Method "Man in the Rain": description and general provisions

The inner world of man, his experiences and contradictions are always connected with the external world. They can not always be locked up, but they find all possible ways out, signaling themselves in habits, behavior and creative search. For example, children's drawings are often told more to psychologists than simple communication with a child. They are able to extract information from the most secret corners of the child's soul and at an early stage reveal serious mental problems. Starting from these principles of interaction between the soul and the surrounding world, a drawing technique was created, "Man in the Rain." With regard to children, she is able to tell how the child reacts to stress, whether he is able to overcome life's difficulties, what are his protective functions in dangerous situations. What is the essence of the methodology and on what parameters are the conclusions formed?

Description of the procedure

One of the versions of the psychological test "Human Figure" is the method "Man in the Rain." The description of it is quite simple. The subject is asked to draw a corresponding picture, where the rain is associated with stress, and the painted person - with the image of the author himself. Depending on what actions this person does and what surrounds him, one can say what patterns of behavior and emotions the child lives in an uncomfortable situation for him. Whether he tries to overcome it or, on the contrary, passes, tries in every possible way to evade, to escape ...

Practical application of the methodology

The method "Man in the Rain" is applicable to people of any age, but it has reached the greatest popularity and effectiveness in studies of school adaptation. So, for many teachers and psychologists, one of the main goals is to study the interaction of first-graders and help them to quickly learn in a new team. We need to help children overcome fears and complexes, cope with stressful situations outside the school so that they do not interfere with the learning process in the future. To achieve this, you must choose the right remedy. It should quickly and accurately cover the entire flow of first-graders and provide extensive information for drawing up a correct psychological picture.

Projective methodology "Man in the Rain" - the most accurate and verified system for assessing the nature and strong-willed qualities of the child. It will help in a short time to conduct a diagnosis and give the specialist the necessary information. The authors of this drawing method are ES Romanova and TI Sytko. They proceeded from the fact that the person's personal resources and protective mechanisms are more clearly and fully manifested when he faces an unfavorable situation - in this case rain. Children especially acutely and sensitively perceive the world around them, so the image of the natural phenomenon and the meeting of a person with it can give a very emotional and profound answer to the questions of social adaptation and help to form a correct decision in eliminating psychological blocks, fears and complexes.

Basic Provisions

The method "Man in the Rain" for children in its classical version is implemented in two stages. At first it is suggested to draw just a person, then a condition is added - rain. Thus, the psychologist receives from the child two drawings. The difference is sometimes just amazing. It changes not only the emotional background due to the landscape, but also the image of the person, the use of paints. Also, specialists have revealed the difference between the pictures of girls and boys, which indicates the gender features of social adaptation. In general, there are several key provisions or parameters on which the methodology "Man in the Rain" is based. The analysis of drawings takes place exactly according to the size of the figure and the figure of the person, to his actions, age and sex, color palette, as well as landscape and additional subjects.

Picture size

In this category, the human figure is correlated with negative attributes (rain drops, puddles, clouds, lightning). Abundance and non-standard sizes of the last speak about inability to accept stressful situations and to try to solve them quickly. The reverse situation in addition to the accuracy of the drawing, its aesthetics indicates a sufficient personal resource that allows the child to easily adapt to an unusual environment.

Shape Size

A considerable emphasis in the analysis falls on the size of the human figure. The small size speaks of some impotence and the need for support. The indicator of the loss of the support (the soil under the feet) can also be the too large size of the figure of the "man in the rain", when it is enlarged so much that only the body is placed on the sheet of paper, the legs remain "outside the figure".

Attention is also paid to the position of the figure itself relative to the center of the picture. The loss of it and the displacement indicate the internal discomfort of the child, the loss of the inner core or "center", which arose due to unfavorable situations. These include the same adaptation to new conditions and conditions.

Human Action

Every detail in the children's drawing gives an answer to a number of questions posed by experts and the projective methodology "Man in the Rain." Interpretation of actions or omissions of the main character speaks about the readiness to overcome difficulties or to pass in front of them. However, the nature of the actions can be different. A person can stand, walk safely, flee, jump and rejoice, sit or lie in a puddle. Each option, as a rule, directly correlates with the actual behavior of the child under adverse factors.

