absence of conflict situations in which it could be realized. The absence of conflicts is ensured by Ilya's tendency to exclude contacts, combined with a good attitude towards him from his classmates.
Defensive aggression is not always so harmless. There are often cases when it actively manifests itself at the behavioral level. Despite the fact that the person himself perceives it as protective, in reality it can become proactive: expecting an attack (perhaps without any reason), the person is in a hurry to attack first.

NEUROTIC AGGRESSION

Neurotic aggression, like defensive aggression, is a response to an unfavorable external situation. However, this is a much more generalized reaction than defensive aggression: it is directed not directly at the source of a potential threat, but at the entire environment. In such cases, they say that the person is angry with the whole world because of his failures. A sign of neurotic aggression in the “Nonexistent Animal” test is a combination of neurotic and aggressive manifestations. At the same time, it is a very common case when in the original version of the test (simply a non-existent animal) only neurotic symptoms are present, and aggression is manifested in the drawing of an angry and scary animal (Fig. below).

Hatching with strong pressure indicates high anxiety and emotional tension. The particular care of the shading suggests that Valera is also distinguished by a high level of rigidity. A carefully emphasized contour is evidence of a high level of control. An image of a long neck is also considered an indicator of good control.
Consequently, neurotic symptoms should not be particularly noticeable in the boy’s behavior, since at the level of external manifestations they are inhibited due to increased self-control.
The story he wrote says: “My non-existent animal lives in the swamps. It is a flying turtle. It eats worms and algae. Its enemies are snakes and some people, and its friends are fish and birds. Fleeing from danger, it flies into the air and disappears from sight in the blink of an eye."
This story contains typically neurotic themes. This, firstly, is an emotionally unpleasant place of life - a swamp (the indication that the animal lives in mud, in mud is also interpreted). Secondly, this is a mention of unpleasant food - worms (eating slugs, garbage, muck, etc. is interpreted similarly). And finally, typical for a neurotic state certain types fears - neurotic fears. These include, in particular, fear of small animals (insects, mice, etc.) and fear of snakes. The presence of such fears may appear when answering the question of what the animal is afraid of, or (as in this case) when describing its enemies. Valera’s story also reflects unspecified anxious fears (“fleeing from danger...”).
Valera depicted the most evil and terrible animal in the form of a sea serpent with an open mouth (pic. above). He refused to give it a name. The picture contains signs of both defensive and active aggression. The former are represented by spikes (or ridges) on the animal's back, the latter by a gaping toothy mouth (a sign of verbal aggression) and sharp tusks. The signs of anxiety, emotional tension, rigidity and high control noted in the first figure also remain.
The story has an aggressive theme, but in rather moderate expression: “My animal lives in the depths of the ocean. It feeds on sharks and other big fish. It reaches 20 meters in length. Sometimes attacks ships. His friends are the same as he, but he has no enemies (an animal has not yet been found that could overcome him)."
It seems that Valera is inclined not to real aggression, but to demonstrating an aggressive position in order to scare off a possible enemy. This position of his is associated with a neurotic state, creating a general feeling of discomfort and an uncertain threat emanating from the surrounding world.
A significantly different impression is made by the drawing of an “angry and scary” animal, for which the author, the girl, did not come up with a name (pic. below).

She wrote about this animal: “These monsters feed on land animals. long arms he pulls them out of the ground. Also poses a danger to animals. It sucks the blood out of them with its sharp stings."
This time both neuroticism and aggression were clearly evident. The entire drawing is painted evenly gray tone, individual parts of the drawing have been erased and redone. These are signs of high anxiety. There is a desire to defend against a possible threat (spikes on the body and tail).
Gross distortion of the shape of the eyes (in this case, turning them into aggressive points) is one of the indicators of neuroticism. Neuroticism also manifested itself in a sharp change in the style of description. If the description of a simply non-existent animal is done in a completely literary manner, in detailed phrases, then when describing an evil and terrible animal, chopped, extremely simplified phrases are used; Coordination is disrupted, gross errors of attention appear ("these monsters feed on...").
Descriptions of this method of feeding as sucking the blood of victims are often found among people prone to neurotic aggression. Aggressive symbolism is also represented by sharp stings, pointed eyes, and forked claws at the ends of the arms. The tail also ends with a point. As already noted, a massive, upturned tail is a sexual symbol. Therefore, it can be assumed that in a girl’s perception, sexuality is closely related to aggression. In the drawing of a simply non-existent animal, although there is a tail, it is by no means as massive as that of an evil and terrible animal. Manifestations of aggressiveness in Lyudin’s drawing of an angry and scary animal significantly exceed the level typical for girls of her age. They are combined with signs of neuroticism, which makes it possible to qualify aggressiveness as neurotic. Such manifestations are absent in the drawing made according to standard instructions. This suggests that Lyuda’s neurotic aggression is not constant, but arises in response to emotional stress.

