Group # 4

Farzeen Shahzad 02

Eesha Kamran Siddiqui 04
Aqsa Zahid 06
Laiba Sohail 17
House-Tree-Person
Contents
• Introduction
• Background
• Purpose
• Administration
• Interpretation
-House
-Tree
-Person
• Criticism
• References
Introduction
• One of the most distinguished and widely used Projective personality
test
• The individual taking the test is asked to draw primary objects like a
house, tree, and a person; these drawings render a measure of self
perceptions and attitudes inherent in a personality.
• His drawings give clues about the person's hidden emotions or internal
conflicts.
Background
• The HTP was designed by John Buck.
• Was originally based on Goodenough scale of intellectual functioning.
• Developed in 1948, and updated in 1969.
• To provide a better grading system to the test-giver buck wrote a 350-
page manual
Purpose
• To measure aspects of a person's personality by
interpretations of drawings and responses to questions.
• The test can also be used to assess brain damage and
general mental functioning.
Administration
• HTP can be administered on anyone above the age of 3.
• Often used with children and adolescents
• Consumes around 150 minutes to complete, may take less time for
normally functioning adults and much more for the neurologically
impaired individuals.
• Take 3 pieces of plain 8.5*11 are paper.
 Administration
• First phase of the test, test
takers are asked to use a
crayon to draw pictures, a
house, a tree, and a person.
• The second phase of the
test, test takers are asked to
use a pencil to draw the
same pictures.
• Each drawing is done on a
separate piece of paper and
the test taker is asked to
draw as accurately as
possible.
• Once the drawings are completed the test-takers are
asked 60 questions about them, i.e. 20 Questions about
each.
• The questions may be the ones originally designed by
Buck or examiners can create their own questions.
• Some examples are given below
Interpreting guidelines of the
drawings are based on the
assumptions that
• the drawing of the house
reveals aspects of the
respondent's home life and
family relationships
• the tree reflects
unconscious feelings about
the self
• the person shows aspects of
the self
Interpretation of HTP
 DETAILS of HOUSE
• Relevant Details:
• Essential details: the primary or basic details.
• The House must have one door
 One window
 One wall and a roof.
 Chimney
Absence and overuse of relevant details
• The absence of even a single essential detail is regarded as serious; the
implications for pathology are greater the more essentials are missing.
• Less or minimal use of essential details, suggests withdrawal and/ or
conflict in the area represented or symbolized by the detail.
• Excessive use of essential details implies overconcern.
• Non-essential: the secondary basic details which complete and enrich
the drawing.
• Window curtains
• Flower pots,
• material indicated for the wall, chimney or the roof.
• Irrelevant Details:
The details which are not an integral part of the house.
 Nearby irrelevant details for the house are
 shrubs,
 walkway,
 grass.
 Distant irrelevant details would be the
 sun,
 moon,
 clouds and birds in the sky,
 mountains,
 background etc.
Use of irrelevant details:
• Limited use of irrelevant details
• implies a mild basic insecurity.
• Excessive use suggests
• a pathological “free floating” anxiety or a strong withdrawal need.
• Bizarre Details:
• These suggest a major personality disorder, subjects whose reality-testing is
pathologically deficient.
• For example: obviously human legs supporting a House; eyes, nose and mouth
drawn upon the sun (except in drawings made by young children).
 Presentation Method
• One-Dimensional:
• These details are done by relatively low grade mental defective subjects or by
subjects who were of higher intelligence but have greatly deteriorated.
• Two-Dimensional:
• Most dull average to average adult subjects draw pictures with aa details two
dimensional. At times less imaginative and/or less flexible adult subjects of
average or superior intelligence do likewise.
• Shading
• Healthy shading is produced quickly, lightly and with few random strokes.
• It indicates a fairly high level of intellectual function. A relatively high degree of
sensitivity in the subject’s relationship with his environment.
• Unhealthy shading is characterized by one or more of: unwarranted use of
time, excessive force, inferior control and reinforcement.
• It indicates hypersensitivity and at worst, a crippling anxiety.
Interpretation of the relevant details:
• Roof and Wall:
• The roof and the wall or walls, of the house seem to depict the subject’s ego.
• Material of the roof if drawn easily and non-compulsively appears to indicate a
mild awareness of surface differentiation and a good capacity for well
balanced interaction with the environment.
• Meticulous detailing implies obsessive-compulsive tendencies. Emphasis on
the eaves of the roof by reinforcement implies an over-defensive, usually
suspicious attitude.
Door:
• Front door equates with accessibility of both coming in and going out. But
the back door suggests only escape.
• Emphasis upon the door’s locks or hinges seems to indicate a defensive
sensitivity. Emphasis upon the knob suggests an over consciousness of phallic
preoccupation.
Windows:
• If the windows are decorated with shutters, shades, or curtains which are not
closed or drawn shut. It usually is implied that there is a consciously controlled
interaction accompanied by some anxiety.
• If many windows are drawn (and without shades or curtains) it is assumed that
the subject tends to behave bluntly and directly. It indicates his willingness to
make contacts and the absence of shade indicates that he has no need to mask
his feelings.
Interpretation of the irrelevant details:
• Walkway:

• A walkway seems to imply that the subject exercises control in his contacts with others. A long walkway
suggests lessened accessibility.

• Shrubs:

• Drawn near the house imply a felt need to erect ego defensive barriars, to contact other in formalized
fashion.

• Shadows:

• These are interpreted as representing a conflict situation which produces anxiety at conscious level.

• Degrading details:

• An out-house may be placed; or a large garbage placed on porch. Such irrelevant details usually indicate
feelings of aggressive hostility at times.
• Sun:
• It appears to represent the figure of great authority or emotional valence, positive or
negative in the subject’s environment.
• Clouds:
• Clouds appear to indicate generalized anxiety.
• Mountain:
• Mountains in the background suggest a defensive attitude and a need for dependence,
often maternal dependence.
• Rain and Snow:
• Neither is seen often. Each implies a strong need for graphic expression of the
subject’s feelings of being subjected to powerful and oppressive environmental
pressures.
• Observations about where the
person is placed on the page,
the amount of detail shown
from the drawing, etc., are
part of significant
interpretations. The idea is
that the person of the same
sex is like you. The opposite
sex is the anima or animus.
• Animus-
unconscious masculine side of
a woman
• Anima-unconscious feminine
side of a man
Arms and Hands:
• Arms are the way we reach out to the environment,
and hands the way we effect it. Open arms indicate
willingness to engage, closed arms are defensiveness,
arms fold over chest shows hostility or suspiciousness.
• Hands held behind back shows wanting to control
anger, interpersonal reluctance, disconnected arms
are powerlessness. Pointed fingers or balled fists can
be aggression, hidden or gloved hands can be anxiety
or antisocial tendencies.
Legs and Feet
• Legs and feet represent grounding and power.
• If legs are absent it shows possible castration anxiety, size
difference shows mixed feelings regarding independence.
Long legs show striving for autonomy and short legs indicate
emotional immobility.
• Long feet shows striving for security. Tiny feet shows
dependency. If feet are omitted it indicates lack of
independence.
Head
•Large- Preoccupation with fantasy life,
focus on mental life
•Small- Obsessive-compulsive,
intellectual inadequacy
•Back to viewer- Paranoid or schizoid
tendencies
Face
•A lot of details concentrated on the face
of the person drawn can be
representative of one's desire to present
oneself in an
acceptable/satisfactory/adequate social
light.
Mouth
• Mouth is how we get needs met. So big or open mouth is
neediness, cupid bow or luscious lips is sexualized needs,
closed tight mouth is denial of needs or some passive-
aggression, and frowns, sneers, and smiles mean what they
do in real life. Teeth can be indicative of verbal aggression.
• If mouth is overly emphasized it indicates immaturity, oral-
aggressiveness. Very large mouth shows that the person is
orally erotic.
Neck
• The neck separates the head (cognition) from
the body (drives and needs)
• No neck is no separation
• Long neck is desire for more separation of the
two, etc...
Shoulders
•Unequal shoulders show emotional
instability.
•Large shoulders shows preoccupation with
the perceived need for strength.
•Squared shoulders shows the person is
overly defended and hostile towards others
Other types of figures
• Clowns (hiding face and person)

