Differences between human figure drawings of child molesters and control groups

Abstract

The present research attempted to identify differences between human figure drawings of adult and juvenile child molesters and adult and juvenile control groups, based on ratings obtained for various psychodiagnostic signs (N = 75). Eleven reliable signs were identified. Results of significance tests on each of the 11 signs revealed that adult molesters drew the female larger than the male. Also, molesters as a group produced drawings of poorer gender differentiation than did the controls as a group and drew the male figures with blank or missing eyes. The overall quality of the molesters' drawings was rated as significantly poorer than that of the control's drawings. Results of a factor analysis for the 11 signs revealed, for the molesters, a first factor of overall quality with a component of gender identity confusion, a second factor of figure‐size only, a third factor of fingers only, and a fourth factor of hidden eyes/hidden hands. Copyright © 1986 Wiley Periodicals, Inc., A Wiley Company