REACTION TO EMOTIONAL LOAD

The standard instruction (“draw a non-existent animal”) is emotionally neutral. Additional assignments introduce topics that could potentially be emotionally charged. The proposal to come up with “the most evil and terrible animal” actualizes fears and concerns associated with an external threat. The task to draw “the most unfortunate animal” is addressed to negative experiences associated with one’s own internal state. Therefore, comparing the results of performing these three variants of the task makes it possible to identify the subject’s reaction to different types emotional load.
Tatyana N., according to standard instructions, depicted an animal called “pancake” (pic. below).

She said the following about her animal:
“It is a type of flat living matter. It moves with the help of small legs. There are no sensory organs. Should I tell you how it reproduces? No way. How the Lord God releases them... - but there is no activity of its own. They do not take part in this. Very passive and not ... there is no meaning in his existence." When asked what this animal eats, Tatyana replied: “Water. He lives in the forest. The water drips - and it contains enough nutrients that he needs.”
The drawing shows high anxiety (hatching, multiple lines). The main theme of the story is the passivity of the animal. Along with the extremely low detail of the drawing, this suggests an asthenic state. There is also a lack of meaning in life. Apparently, Tatyana’s need for meaning in life is acutely unsatisfied, which indicates some infantilism (this problem is typical for early adolescence). The story presents an extensive, verbose avoidance of the topic of reproduction. Although the inspector did not ask any questions on this topic, the girl seems to ask again: “Should I tell you how it reproduces?”, after which almost half of the story is devoted to explaining that this animal does not reproduce at all. This indicates trouble in the sexual sphere, leading to attempts to avoid it.
Symptoms similar to Tanina’s (except for the attitude towards the sexual sphere and the problem of the meaning of life) are found in the drawings of Anya K., 4 years 8 months. For her age, Anya is very well developed. The non-existent animal she depicted corresponds to the level of performance of 6-7 years of age (Fig. below).

Anya named her animal Galya and said that it lives in a cage in a zoo. To prevent the cage from falling, it has supports on top and bottom. Anya also explained that “he has food there - hay, straw.” When asked what Galya usually does, the answer was: “Eats and sleeps. It still remembers how it lived with its parents, and does everything like them.” It turned out that sometimes Galya goes out for a walk and then returns to the cage.
The drawing and story show increased anxiety: shading of the drawing, the desire to provide the animal with maximum safety (supports) and a supply of food (two stacks of hay). Life in a cage (moreover, so carefully drawn) reflects both the need for security and the feeling of lack of freedom and dependence. The story directly indicates the source of this dependence: the patterns set by the parents (“does everything as they do”). For Anya’s age, such topics are not typical, but in this case there is a combination of an advanced rate of mental development with strong overprotection. Anya is the only child in a family that, in addition to her parents, also includes grandparents; all four adults are actively involved in her upbringing.
The drawing of an angry and scary animal showed acute anxiety and a neurotic reaction to emotional stress. This is evidenced by the complete collapse of the form (Fig. above).

Drawing vertical strokes, Anya says: “These are the teeth!” She says about the drawn animal: “It lives in the sea and eats everyone. No, it doesn’t eat strong fish. It doesn’t eat sharks. And it doesn’t eat dolphins.” When asked who this animal eats, the girl answers: “Small ones,” and shows with her hands the size of approximately 10 cm. In an effort to get away from the unpleasant, frightening image of an all-consuming creature, the action of psychological defense mechanisms is manifested.
The neurotic reaction to emotional stress is clearly manifested in the drawing of the most unfortunate animal. Following these instructions, Anya drew a “fish” that “lives in an aquarium” (pic. below).

In response to the question why this fish is unhappy, the girl explained: “For herself she is happy, but for us she is unhappy, because she swims in gas. If you swim in gas, you can die, but she doesn’t know that.”
In contrast to the drawing of an angry and scary animal, this time depressive symptoms were clearly evident: a decrease in the size of the drawing, the theme of death in the story. The emotional tension is very high, as evidenced by the random lines and strokes in the drawing, the blackening of some of its parts (the pattern on the body of the fish, the unexplained spot next to it).
The data obtained allow us to conclude that Anya has very low resistance to stress. Depending on the nature of stress, neurotic reactions can be expected various kinds: the appearance of either acute anxiety or depression. There is also a very high probability of their combination - the occurrence of anxious depression.
The desire to isolate one's animals from the outside world (cage, aquarium) and a neurotic reaction to aggressive topics serve as indirect indications of a fear of aggression. This assumption is confirmed by the parents’ complaint that he does not communicate at all with other children. Having met a peer, she begins to growl at him (claiming that she is a tiger cub), and if he still tries to make contact, he runs away. Generally speaking, playful transformation into animals is absolutely normal and natural for Anya’s age. However, in this case, playing tiger cub is clearly a means of preventing contact.
Parents are recommended to gradually accustom Anya to independence and reduce the level of guardianship. It is also important to reduce the number of requirements placed on it. To overcome difficulties in contacts with peers, it was proposed to teach Anya to communicate with one or two partners during a game organized and directed by an adult. It was explained that all educational activities should be carried out very carefully so as not to cause stress in the girl. For the same reason, any sudden unprepared changes in her lifestyle are unacceptable. Emotional preparation It is recommended to start school very early and, despite the high level of development, not to send Anya to school until she is seven years old.

