Wartegg test: what is it and how is this projective test used?

A psychological test belonging to the projective tests, based on drawings.

Psychological assessment is an omnipresent process in almost all areas in which this discipline can be applied: clinical and health, sports, personnel selection, academic guidance, etc.

From it we can extract important information from the person after having previously defined a clear purpose, which will serve as a guide throughout the process and define other variables that can be measured. This task involves an enormous variety of different procedures: from the interview to self-reports, including the systematic observation of a phenomenon and objective measures.

In this article we will describe the Wartegg test.The test is an evaluation tool classified as a projective test, whose use is widely spread in the field of Organizational Psychology.

What is the Wartegg test

The Wartegg test is a projective test.The Wartegg test is a projective test, like the iconic and well-known Roscharch test (in which a set of ink blots on white sheets must be interpreted to construct a coherent image from a stimulus of great ambiguity, which would allow the evaluator to infer the basic aspects of personality).

Its use arises from theoretical models that conceive the human being as an agent element in the construction of his reality, being able to give meaning to everything that happens to him through perceptual processes that combine experience and individuality. Thus, when faced with a situation of considerable indefinition, people would articulate a unique perceptual result from which their hopes and fears, their capabilities and aspirations could be inferred..

We will now present what this well-known assessment test looks like. Its application is usually carried out in the context of personnel selection processes, often subject to pre-established criteria and requirements. It requires the drawing of eight different figures for which the technical quality is not assessed, but rather the implicit meaning of the strokes. the implicit meaning of the strokes, the use of space and the integration of certain graphic elements..

What is the Wartegg test?

The Wartegg test physically consists of a single page, which contains a set of elements that the evaluated subject will have to complete during the process. First of all, at the top, there are all the basic identification data (full name, age, sex, date of completion, academic training and profession).

After filling in this information, the test itself begins. We will access a rectangle crossed by a horizontal line and three vertical lines, which divide it into 8 spaces of equal size (squares), where the free drawings will have to be drawn. Each of them contains a series of strokes inside, lines or curves. In an adjacent position to each of the squares there is also a small white rectangle.

In the second half of the sheet there are 8 numbered lines under the heading "drawing titles".These should be completed by assigning a sentence describing the content of each of the eight illustrations previously generated. At the end of this part, four questions are asked. These explore which drawings are considered favorites, as well as the degree of difficulty involved in drawing them.

How the Wartegg test is performed

This test takes between 25 and 35 minutes to complete; this includes identification, drawing the pictures and answering the different questions. The most time-consuming part is the elaboration of the drawings, which can be approached in the order in which it is considered appropriate, but clearly identifying the sequence chosen (by writing a number from 1 to 8 in a small rectangle, adjacent to the squares where it is drawn).

Each of the squares contains a series of simple shapes (lines, curves or figures) that serve as a preliminary indication, and from which a drawing should be drawn. a drawing that integrates them in its composition will have to be traced.. Four of these squares (1, 2, 7 and 8) have curves inside them, while the rest (3, 4, 5 and 6) have straight lines. Thus, the first ones will facilitate the elaboration of organic drawings (such as landscapes or animals) and the rest will suggest contents of a more artificial appearance.

After these drawings have been made, the person is asked to title them. It does not have to be through a precise statement describing its content, but more poetic or metaphorical elaborations can also be chosen. In any case, it should represent the way in which the person perceives his or her eight works, summarizing in a simple way how he or she sees them.

Finally, it should be indicated whether any of the images drawn during the drawing phase were particularly easy or difficult, as well as the preference for any of them. At this point the personal evaluation that emerges from the development of the test is explored.This also provides relevant information for its proper interpretation. After this step, the exercise can be finished.

How the Wartegg test is interpreted

This test explores essential aspects of personality using the precepts of the psychodynamic model. It includes the management of emotions, interpersonal relationships, expectations or ambitions, the soundness of the life project, the analysis of situations and values.

