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HUMAN FIGURE DRAWING INDICES OF SEXUAL MALADJUSTMENT IN MALE FELONS

NCJ Number
49088
Journal
JOURNAL OF PROJECTIVE TECHNIQUES-PERSONALITY ASSESSMENT Volume: 32 Issue: 1 Dated: (1968) Pages: 81
Author(s)
G FISHER
Date Published
1968
Length
1 page
Annotation
TO EXAMINE A REPORTED RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN HUMAN FIGURE DRAWING AND SEXUAL MALADJUSTMENT, THE DRAW-A-PERSON TEST (DAP) AND THE MINNESOTA MULTIPHASIC PERSONALITY INDEX (MMPI) WERE ADMINISTERED TO 1,000 MALE FELONS.
Abstract
POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIPS BETWEEN FIGURE DRAWING AND AGE, RACE/ETHNICITY, AND TYPE OF CRIMINAL OFFENSE WERE ALSO EXAMINED. NO RELATIONSHIP WAS FOUND BETWEEN THE SEX OF THE FIGURE DRAWN FIRST AND THE OFFENSE, RACE, AGE, INTELLIGENCE, AND MMPI MASCULINITY/FEMINITY (M/F) SUBSCALE SCORE. THE MALE FIGURE WAS DRAWN FIRST BY 59.5 PERCENT OF THE SUBJECTS, A PERCENTAGE SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN THE 85 PERCENT REPORTED FOR NORMAL ADULT MALES AND JUVENILE DELINQUENTS. THERE WAS, HOWEVER, A SIGNIFICANT POSITIVE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN PARTIAL NUDITY AND NUDITY PLUS GENITALS IN THE DRAWINGS AND DRAWING THE FEMALE FIGURE FIRST. OF SUBJECTS WHO DREW THE FEMALE FIGURE FIRST, 11.9 PERCENT INDICATED SOME DEGREE OF NUDITY AS COMPARED TO THE 7.9 PERCENT PARTIAL NUDITY FOR THOSE WHO DREW THE MALE FIGURE FIRST. SOME NUDITY WAS TWICE AS FREQUENT IN DRAWINGS BY ADOLESCENT DELINQUENTS AS IN THOSE BY ADULT FELONS (18 PERCENT AS COMPARED TO 9 PERCENT). THE MORE FREQUENT DRAWING OF THE FEMALE FIGURE FIRST IN THIS GROUP AS COMPARED WITH NORMAL MALES IS SUGGESTIVE OF GREATER DIFFICULTY IN ESTABLISHING MASCULINE SEXUAL IDENTITY. REFERENCES ARE INCLUDED. (JAP)