House-Tree-Person is a projective personality test, wherein a person responds to a given stimuli, and the responses give clues about the person's hidden emotions or internal conflicts. The individual taking the test is asked to draw primary objects like a house, tree, and a person; that's why the name. These drawings render a measure of self perceptions and attitudes inherent in a personality. The HTP test is adhered to, along with other techniques, in cases where there is likelihood of brain damage, other neurological disorders, or to evaluate brain damage in patients of schizophrenia. It can be taken in any language by anyone who is 3 years old or above. The test consumes around 150 minutes. The person taking the test is first asked to draw, and then is later questioned based on his/her illustration. Usually, the first phase of drawing is colored using crayons, and then pencil is used for the next phase. The instructions given to the test-taker are quite short and simple. "Draw me as good a house as you can", states it well. Once the picture of a house is completed, the test-taker is asked to draw a tree, and later a person. If we are told to draw some object, we might either shy away (for not being good at it) or we might enjoy the process itself (regardless of our artistic abilities). Whichever way, drawing gives us a sense of revisiting our childhood memories full of such fun activities. Similar to writing, the act of drawing forms a powerful medium for us to let our emotions out. As we know, and some of us might even have experienced, that forms of fine art, including drawing, are seen to be stress-releasing activities. Off the mind and onto the paper. This is the knack behind a psychological personality test like the House-Tree-Person test. It is like reading our minds from what we have scribbled or sketched on a sheet of paper. This test is a technique developed by John N. Buck, an early clinical psychologist in 1948, which was later updated in 1969. This, and such other contributions from him are remarkable.

This comprehensive, balanced guide to personality assessment, written by two of the foremost experts in the field, is sure to become the gold standard of texts on this topic. The Handbook of Personality Assessment covers everything from the basics, including a historic overview and detailed discussion of the assessment process and its psychometric foundations, to valuable sections on conducting the assessment interview and the nature, interpretation, and applications of the most popular self-report (objective) and performance-based (projective) measures. A concluding section of special topics such as computerized assessment, ethical and legal issues, and report writing are unique to this text.

The use of drawings to discover emotions, attitudes, and personality traits not verbally stated by a client is a valuable and widely used technique in psychoanalysis and psychotherapy. In this book, the author offers a highly practical introduction to the use and interpretation of projective drawings. Grounding his approach in self psychology, Dr. Leibowitz provides detailed information on how to interpret house, tree, man, woman, and animal drawings. By pairing clinical case examples with general interpretation guidelines, the book offers a thorough examination of projective drawings, making it a valuable text for beginners and an important reference source for the seasoned clinician. Interpreting Projective Drawings contains an impressive array of drawings, with over 175 total illustrations. Almost half of these drawings are from comprehensive case studies that follow adult patients from the beginning phase of treatment to their one-year (or more) status. These include over 30 chromatic illustrations that clearly demonstrate the importance of color in projective drawing interpretation. In addition to detailed information on how to interpret these five types of achromatic and chromatic drawings, the book also contains an appendix that offers examiner instructions, instructions for self-administration, and adjective lists to aid in interpretation. Together, these components make Interpreting Projective Drawings an essential resource for any mental health professional interested in using drawings to their fullest effect in their practice.

This book contains the first documentation of combining house, tree, and person into a single drawing. It helps enrich clinician's test batteries and aids psychologists and physicians in understanding the emotions and self-awareness of their clients. It is richly illustrated and teaches the important skill of using visual metaphors in clinical settings to understand and assist clients. The author covers all aspects of drawing interpretation, including size, placement, stroke or line characteristics, and the possible individual characteristics of each element within the house, tree, and person drawings.

First published in 1972. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.