earticle

영어

This study examined the characteristics of childhood depression that appear in figure therapy processes, and investigated the availability of figure therapy in the diagnosis/assessment of the problems. The following research questions directed the study: In this study, diagnosis-assessment of figure therapy were given to depressed children, the psychological characteristics that the depressed children showed in ego exploration, family relation structure, and hierarchial order among peers were investigated, and the figure therapy is to be used as a diagnosis- assesment tool. First, the level of child’s depression was reflected in an animal figure that a child represented as himself or herself. Second, the child’s depression was reproduced as it is in how a child determined the location, size, and appearance of animal figures in relation to family members. Third, the level of the child’s depression was shown in how he or she set up the location, size, and appearance of the animal figure in relation to peers. The significance of this study has laid the groundwork for further research to diagnose and assess childhood depression more effectively using the figure therapy diagnosis-assessment in the initial stage of therapy.