House, Tree and Person Personality Test (HTP)

House, Tree and Person Personality Test (HTP)
Introduction
House, Tree and Person is a personality test in which the individual draws a house, tree
and person which is later interpreted by the psychometrician or clinician to measure the
aspects of his/her personality.
 Author Name: John Buck
 Published Date: 1948
 Administration Age: Age 3 and up
Rationale
The main purpose of this test is to identify the aspects of a person’s personality.
Furthermore, this test’s interpretations provide information about emotional, psychological,
and mental health status of the individual. This test can also assess general mental
functioning and brain damage.
Administration
The client was seated on a chair and confirmed that she was comfortable. Consent
was taken from the client before starting the test. The client was guided that they were going
to conduct an activity that would take twenty minutes. She was told that she will be provided
with a blank paper and she needed to draw on it as instructed. The client was first instructed
to draw a house on it with a pencil during which the trainee asked her questions regarding the
house she was drawing. After that, she was asked to draw a tree and was inquired about it.
Lastly, the client drew a person and answered the trainee on the questions regarding the tree.
No eraser was used during the test. Once the test ended, the trainee thanked the client and
was told she was free to go.
Behavioral Observation
The client was dressed comfortably and maintained hygiene. As she was in a familiar
setting, she seemed relaxed. She was maintaining eye contact. The client was focused and
showed compliance throughout the activity. The client seemed to honestly answer the
questions asked regarding the drawing. The client had a confident tone. After finishing the
activity she thanked the trainee and left.
Qualitative Interpretation
The client made a small, one-story house on one side of the page indicating low mood
and energy. House was of small size indicating the client’s murky relationship with her
mother and resentment towards motherhood. Strong lines indicated that the client wanted to
be protected and had anxious thoughts. The extra embellished roof suggests that the client
was attracted towards fantastical ideas and fantastical reality. The closed doors of the house
predict that she is not very social and has a very guarded personality and hesitation towards
socializing. No chimney indicates lack of warmth and passive nature. Direct pathway
indicated that the client was accessible and open to new opportunities. The client additionally
drew a ball, slide and a pond indicating a childish attitude towards life.
The client mentioned that the tree was mango tree and its age was 25 years old. This
indicated the general mental age of the client and mango tree suggested that client liked
summer season, thus the client was open to new beginnings and ideas. Bark of the tree was
drawn carefully suggesting that the client possess rigidity and compulsivity. Large trunk
suggests solidified ego .Branches were moving upwards indicating the client was of
ambiguous nature. Leaves were big and cloud shaped both shows aggressive tendencies.
There were no roots indicating insecurity.
A female person was drawn by the client. This represented the self. Head was of
adequate size indicating appropriate ego functioning. Hair was slightly emphasised
showcasing sexual inadequacy. Eyes were of appropriate size indicating no inner conflict.
Pointed nose specified sexual preoccupation. There were no ears indicating normalcy. The
client made closed and small mouth indicating passive aggressive behaviour. The client
didn’t emphasised on abdomen, teeth and lips. Arms were pointed and fists were balled
suggesting aggression and passiveness. The client made a doll in one hand and umbrella in
another. These two things suggest protectiveness and not letting go of past. Legs and feet
were both of appropriate size indicating awareness of autonomy and independence. No
breasts indicated sexual discomfort.
As house was drawn first, it indicated that client was concerned with her growth
and nurturance. Larger size of person and tree drawings indicated higher energy and self-
esteem, but smaller house showed rejection and withdrawal tendencies. Shading on roof
signified anxiety in the client.
Reference
Becker-Weidman, A. (2017). House-Tree-Person Projective Drawing Test. In: Zeigler-Hill,
V., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Personality and Individual Differences.
Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-28099-8_38-1

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