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One Picture May Not Be Worth 1,000 Words

By David Martindale
February 26, 2009

Childrens' drawings are sometimes treated as evidence of their perceptions of their family relationships. These pictures may be evaluated for insights into whether a child feels emotionally close to parent who is seeking custody or is afraid of a person accused of sexually abusing the child. But are such pictures really “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.

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