SIGNS OF POSSIBLE MENTAL PATHOLOGY

Below are some signs that may suggest that the person being examined has a mental illness. None of them, taken separately, can serve as a basis for such an assumption. This can only be done if there are several such signs at the same time, and they are quite strongly expressed. The animal depicted by twelve-year-old Sergei B. is humanoid, which is quite common for this age. At the same time, the shape of the head is grossly distorted compared to the standard design. Distortion of the shape of the head, as well as the absence of a head or, as in this case, the absence of eyes while maintaining general scheme human or animal is often found in mental illness.

The animal is depicted as if in a section or in the form of an x-ray photograph: according to Seryozha, “the brain, muscles, bones, intestines, all sorts of nasty things” are visible. Images of internal organs can also occur in borderline conditions (neurosis), but such a detailed study of them, and especially images of the brain, are more likely in cases of mental illness.
In the story about the animal, Seryozha said that it “lives in the forests, where you can hide from opponents.” When asked who his opponents were, he replied: “People. Or rather, he is their opponent.” The next question asked was what this animal usually does. “He eats all sorts of people,” said Seryozha. “He hunts large living creatures, humans, for example. A cruel killer: he kills anyone anyway - and eats.” It turned out that this animal thinks about “who else to eat, where to set up an ambush.” Answering the question of what this animal could ask the wizard for, Seryozha said that it would “devour the wizard”, “wants not to be killed” and “so that it can kill more.”
In the story there is an exceptionally strong “stuckness” on the theme of killing and devouring victims, primarily people. This may be a manifestation of the distortion of drives characteristic of some mental illnesses. From this point of view, the discrepancy between the crudely aggressive themes of the story and the absence of pronounced aggressive symbolism in the drawing is especially suspicious. Normal aggression associated with immediate emotional impulses is usually much more pronounced in graphic symbols.
The possibility of mental illness is also indicated by gross violations of logic in the story about the animal. Life “in the forests, where you can hide from enemies” contradicts the main occupation of the animal - hunting people. Eating a wizard makes it pointless to contact him with subsequent requests (“so that they don’t kill him” and “so that he can kill more himself”).
The presence of Seryozha’s mental illness was confirmed by other data from a psychological examination and a subsequent psychiatric examination.
The animal, depicted according to standard instructions by fifteen-year-old Andrei R. and called by him “half-man” (fig. below), makes a rather unpleasant impression, which is an unfavorable sign (although such an assessment is very subjective).

There is pronounced aggressive symbolism: something like sharp claws instead of hands. However, the drawing does not contain obvious signs of pathology.
The description of the animal made by the boy is also quite neutral: “Half-human. Lives on other planets. Feeds on microorganisms. Friends are creatures similar to themselves.” When asked to explain certain details of the image, Andrei pointed to a large claw with the words: “This hand is a way of protection.” When asked whether the half-man had enemies, the answer was negative. Then the question was asked who he needed to protect himself from, to which the boy replied: “You never know who will fly from another planet.”
The presence of a claw, necessary for protection, contradicts the statement that the animal has no enemies (the explanation for a possible invasion from another planet is given only after a special question from the inspector and sounds unconvincing). However, this cannot be considered a particularly gross logical contradiction that would suggest the presence of mental illness.
The emotional stress caused by the task of inventing and drawing the most unfortunate animal led to significant impairments in activity. The drawing made according to these instructions remained unfinished, with an open outline (pic. below).

