126 • Introduction to Art Therapy
Two psychologist/art therapist teams designed similar studies in the late 1960s, inde-
pendent of one another. Each asked the simple question of whether individuals could judge
psychopathology from spontaneous art. Could they tell which picture was done by a patient
and which was done by a nonpatient? The judges in a study using adult paintings (Ulman &
Dachinger, 1975) were more successful than those in one using child art products (Rubin,
2005a). Although in neither case was success related to years of clinical experience, a subse-
quent study suggested that training art therapists to assess artwork by adult patients could
increase their accuracy (Ulman & Levy, 1981).
Art therapist researchers have questioned most generalizations about patient art. Even
though art therapists consult that literature, they tend to be nondogmatic, largely because
of the impact of their direct experience. Wadeson, working at the National Institutes of
Mental Health (NIMH), designed a series of studies to identify the characteristics of pic-
tures by people with various disorders, which she summarized in her first book (1980).
In addition to trying to be precise and descriptive, Wadeson sought a phenomenological
understanding of a patient’s experience. She asked for drawings such as: a self-portrait,
what it was like to be depressed (Figure 6.5), to have delusions or hallucinations, or to
be in a locked space. Like many art therapists, she often included a free drawing in her
assessment battery.
Figure 6.5 “Corridor of Loneliness” by a depressed patient.