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Exploring the Relationship Between Defense Mechanisms and Drawing Characteristics: A Pilot Study
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http://hdl.handle.net/1860/2992
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| Title: | Exploring the Relationship Between Defense Mechanisms and Drawing Characteristics: A Pilot Study |
| Authors: | Engelhardt, Frederick John |
| Keywords: | Defense Mechanisms
Drawing
Art Therapy |
| Issue Date: | 26-Mar-2009 |
| Abstract: | Defense mechanisms are unconscious mental processes that protect an individual
from experiencing anxiety resulting from the perceived threat of internal or external
stress. Defense mechanisms are important to clinical practice in understanding
personality dynamics, identifying preferred modes of coping, tailoring treatment
planning, and refining diagnostic impressions. Defense mechanisms within the context of
the current managed care culture are not generally assessed. The purpose of this study
was to examine the relationship between an individual’s use of defense mechanisms and
the characteristics of his/her drawing in order to inform art therapy assessment.
Seven participants were recruited to participate in the study. Each participant
drew a Person Picking an Apple from a Tree (PPAT) drawing and completed the Defense
Style Questionnaire – 40 (DSQ – 40). The Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale (FEATS)
was used to measure the graphic variables of the PPAT drawings. The scores from the
DSQ-40 and the FEATS were correlated. The results demonstrated that the defense of
Humor correlated positively with the FEATS variables of Logic, Integration,
Perseveration, Rotation, Problem Solving, Line Quality, and Developmental Level. The
defense of Rationalization correlated positively with the FEATS variable of Perseveration
The defense of Pseudo-altruism exhibited a positive correlation with the FEATS
variables of Integration, Space, Problem Solving, Realism, and Developmental Level.
Negative correlations between DSQ – 40 scores and FEATS scores were also studied.
The defense of Displacement displayed a negative correlation with the FEATS variables
of Logic, Color Fit, Rotation, Person, and Line Quality while the defense of Devaluation
exhibited a negative correlation with the FEATS variables of Perseveration, Rotation, and
Line Quality. Additionally, participants scoring High on the overall Mature defense
factor drew figures picking an apple from a tree differently than participants who did not
score high on the Mature defense factor.
The study was not able to draw strong correlations between individual defense
mechanisms and FEATS categories in a way that would allow art therapists the ability to
equate certain styles of drawing with a specific defense. This study did however suggest a
difference in the drawings of individuals who utilize more mature defensive processes
and is able to provide clinicians with data that may be useful in evaluating an individual’s
awareness of support and ability to cope and problem solve. Future study may continue to
focus on qualitative differences in the artwork of individuals utilizing more mature
defensive processes versus those who utilize more immature defensive processes. |
| URI: | http://hdl.handle.net/1860/2992 |
| Appears in Collections: | Health Sciences Theses and Dissertations
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