Le dessin d’un animal sauvage et d’une personne (DWAP: Draw-a-Wild-Animal-and-a-Person)

Abstract

Drawing has long been used as a projective assessment tool. It is appropriate for psychotherapy and art therapy to develop tools capable of assessing how the client relates to their emotional and unconscious personal experience, the defense mechanisms used by the client and his ego strength. Drawing a wild animal and a person (DWAP: Draw-a-Wild-Animal-and-a-Person) in action could provide relevant information in this regard. The wild animal may symbolize elements originating from the deepest layers of the unconscious while the person may depict elements closer to the conscious self. Some data from its implementation and an example of its implementation are presented with a view to introducing the tool to therapists and researchers. Further research on this evaluation tool would be advisable.