Sex and age

The floor of the figure indicates the readiness to make decisions. Numerous studies have shown that boys do not always draw a male figure, but girls are female. In this case, sex symbolizes the model of behavior when resolving a stressful situation, namely: male and female. The first is characterized by determination, responsibility, active actions in the search for an exit. The female model of behavior is characterized by passivity, vulnerability, domination of intuition. " Sex change " rights in the figure - this is a clear pointer to change the style of behavior, response.

Often in children's work, the age of the main character also changes. It is clear that the person depicted is a direct projection of the author of the picture. Therefore, the age in this case can be interpreted as the level of qualities that help the child make decisions. Thus, the image of an adult person may indicate discretion, even some wisdom in difficult situations, or speaks of the need for support, support from adults. The image of the child in the rain indicates the author's childhood. Analytical reference of the method "Man in the Rain" in this situation gives an assessment of the character of the author on the actions of the drawn figure and the general mood of the picture.

Colour

An important role is given by the method "Man in the Rain" and the color palette of children's drawings. Usually the child uses the favorite colors, so purple puddles, blue or pink rain can be depicted. The very human figure, as a rule, is the same color and rainbow. However, in studies there were also contrasting drawings, where the rain and clouds were painted in a dark and gloomy color, and the person, on the contrary, is represented by light or bright tones. Using a wide color palette and contrasting a person with the natural elements speaks of a clear awareness of the child's stress and themselves in this uncomfortable situation. Thus, color is a manifestation of the unconscious, an indicator of the author's relationship to himself, the rain and the situation.

Remedies

Additional attributes in the figure also fall under the psychological assessment. So, the most predictable are the images of an umbrella, a raincoat, a hood, a cape. Man, putting on these means of protection, can safely continue to engage in normal affairs - this is quite natural. However, sometimes, despite the umbrella and other elements, rain still penetrates into the human space. For a specialist, this serves as a signal that the usual protective mechanisms no longer work, and a new style of behavior and response to negative external influences is needed. There is another type of drawing, when it is depicted in a raincoat or with an umbrella, but there is no rain, no clouds. With such a composition, the methodology "Man in the Rain" is rarely encountered. Interpretation of it is reduced to the characterization of the author as a man of super-protection, always ready to strike. He quite successfully overcomes stress, but at the same time is in constant tension. Is the game worth the candle? It is this issue that the child must solve together with the psychologist.

Landscape

In addition to the rain, the pictures show clouds - the cause of rain, and puddles - its effect. Sometimes a small rain pours from the huge clouds. This means that the negative expectations, the author's fears often surpass reality. Puddles method "Man in the Rain" interprets as excessive sensitivity of the child, the ability to long to worry about the unpleasant factors, "carry a sediment."

However, there are also positive images (for example, a rainbow, a sunshine, flowers). As a rule, they point to the resources that promote favorable psychological adaptation. Negative symbols, on the other hand, exacerbate the stressful situation and require the intervention of a specialist.

The emotional background of the drawing (positive or negative) is built from the totality of its parameters. If the figure of the person in the rain is active, the accompanying positive symbols are drawn, then the child has enough personal resources to withstand the stress. If the picture is dominated by negative parameters, the child is offered to verbally compose the story to the image. And already from it you can get information about the opportunities to withstand unfavorable factors.

Psychological Commentary

Projective methodology "Man in the Rain" is an entertaining and surprisingly accurate way to collect the necessary information about the emotional state of the child, his needs, safety, protective mechanisms in stressful situations. And also it is able to show the level of need for self-esteem, self-realization and personal self-improvement. For psychologists, the results of a drawing test determine the degree of work on the style of child behavior, response to stress. When identifying problems and psychological barriers, specialists should address the correct formation of a child's meaningful attitude to adverse effects, an understanding of their causes and effects.

The "Man in the Rain" method for preschool children is a unique opportunity to anticipate and prevent psychological problems, prepare children for possible situations, thereby smoothing out harsh and negative reactions.

Observations

The drawings of children who are brought up in boarding schools are of the greatest interest. After all, each of them already has behind him a huge baggage of experiences (divorce or death of parents, their alcoholism and deprivation of parental rights, etc.). As a rule, the figures depicted are defenseless before the rain, which is a symbolic projection. The deformed image, the inability to disassemble the gender and age of the character, the fuzzy lines indicate that traumatic situations do not allow to be resistant to influences, change the perception of the child's world and the image of his "I".