During the drawing process, sharp emotional changes were observed, which were reflected in very different nature lines. The body, eyes and mouth are drawn with a confident line with strong pressure. The hands are also partially drawn with strong pressure, but the line is uncertain (with numerous corrections). The head, neck and part of the arm are drawn with a very uncertain, sometimes disappearing line with particularly weak pressure. The amount of detail is minimal, but in contrast to this are the knuckles drawn (a detail that is very rare).
Such a strong reaction to emotional stress indicates Andrei’s unfavorable psychological state. An unfavorable sign is also the almost disappearing distorted contour of the head, especially in combination with sharply emphasized empty eyes and mouth, so that the overall face resembles a skull.
Andrei wrote the following story about the unfortunate animal (the text is reproduced with spelling errors made by the boy): “Mutant. A man of post-nuclear civilization with degraded thinking. Sees almost the usual way of life of a person, but with the habits of an animal. Friends are people. Has immeasurable muscle mass"When asked what his “misfortune” was, the boy replied: “His appearance upsets him. Not like people, changed. People treat him differently." Then the question was asked about the manifestations of the "animal habits" that he wrote about in the story. Andrei answered: "He can climb a tree. Sometimes he thinks about one thing and then switches to another. Forgets something."
Themes of alteration of the animal, strange attitudes of others (“people treat differently”) and disturbances of mental activity (degraded thinking, unmotivated switching of the direction of thoughts, forgetting) are often found in procedural mental illnesses. The previously noted signs of high emotional stress when depicting a head echo the theme of degraded thinking. Inaccuracy in the use of concepts is also typical for mental illness, in this case manifested in the fact that “animal habits” include such manifestations as “thinks about one thing and switches to another”, “forgets”.
Andrey's mental illness was confirmed by a subsequent psychiatric examination.
The drawing, made according to standard instructions by sixteen-year-old Pavel P., is not completed. It represents a three-eyed bird's head with a long sharp beak (aggressive symbolism). The head is located on a very long neck with detailed vertebrae. The circuit is not closed (Fig. below).

The story written by Pavel is very short and has almost nothing to do with the animal depicted: “He has hearing aids, he listens with them, he is blind. Everything that the imagination creates is strange, like fantasy.”
Warning signs in the drawing are its incompleteness and the depiction of internal organs (vertebrae). In the story, there is an actual departure from the task: instead of describing the way of life of an animal, Paul sets out his views on the nature of images created by the imagination. Another unfavorable sign is the contradiction between the picture and the story (the picture shows several eyes, but the story says that the animal is blind). More obvious signs of pathology appear in the drawing of an angry and scary animal (Fig. below).

The most unfavorable impression is made by the absence of a head in an image that is otherwise completely consistent standard scheme animal. In the story about this animal, Pavel wrote: “This is an animal from another world - the world of monsters. It seems harmless... But... It is capable of deafening any moving object with a sound wave. Afterwards, small tentacles suck out all living tissues and organs from the body. in the form of a man, it barks like a dog, and then... Hallelujah!.."
Sucking “living tissues and organs” as a method of nutrition is a sign of a disturbed psychological state (pathological or borderline). As already mentioned, similar signs include the discrepancy between the high aggressiveness of the story and the absence of pronounced aggressive symbolism in the drawing. The message that when it sees a person, this animal “barks like a dog” completely falls out of the general context of the story.
All these signs together are too numerous and heterogeneous to be explained only by a borderline (neurotic) state. One possible explanation is a combination of a neurotic state with a psychopathic personality type. Another likely explanation is the presence of mental illness.
Pronounced signs of mental illness (in the acute phase) are observed in the drawing of twelve-year-old David G. (Fig. below).

The animal he depicts is headless. The animal's paws are pierced in several places by arrows. Apparently, this reflects the boy’s extremely difficult sense of self. In any case, the image of wounds and injuries is one of the common signs of mental illness. The severity of David’s condition is also evidenced by the graphic features of the drawing: shading with particularly strong pressure, blackening of individual parts of the image.
During the drawing process, David was completely immersed in the activity, but at the verbal level, contact with him remained limited. He refused to say anything about the animal he had invented and did not even come up with a name for it.
A huge wound forms the center of the drawing of fourteen-year-old Vitya K. (pic. below).

The comment he wrote also refers only to this wound, although he was asked to write the name of the animal and describe its way of life. The text is very short and emotionally extremely unpleasant: “The stomach was cut open, but it is alive, blood is flowing out of it.” Thus, the text contains an indication that the source of the wound is someone’s actions (“the stomach was ripped open”). It is possible that this reflects the boy’s pathological ideas about the hostility of others towards him (possibly ideas of persecution).
The drawing is not completed. The lines are “ragged”, in some places with strong pressure, and in others disappearing. The drawing is poorly placed: it seems to extend beyond the bottom edge of the sheet. Along with meaningful indicators, this serves as a sign of the severity of the condition.
Eyes located outside the face are also an unfavorable sign.
Vita is recommended to consult a psychiatrist.

The use of diverse methods for studying aggression and aggressive behavior in children made it possible to obtain wide and varied information about the subject being studied.

