One Picture May Not Be Worth 1,000 Words

If one fully understands the concept of projection, one is more likely than not to conclude that drawings cannot possibly be viewed as a reliable source of information concerning children's perceptions of themselves, their families, the dynamics within their families, or anything else. Even if it could be demonstrated that the dynamic of projection consistently operates as children produce these drawings, there would still be no basis for relying upon them. The early proponents of projective techniques made it clear that we cannot be certain what perceptions, attitudes, fears, or wishes are being projected.

Practitioners who utilize drawings are generally in agreement that the same-sex figure should be conceptualized as a “self” figure. Even if we presume that drawings “tell” us something about the psychology of children who have produced them, it must be recognized that the self figure may represent the child's perception of himself or herself (with emphasis either on physical or psychological attributes); may represent what the child wishes himself or herself to be (again, with emphasis either on physical or psychological attributes); or, to complicate things further, the drawing may symbolically portray physical or psychological impairment, compensation for a real or perceived shortcoming, or a combination of these factors.