• Robots (loss of emotions in a psychotic way)

• Cowboys (masculinized needs)
• Snowmen (regressive themes)
• Stick man (childish or regressive themes)
 TREE
The tree symbolizes the deepest
and most unconscious aspects of
one’s personality. It represents
those things someone usually keep
to himself.
TRUNK
Sense of
self
Intactness
of
personality
• . Dark shadings of the trunk suggest anxiety about
one's self.
• If it’s curved, it means you’re flexible and adapt
easily.
• A slender trunk and large branches may suggest a
need for satisfaction.
• Small trunks: limited ego strength.
• Large trunks: strong ego strength.
• Exaggerated emphasis: emotional immaturity.
SPLIT
D OW N , H I T
BY
LIGHTENING

Fragmented
personality
Serious mental
illness.
CROWN
Thoughts
Self-concept
Crown density
is directly connected
with mental
productivity
•Exaggerated emphasis on crown:
inhibited emotionally, analytical
LEAVES
•Efforts to make out are
successful.
•No leaves: feeling barren
•Pointy leaves: aggression,
obsessive compulsive
tendencies
BRANCHES
• Social contacts: These might also hint
towards an individual's relation with the
external world. A tree drawn without branches
might indicate less contact with other people.
• Aspirations
• Level of satisfaction or frustration
• Broken branch: associated with trauma e.g.
illness, rape, accident
•Iimbs are the effort our ego makes to
“reach out” the world.
•Limbs detached: difficulties that
reach out or efforts to reach out that
we cannot control.
• Small branches: limited skills to reach out
• Big branches: too much reaching out to meet
needs
• Club shaped/pointy branches: represents
aggressiveness
• Dead branches: emptiness and hopelessness
ROOTS
 related to
unconscious
 instinctive
inner world
 reality testing,
and
orientation.
• No roots: no feeling of being grounded,
insecurity
• Overemphasized roots: excessive concern
with reality testing
• Dead roots: feeling of disconnection from
reality, emptiness and despair.
• Exaggerated emphasis on roots: reasoning
limited
 GRASS
 Artistic
ability
 FRUITS

Friends
and family
OTHER DETAILS:
• No ground line present: repressed emotions
• Circle inside: experience in the past and healing
• Large: preoccupation with procreation
• Small and simple: initial sexual experience
• Broken lines: over anxiety
• Shading excessively dark: hostile defenses,
aggressive behaviors
Advantages of HTP test

• HPT test is not only about evaluating the subject but also can be used as a
method of treating the subject. While drawing figures, the subject express
his/her thoughts or internal conflicts that were repressed. This might
reduce some negative emotions related to the thoughts.
• In psychological tests, language can be problematic. Even though many
psychological tests are translated into different languages, it is not possible
that psychological tests are fully translated into another language with
detailed contextual meaning of words. HTP test overcome this language
problem. We can use the test to person with foreign language or language
difficulties.
• The test is not restricted to individual differences in ages, intelligence or art
talent.
Criticism of HTP test

• Original test was written in 1970's. Since then family/cultural values, trends
and ideas have changed.
• Interpretation may be influenced by clinician bias/ prejudice.
• This test is not considered to be reliable or valid by many, as it is mainly a
subjectively scored personality test. There also are variations in how the
test is administered: in one or two phases, all drawings on single or
separate sheets of paper, asking to draw two different persons (one of each
gender), either using crayon or pencil (not both), different questions asked,
etc.
• Because it is mostly subjective, scoring and interpreting the HTP is difficult.
Anyone administering the test must be properly trained.