Results of the analysis of the “Non-existent animal” test

• 1. Nastya F. The drawing is located along the middle line of a vertically placed sheet and is slightly shifted downwards, which indicates correct self-esteem and at the same time about self-doubt, indecision, disinterest in one’s position in society, and the absence of a tendency to self-affirmation. The ears are too small, therefore, the opinions of others are not so important to her. The absence of eyelashes indicates a lack of interest in the admiration of others for external beauty and manner of dressing. The animal has no horns, no claws, no needles, no bristles, which indicates a lack of aggression in this child. The connection of the legs to the body is careless, which means the girl is characterized by superficial judgments and frivolity in conclusions. The uniformity and unidirectionality of the shape of the legs indicates standardization in decision making. There is no tail, therefore, she is not inclined to attract the attention of others. The overall energy is weak, as there is a very small number of details depicted (only three: head, torso and legs). There is not a single sharp corner in the drawing, therefore the degree of aggressiveness is low. The figure of an empty circle symbolizes and expresses a tendency towards secrecy, isolation, closedness of one’s inner world, and reluctance to give information about oneself to others.
• 2. Polina T. The drawing is located closer to the left edge of the sheet and is slightly shifted down, which indicates slightly low self-esteem and a lack of tendency towards self-affirmation. The full-face head position is interpreted as egocentrism. The ears are too large, therefore, the opinions of others are important to her. A mouth with teeth indicates verbal aggression, in most cases defensive. The absence of eyelashes indicates a lack of interest in the admiration of others for external beauty and manner of dressing. The animal has claws and bristles, which means the child can show aggression. The paws are small, which indicates frivolity in conclusions and unfounded judgments. The tail is large, bushy, and turned to the left. This indicates an adequate attitude towards your thoughts and decisions; to missed opportunities, to one’s own indecision. The positive coloring of this relationship is expressed by the upward direction of the tail. The overall energy is high due to the large number of details depicted (head, torso, legs, tail, ears, arms) plus shading lines. The animal is placed in an upright position, which indicates infantility and emotional immaturity.
• 3. Bogdan S. The drawing is located horizontally, closer to the bottom edge of the sheet, which indicates self-doubt, low self-esteem, depression, indecisiveness, disinterest in one’s position in society, and a lack of tendency towards self-affirmation.

The head is turned to the right, which indicates a stable tendency to activity. The small size of the head proves that the boy does not value the rational principle (possibly erudition) in himself and those around him. The eye is small, there are no eyelashes, which means the child does not experience fears and does not attach importance to the manner of dressing. There are many additional details in the drawing: horns, beak, hooves, hump, which indicates defensive-response aggression. The paws are disproportionate, which indicates impulsive decision-making. The thin tail is raised up, which means the boy is satisfied with himself, does not regret what he has done, and does not doubt that he is right.

The overall energy is average as there is not much detail depicted.

