Theoretical Perspectives

The Kinetic Family Drawing

(Burns & Kaufman, 1972)

• Humanistic Theory • Popularized by Rogers, Maslow, and May • The “phenomenon of personhood” • Values the context of someone’s life experiences

• Focus on the visual communication about the family experience/dynamic • Visual elements are viewed within real-world contexts • Values the individual experience and perspective

The Bird’s Nest

Drawing

Kaiser (1996)

• Attachment Theory • Popularized by John Bowlby • The impact of children who had lost their caregivers at an early age

• Four attachment styles • Ambivalent attachment • Avoidant attachment • Disorganized attachment • Secure attachment

• The BND focuses on the two main types of attachment • Secure attachment • Insecure attachment

Comparing & Contrasting

The Kinetic Family Drawing

• Type of assessment: Projective

• Purpose: To understand the individual’s self-concept and their interpersonal relationships

• Administration: • “Draw a picture of everyone in your family, including you, doing something” • Follow-up questions relate to what is happening in the picture and who is in the picture

The Bird’s Nest

Drawing

• Type of assessment: Projective

• Purpose: To assess for an individual’s attachment style

• Administration: • “Draw a picture of a bird’s nest” • On a separate piece of paper, give the drawing a title other than “Bird’s Nest” • Then write a story about your drawing using at least two to three sentences

Comparing & Contrasting

The Kinetic Family Drawing

• Number of drawings and

media:

• One 8.5x11 inch piece of drawing paper • No. 2 lead pencil

• Data analysis: • Standardized analysis that focuses on specific image characteristics as well as a grid that measures the distance between figures and figure size

The Bird’s Nest

Drawing

• Number of drawings and

media:

• One 9x12 piece of drawing paper • 8-pack of fine-line Crayola markers • A sharpened pencil with an eraser • An 8.5x11 inch piece of printer paper • Extra drawing paper

• Data analysis: • Standardized scale that analyzes 14 aspects of the drawing using a Likert scale

Comparing & Contrasting

The Kinetic Family Drawing

• Data analyzation:

Characteristics of the drawing are summarized in an analysis sheet covering actions, drawing style, and use of symbols

• Treatment planning: Family dynamics relates to how the individual sees themselves and how they interact with the people around them

• Ethical considerations:

Assessment results have varying test re-test reliability • Results should inform treatment, but not dictate

The Bird’s Nest

Drawing

• Data analyzation: • Items 1-6 are added and averaged, then items 7-14 are added and averaged • The two numbers are then compared

• Treatment planning: Can predict how the therapeutic relationship will form • Also informs how the individual approaches environmental stimuli and pressures

• Ethical considerations:

Individuals may have history in being placed for adoption, being in foster care, and/or losing a caregiver early in life