Chapter 5: Projective Drawing: House-Tree-Person and Kinetic Family Drawing

Projective drawing assessments ask clients to draw structured subjects—a house, a tree, a person, a family in action—with the assumption that the resulting images reflect psychological preoccupations, self-concept, and relational dynamics. These tools are among the oldest and most widely used in art therapy.

House-Tree-Person (HTP)

Developed by John Buck in 1948, the HTP instructs clients to draw a house, a tree, and a person on separate pages. Post-drawing inquiry (PDI) follows, exploring the client’s associations with each drawing.

Key interpretive areas include:

• House: family environment, sense of security, domestic relationships
• Tree: psychological growth, ego strength, rootedness vs. uprootedness
• Person: self-concept, body image, developmental level

Specific structural features are noted: size relative to page, placement, line quality, omissions (missing windows, rootless trees, faceless figures), and unusual additions. Art therapists interpret these as hypotheses for exploration, not diagnoses.

Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD)

Burns and Kaufman (1970) introduced the KFD, instructing clients to “draw everyone in your family, including yourself, doing something.” The kinetic (action) element reveals perceived family roles, emotional closeness, power dynamics, and the client’s position within the family system.

Observed elements include:

• Physical distance between figures: relational closeness or isolation
• Actions: who is doing what, who is passive, who is excluded
• Compartmentalization: figures enclosed in separate boxes (emotional barriers)
• Encapsulation: a single figure isolated (scapegoating, loneliness)

Draw-A-Person (DAP)

Florence Goodenough’s (1926) original cognitive measure was later adapted by Karen Machover (1949) into a projective instrument. The DAP asks for a drawing of a person, then a person of the opposite sex. Body image, gender identity, and self-concept are primary areas of inquiry.

Ethical Considerations

Projective drawings are screening tools and conversation starters, not standalone diagnostic instruments. Concerns include:

• Over-interpretation: assigning pathological meaning without corroborating evidence
• Cultural bias: normative drawing databases are predominantly Western
• Confidentiality: artwork is a clinical record—storage, disclosure, and reproduction require informed consent
• Dual relationships: using drawings created therapeutically as assessment data requires client awareness

Contemporary best practice integrates drawing observations with clinical interview, history, and standardized measures.

Key Checklist

• I can describe the three components of the HTP and what each is thought to represent
• I understand the significance of the “kinetic” element in KFD interpretation
• I can identify at least two ethical risks specific to projective drawing assessments