• 4. Dasha M. The small drawing is located at the very bottom of the sheet, slightly shifted to the left, which indicates self-doubt, very low self-esteem, depression, indecisiveness, disinterest in one’s position in society, and a lack of tendency to self-affirmation. The full-face head position is interpreted as egocentrism. The eyes are very poorly drawn, but the mouth is strongly highlighted, which indicates a lack of emotion. The animal has no horns, no claws, no needles, no bristles, but it has a threatening pose, which indicates that this child does not have pronounced aggression. The overall energy is average as there is not much detail depicted.
• 5. Valya R. The drawing is located strictly in the center, which speaks of correct self-esteem, self-confidence and, at the same time, dissatisfaction with one’s position in society, and lack of recognition from others. The “full face” position is interpreted as egocentrism. On the head there are details corresponding to the sense organs - ears, mouth, eyes. The ears are small, which indicates an interest in information and the importance of others’ opinions about themselves. The iris of the eye is sharply drawn, therefore, the girl is inherent in the experience of fear. There are small horns on the head, the body is covered with stubble, which indicates the manifestation of spontaneous or defensive-response aggression. The legs are not connected to the body, this indicates that the child does not control his reasoning, conclusions, and decisions. This is confirmed by the absence of a tail. The drawing line is doubled on the sides, which indicates undifferentiated caution and readiness for self-defense of any order and in different situations. The overall energy is average as there is not much detail depicted.
• 6. Alena O. The drawing is large, located in the middle line, starting from the very bottom of the sheet, which indicates high self-esteem, a claim for advancement, a tendency towards self-affirmation, a need for recognition, a desire to meet a high social standard, a desire for emotional acceptance from the environment. The head is slightly turned to the left, which indicates a tendency towards reflection and thinking. The ears are small, therefore, the opinions of others are not very important to her. A slightly open mouth is interpreted as greater speech activity (talkativeness). The iris of the eye is sharply drawn, therefore, the girl is inherent in the experience of fear. The absence of eyelashes indicates a lack of interest in the admiration of others for external beauty and manner of dressing. The absence of legs indicates superficiality of judgment, frivolity in conclusions and unfoundedness of judgment, and sometimes impulsive decision-making. The absence of a tail confirms that the child does not control his reasoning, conclusions, and decisions. Bold lines with pressure indicate anxiety. There are no direct symbols of aggression. The overall energy is average as there is not much detail depicted.
• 7. Nastya Z. The drawing is located horizontally, closer to the right edge of the sheet, which indicates the active nature of the child. The distance from the top and bottom edges of the sheet is the same, which indicates correct self-esteem. The head is turned to the left, which indicates a tendency to reflection, to thinking; her plans are not always realized. The ears are large, therefore, the opinions of others are important to her. A slightly open mouth is interpreted as greater speech activity. Eyelashes highlight what a girl gives great importance manner of dressing, as well as an interest in admiring others for external beauty. A small head indicates that she does not value rationality, erudition in herself and those around her. The front legs are too short, therefore, the child may sometimes be characterized by impulsive decision-making. The drawing shows creativity, since the animal has an unusual shape. The tail is bushy and turned to the right, which indicates an adequate attitude towards one’s actions and behavior. The figure is almost entirely shaded, which speaks of protecting one’s opinions, beliefs, and tastes. The overall energy is high due to the large number of details depicted (head, torso, legs, tail, ears, arms) plus shading lines. On hind legs- claws, there are many sharp angles in the outline of the tail, therefore, the child is prone to aggression.
• 8. Yaroslav M. The drawing is too small, located at the bottom of the sheet in the center, which indicates self-doubt, low self-esteem, depression, indecisiveness, disinterest in one’s social position, lack of desire to be accepted by the environment, a tendency to fixate on obstacles to achieving situational needs. The head is directed back, the eyes, mouth and nose are absent, which indicates the secretive nature of the child, his isolation, and at the same time - the absence of individualism and selfishness. His ears are long, therefore, the opinions of others are important to him, but he does nothing to gain a positive assessment or only produces appropriate emotional reactions to the assessments of others (joy, pride, resentment, grief), without changing his behavior. The absence of a tail confirms that the child does not control his reasoning, conclusions, and decisions. There are no direct symbols of aggression. The overall energy is weak as there is very little detail depicted.
• 9. Masha M. The drawing is located close to the right edge of the sheet and shifted down, which indicates low self-esteem and a lack of tendency to self-affirmation. The head directed to the right indicates a stable tendency to action: almost everything that is thought out and planned is carried out, or at least begins to be carried out (if not even completed). The child is determined to realize his goals and intentions. There are no ears, therefore, the opinions of others are completely irrelevant to her. An open mouth speaks of mistrust, apprehension and fear. The eye is indicated by one dot, there are no eyelashes, this is a sign that the girl does not attach much importance to the way she dresses, and is also not interested in admiring others for her external beauty. There are sharp spines on the back, which indicates protective and retaliatory aggression. The connections of the legs to the body are careless, which means that the child does not control his reasoning, conclusions, and decisions. The one-pointed shape of the legs indicates standardization and banality of judgments. The tail is directed to the left and lowered down, this is a sign of dissatisfaction with oneself, doubts about one’s own rightness, regret about what has been done or said. The overall energy is average as there is not much detail depicted.
• 10. Arina S. The drawing is located at the top of the sheet and shifted to the left, which indicates high self-esteem, dissatisfaction with one’s own position in society and insufficient recognition, a claim for advancement, a tendency to self-affirmation, a need for recognition, a desire to meet a high social standard, a desire for emotional acceptance from others. environment. The full-face head position is interpreted as egocentrism. The ears are large, therefore, the opinions of others are important to her. Eyelashes emphasize the fact that the girl attaches great importance to the way she dresses, as well as her interest in admiring others for her external beauty. The size of the head is large, this indicates that the girl values ​​the rational principle (possibly erudition) in herself and those around her. Correct symmetrical legs speak of thoroughness, deliberation, rationality of decision-making, the formation of judgment, reliance on essential provisions and significant information. The legs are carefully connected to the body, which indicates that the girl controls her reasoning, conclusions, and decisions. The animal has only small claws, which indicates a slight manifestation of aggression in this child. The overall energy is average as there is not much detail depicted.

Conclusions.

Having analyzed the drawings of all the children, I came to the following conclusions: based on the presence of a strong, confident line in the drawing, 60% of children have an indicator of good affective control, 60% of children show inaccuracy in the execution of the drawing, hesitant, interrupted lines, “smudged” drawings, which indicates mild tension and an increased level of anxiety. In 30% of children, there are no direct symbols of aggression. In 30% of children who drew spikes and shells, a defensive-response form of aggression is observed. 40% of children who drew claws, horns, and stubble show hostile aggression to one degree or another. Due to the presence of a large number of sharp angles in the drawing, 20% of children have a high rate of aggressiveness. In addition, 80% of children depicted in the drawing the direction of their head to the left or to the front, which indicates the children’s tendency to reflect, to think, and often this is also indecision, fear of active actions, and 20% of children - the direction of their head to the right, which indicates a stable tendency to action, the child is determined to realize his attitudes and intentions. Not a single child depicted an attack weapon. Most of the drawings represent the form of a “finished” existing animal, to which “finished parts” are only attached so that the existing animal becomes non-existent. This indicates banality, lack of creativity.

