The Use of Projective Drawing Techniques In the Personality Assessment of Prelingually Deafened Young Adults: A Pilot Study

This pilot investigation attempted to determine the efficacy of using projective drawing techniques to obtain a reliable and valid personality assessment of deaf young adults. Thirty-three young deaf adults were asked to produce drawings following the House-Tree-Person technique. Psychologists rated the subjects' drawings on scales measuring aggression, anxiety, insecurity, impulsivity, immaturity, egocentricity, dependency and feelings of inadequacy. Interrater reliability was established with four scales: aggression, impulsivity, immaturity and feelings of inadequacy. Validity was established for five of the personality trait scales (aggression, impulsivity, immaturity, egocentricity and dependency) by comparing psychologists' ratings of the drawings with trained counselors' clinical observations. Finally, subjects' sex and mothers' employment were found to correlate significantly with high ratings on the reliable and valid scales.