One of the first aspects that should be considered is the degree to which the person integrates the pre-established line or curve with the drawing that he/she has subsequently elaborated, since there are subjects who over-dimension the line or curve with the drawing that he/she has subsequently elaborated.There are subjects who overestimate its relevance and others who practically ignore its presence, suggesting a certain tendency towards anarchy or a firm following of the rules (respectively).

The author of this test (Ehrig Wartegg, 1930) considered that the structure of each of the contents to be treated (lines or curves) was a meeting point with executive problems that had to be solved, dealing with their physical properties and what these could suggest to the person evaluated: lightness, weight, rigidity, chaos, order, tension between opposites, insignificance, centrality, etc.).

We proceed to present each of the eight fields and a brief review of how they are interpreted.

Field 1

Only shows a point, of small dimensions, in the center of the space on which the drawing is to be made.. It represents the individuality, the way in which the person feels in relation to the environment that surrounds him/her. The wide white margins surrounding the tiny dot represent all that is external, that which is distinct from the person himself, while that one evidences the identity in immersion with the environment.

Field 2

Shows a subtle curved line in the upper left quadrant of the field to be filled in.similar to the small "ñ". This part explores the affective component of relationships, that is, the way in which the person shows him/herself emotionally to others. Depending on the respect of the spaces reserved for the symbol, the positive or negative valence of the bonds that develop in the social domain will be interpreted.

Field 3

It represents three straight lines located successively and parallel, of increasing length, in the lower left quadrant of this field. It alludes to ambition and the desire for growth. The way in which the person takes advantage of each of these lines, as well as the continuity solution he or she proposes for the progression (following or interrupting it), will offer information on how expectations are projected in personal challenges.

Field 4

This is a small black square in the upper right quadrant of the field. Through this figure the relationship with the unconscious and the capacity to elaborate deep cognitive contents at the level of the imagination is explored. The way in which this small geometry is integrated with the drawing suggests emotions of distress or tranquility, as well as maturity or immaturity in the strategies for dealing with affective problems. in strategies for dealing with affective problems.

Field 5

This is two separate diagonal lines, located in the lower left quadrant, whose convergence would form a cross. It assesses the regulation of energy and the tendency to act. The way in which the drawing is elaborated may suggest tendencies towards hostility or overt aggression, self-directed or heterodirected.self-directed or heterodirected. When the figures are adequately preserved they are suggestive of a person with dynamism and an appropriate sense of initiative.

Field 6

It is composed of two small straight lines, one horizontal and the other vertical, which are located in the upper half of the painting. Both shapes seem to suggest a certain sense of spatial continuity, which the person can take advantage of to seek a complete closure of the figure. In this case, reasoning and the role of the intellect are valued for the subject evaluated. It also specifies the ability to synthesize and discriminate the relevant from the irrelevant.

Field 7

It shows a linear succession of dots that form a crescent with an opening in its upper region, located in the lower right quadrant. It explores the most subtle aspect of sensitivity.even basic eroticism. It contemplates surrender, openness to others and aesthetic values, as well as the tendency to show attitudes of social care in interactions with others. The way in which the stippling is respected or not will suggest gentleness or roughness.

Field 8

It is formed by a long and marked curve, which extends transversely and occupies a good part of the upper half of the frame. It evaluates the tendency to seek protection, as well as the relationship that the individual maintains with his parents and the tendency to seek shelter in the group. The drawing generated from this predefined shape will indicate how the person feels about his or her ability to transcend adversity.

Final considerations

The Wartegg test is subject to constant testing for reliability and validity., incluyendo la modalidad interjueces, para determinar si su uso puede proporcionar información útil para entender la estructura de la personalidad.

Referencias bibliográficas:

• Crisi, A. y Dentale, F. (2016). The Wartegg Drawing Completion Test: Inter-rater agreement and criterion validity of three new scoring categories. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 16(1), 85-92.
• Soilevuo, J. y Gronnerod, C. (2012). The Wartegg Zeichen Test: A Literature Overview and a Meta-Analysis of Reliability and Validity. Psychological Assessment, 24(2), 476 - 489.