Figure drawing as an expression of self-esteem

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Child Psychology
• Psychometrics

Background:

• Self-esteem is a critical aspect of child development.
• Understanding self-esteem in preadolescents requires diverse assessment methods.
• Previous research has explored various indicators of self-esteem.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between figure drawings and self-esteem in preadolescent males.
• To determine which aspects of figure drawings best differentiate self-esteem levels.
• To compare the association of behavioral versus subjective self-esteem with drawing characteristics.

Main Methods:

• 97 preadolescent males representing five self-esteem types were selected.
• Figure drawings were analyzed using 15 variables (formal, content, global-interpretations).
• Statistical analysis identified significant differences between self-esteem groups.

Main Results:

• Five significant differences were found between self-esteem groups in figure drawings.
• Drawing content and global interpretations were more differentiating than formal characteristics.
• Behavioral self-esteem showed a stronger association with figure drawing characteristics than subjective self-esteem.

Conclusions:

• Figure drawing analysis can differentiate self-esteem levels in preadolescent males.
• The findings suggest self-esteem in children may be expressed sensorimotorically rather than symbolically.
• Behavioral indicators of self-esteem are more closely linked to artistic expression than self-reported measures.