Shading as an Index of Anxiety in Figure Drawings

Abstract

Summary This study tests the hypothesis that the amount of shading in a figure drawing is an index of anxiety. Twenty-three employed male subjects saw four films in sessions at one week intervals, as part of a study of the relation between pre-sleep experiences and dream content. Independent measures indicated that the two films designated as stressful aroused anxiety whereas the two neutral films did not. The findings in the figure drawings supported the hypothesis that amount of shading is an index of anxiety but only for the self-sex figure (p < .025).