Human Figure Drawing Indices of Sexual Maladjustment in Male Felons

Two figure drawing characteristics (the presence of nudity and drawing the opposite-sex figure first) purported to reflect sexual maladjustment were shown to be positively related to each other in a population of 1,000 male felons. Adult felons drew the male figure first significantly less frequently than did normal adults, adolescent delinquents and most other populations studied, and thus apparently have greater problems in establishing a masculine sexual identification. The presence of nudity in figure drawings is less common in the adult felon group than in the adolescent delinquent group. There was no relationship between the variables of type of criminal offense, ethnic group, age, intelligence, MMPI Mf score and sex of the first-drawn figure.