Emotional literacy

Anger
With drawing the four feelings one is wanting to know if the child (or adult) has the word A.N.G.E.R. (and the 3 others) connected up with the right emotional experience. One looks for these kind of things. Below are two drawings of anger and one searches for the right signs in the drawing.

Do they draw the appropriate facial expressions and body posture and paraphernalia?





These are two interesting drawings of anger. At least at the surface level they indicate a good level of emotional literacy with anger.

The second drawing has clenched fists, exposed teeth, eyes and eyebrows right for the emotion. This is a good sign that they have A.N.G.E.R. and the correct emotional experience connected together.

Further investigation would look into the BOOM and the swirling thing above the head. One is looking for the possibility of explosive anger with the boom and when angry the person experiencing a kind of swirling effect in the head or some kind of change in the consciousness. It is most likely this is not the case and one is kind of ruling the out possibility. But it may lead to something of this kind.

In the first drawing of anger we also have the teeth, the clenched fist and words that are appropriate to anger. Also we have the appropriate paraphernalia with an axe with what seems to be blood dripping from it. Again one would need to rule out the possibility of the inappropriate expression of anger with the use of physical violence as symbolised by the axe. Or the person may have come from a background where anger and physical violence went together. Or it may indicate a very intense level of the experience of anger for the individual.

However in summary both the drawings show a satisfactory level of emotional literacy with anger and areas where subsequent questioning could occur.

Happy


This is a good drawing of happy as the picture has a happy feel to it and the figure looks appropriate with the smile, relaxed posture, the cat and the serene surroundings. Thus indicating reasonable literacy levels with this emotion.

With this emotion one also wants to assess the persons social life. In this drawing the person is alone and not with others or engaged in interactions with others. Subsequent questioning would be on this area. However the instruction was to draw a happy person and not draw a happy person with others so that is the usual explanation one gets when questioning like this.

With such questioning one is looking for this emotion to be experienced in interactions with others particularly others who are of emotional importance to the child such as the parents, (or with adults the spouse).

In the picture the figure looks to be patting the cat. This could be a sign of the NP ego state. It is OK to experience happy feelings whilst in NP and I would be asking about the person experiencing happy just for them self and not when looking after some thing else like an animal or another person.

Scared

If you want to see it larger simply click on the photograph

This is an interesting drawing and reflects the possibility of some level of illiteracy with this emotion. The small figure, wanting to be alone and possibly hiding behind a wall. These are not good signs as in this emotion one is wanting the person to be seeking out others who can provide safety and support. Could indicate the beginnings of the hurried child syndrome.

Graffiti