From the author: A short article about how a simple drawing can help us understand ours and others’ emotional problems. It’s amazing how accurate such an “inaccurate” diagnosis can be, like my favorite “ A non-existent animal." I have noticed many times that children from dysfunctional families often draw angry and toothy animals, while those from prosperous families draw cute and peaceful animals. It is interesting that drawing tests allow you to assess not only the emotional sphere, but also the intellectual one! The drawings do not reflect the conscious attitudes of a person, which he usually presents during a conversation, but allow us to look much deeper - into the unconscious. A drawing is always some kind of message encrypted in images. Sometimes it is a drawing that allows you to start a complex conversation and pull the “tip” of a tangled tangle of problems... Everyone has one or another experience of drawing, it is especially close to a child, therefore projective techniques are used when examining children, but they are also no less informative when examining adults. The very first registered projective technique “Draw a person” began to be used in the 20s of the 20th century, but its use is still relevant today. Of course, no one says that one can draw unambiguous and far-reaching conclusions from one drawing - they are an addition (and an excellent addition) to ordinary psychological testing and conversation. The most informative and my favorite drawing tests are “Drawing of a Person”, “Nonexistent Animal” and “Drawing of a Family”. As experience shows, from these drawings you can see: the level of general mental development, the level of general tone (increased or decreased), the presence self-control and impulsiveness, emotionality or rigidity, anxiety and worry, fears, depressive tendencies, stress and much more. For example, the “Non-existent animal” technique you don’t just need to draw it... You need to come up with a name for it, you can also ask additional questions. , which allow you to see a lot. For example: what does the animal eat? It is very indicative if it feeds on blood, people, something unpleasant or clearly inedible... It is also alarming if the animal does not have any sense organs. If it is too small. or, on the contrary, very large (barely fits on a sheet). High anxiety is determined if, when asked: “Where does this animal live?”, the answer is some uninhabited places, for example, space, Antarctica, underground... Alarming a sign is the moment when some mechanical parts (antennas, transmitters, screens, etc.) are screwed into the animal’s body (or growing or made) or an excess of aggressive elements: claws, stings, saws, needles... If the animal does not have pronounced limbs or sensory organs, perhaps humanoid, but with pressed hands (paws) and heavily shaded eyes, this may indicate problems with communication... In conclusion, try to feel for yourself (just feel for now) what kind of people drew the drawings that I am attaching: ) And also draw your non-existent animal, and the next day look at it with “fresh eyes” and think about what you can say about it: what is it like? what is his character? what emotions? what does it want? what to be afraid of?