Based on the results of the analysis of the “Non-existent animal” test, out of 10 children examined, it was revealed that the following forms of aggression predominated among the subjects: spontaneous, defensive-response (defensive), active (hostile).

Publication date

Is this one of the most informative drawing techniques? It is recommended to use it starting from older preschool age (from five to six years old).

Conducting testing. A sheet of paper is placed horizontally in front of the subject.

Instructions:“I want to see how developed your imagination and fantasy are (how you can fantasize, imagine). Come up with and draw an animal that actually doesn’t exist, has never existed, and that no one has ever invented before you - neither in fairy tales nor in computer games, nor in cartoons."

If the subject says that he doesn’t know how to draw, doesn’t know how to draw, can’t think of anything, etc., then you need to encourage him and explain that you don’t need to know anything for this task. Since you need to draw an animal that doesn’t actually exist, it doesn’t matter what it turns out to be. If the subject thinks for a long time without starting to draw, then he should be advised to start drawing as it turns out, and then come up with ideas as he draws.

When the subject finishes drawing, he is asked to come up with a name for the animal. It is recorded in the protocol. If coming up with a name is very difficult, then this part of the task is omitted. If necessary, find out which part of the body (or which organ) certain details of the image correspond to.

It happens that instead of a non-existent animal, an ordinary, well-known animal is depicted, which is reflected in its name (hare, donkey, etc.). In this case, you need to ask to make another drawing, this time drawing an animal that does not actually exist. The instructions are completely repeated. If the repeated drawing is an image of a real animal, then this work is stopped. If the appearance of the drawn animal is quite ordinary (for example, a hare is clearly depicted), but it is named unusually (for example, it is said that it is a “magic hare”), then the task is considered successfully completed and does not need to be repeated.

Having found out the name of the animal, the inspector says: “Now tell us about him, about his way of life. How does it live? The story is written down, if possible, verbatim. When examining a teenager or adult, you can invite him to write a story about the lifestyle of an imaginary animal on his own.

If the story does not contain sufficient information about the animal, then at the end of the work additional questions are asked:

• What does it eat?
• Where does he live?
• What does he usually do?
• What does he like to do most?
• What does he dislike most?
• Does it live alone or with someone?
• Does he have friends? Who are they?
• Does he have any enemies? Who? Why are they his enemies?
• What is it afraid of, or is it not afraid of anything?
• What size is it?

Then the subject is asked to imagine that this animal has met a wizard who is ready to fulfill any three of his wishes, and is asked what these wishes could be. All answers are recorded in the protocol.

The conversation about the imaginary animal can be varied by the examiner depending on the characteristics of the subject and the purpose of the examination. The given list of questions is not mandatory, but indicative.

Additional tasks for the “Non-existent animal” test.

The tasks we developed “Angry Animal”, “Happy Animal”, “Unhappy Animal” allow us to identify: hidden aggressive or depressive tendencies, reaction to a threat (“Angry Animal”), the values ​​and aspirations of the subject (“Happy Animal”), the nature of existing fears , conscious and unconscious ideas of the subject about his most acute problems (“Unhappy Animal”). The “Angry Animal” and “Unhappy Animal” tasks well reveal the degree of resistance of the subject to stress of various kinds.

Conducting testing. For each additional task they give a separate Blank sheet paper, which is placed horizontally in front of the subject. Instructions for the task “Angry Animal”: “Now come up with and draw another non-existent animal. This time, not just any one, but the most evil and terrible thing you can come up with.” At the end of the drawing, they ask the question: “What shows that this animal is the most evil and terrible?” Other questions about his lifestyle may also be asked.

Instructions for the task “Happy Animal”» : “Now draw the happiest non-existent animal you can think of.” Instructions for the task “Unhappy Animal”: “Draw the most unfortunate non-existent animal you can think of.” Upon completion of the drawing, they find out why the drawn animal is the happiest (unhappy), what exactly makes it happy (unhappy).

Interpretation of results

The position of the drawing on the sheet. Normally, the pattern is located along the center line of the standard field drawing (the higher, the more pronounced). Pattern position closer to the top edge of the sheet is interpreted as high self-esteem, as dissatisfaction with one’s position in society, lack of recognition from others, and a tendency towards self-affirmation.

Figure location closer to the bottom edge of the sheet (the lower, the stronger the severity) is interpreted as low self-esteem, the presence of depressive components of mood, a pessimistic assessment of oneself and others, indecisiveness, and depression.

Pay attention to the location of the picture in the top left corner . It is typical for people who are distinguished by some stereotypical behavior, a little punctuality, and commitment. The figures in this case are quite small and small. A reflection of the specificity of the course of physiological processes in such subjects is often a discrepancy between the speed of brain processes and their transmission to the outside. Therefore, it is common for such people to “swallow” endings or entire syllables or words when writing. Consciously, a person still has the task of the complete word, but the next task, when transmitted outward, seems to precede and erase the ending of the word. This spasm phenomenon is more associated with the specifics of the vascular tone of the brain than with severe pathology.

Thematically non-existent animals are divided into threatened, threatening, neutral. This characterizes the subject’s attitude towards his own personality, towards his own “I”, towards the idea of ​​his own position.

The central part of the figure (the head or a part replacing it) head rotated right - a stable tendency to activity, left - tendency to reflect, think, position "aporat" interpreted as egocentrism. Reduced head size speaks of the value of rationality.

Mane, fur, similar to the hairstyle on the head - sensuality, emphasizing one’s gender, focused on one’s sexual role. Feathers - a tendency towards self-decoration, self-justification, some demonstrativeness.

Horns - defense, aggression.

Ears, mouth, eyes - carry their direct meaning (interest in information). A slightly open mouth in combination with a tongue without drawing the lips is interpreted as greater speech activity (talkativeness), in combination with drawing the lips - as sensuality. An open mouth without drawing the tongue and lips, especially if it is outlined, may indicate a slight onset of fears, apprehensions, and mistrust. Mouth with teeth - verbal aggression. Eyes with a sharp outline of the iris - the presence of fears, eyes with eyelashes - hysterical and demonstrative behavior.

Legs, paws, pedestals - thoroughness, thoughtfulness, rationality of actions when making decisions, reliance on essential features of the situation and significant information. The nature of control over one’s reasoning and conclusions is expressed in the particular connection of the legs with the body (carefully or carelessly, weakly or not connected at all, etc.).

Uniformity and unidirectionality of form supporting elements - conformity of judgments and attitudes in decision making, their standardness, banality. Variety in the shape and position of these parts - originality of attitudes and judgments, independence, sometimes even creativity or heterodoxy (closer to pathology).

Lack of legs and paws - superficiality of judgment, impulsiveness in decision making.

Wings - the desire to rise above existing problems, self-confidence, curiosity, participation in a large number of enterprises, passion for one’s activities to the detriment of others. This also applies to your sexual role and behavioral position.

Terrifying details - demonstrativeness, a tendency to attract the attention of others, mannerisms.

Tails - attitude towards one's own problems. The tail points upward - confidence in your conclusions, positive self-esteem. The tail is pointing down - dissatisfaction with oneself, doubt about one’s own conclusions and behavior. The tail is turned to the right - the relationship to one’s actions and behavior, to the left - to one’s thoughts and decisions.

Darkening and blackening the animal figure - expression of fear, anxiety.

Protection. If it is presented in sharp corners, it is an aggressive defense. The direction of such protection is evidenced by the corresponding spatial arrangement: the upper contour of the figure is against superiors, against the world, who have the opportunity to impose a ban, restrictions, implement, coercion (parents, bosses, etc.); lower circuit - protection against ridicule, non-recognition, fear of condemnation; lateral contours - undifferentiated danger and readiness for self-defense of any order

Screens, shields indicate a defense associated with fear and suspicion.

Total energy.

Faint web-like drawline - asthenia, discomfort, uncertainty, chronic, somatic disease; thick lines express anxiety. A highlighted specific detail of the body (bold or weak) symbolically depicts the place where one should look for the attachment of anxiety of a given person.

Animal figure in the form of a circle symbolizes and expresses a tendency towards secrecy, isolation, reluctance to give information about oneself, even to the point of refusing testing.

Installation of mechanical parts (placement on a pedestal, tripods, tractor tracks instead of legs; propellers and screws on the head; installation of electric lamps in the eyes, etc., and antennas, handles, etc. in the body and limbs) is most often observed in patients with schizophrenia and deep schizoids.

Suggested verbal title can express a rational combination of semantic parts (“fly zher”, “flying hare”, etc.) and indicates rationality, a specific attitude in orientation and adaptation. Word formation with a bookish scientific, sometimes with a Latin suffix or ending (for example, “ragoletius”) characterizes demonstrativeness, which is aimed mainly at showing one’s own intelligence, erudition, and knowledge. Superficial names without any comprehension signify a frivolous attitude towards others, an inability to take into account danger signals.