Kinetic Family Drawing

Kinetic Family Drawing (KFD)
Reference: Burns & Kaufman. (1972). Actions, Styles, and Symbols in Kinetic Family Drawings (KFD): An Interpretative Manual. New York, New York: Brunner/Mazel, Inc.
Purpose: The KFD is a projective tool used to understand a client’s self-concept and interpersonal relationships.
Ages: No age limit is noted.
Materials: plain white paper (8 ½ X 11); #2 pencil
Administration: The evaluator hands the client a piece of paper and a pencil and states, “Draw a picture of everyone in your family, including you, DOING something. Try to draw whole people, not cartoons or stick people. Remember, make everyone DOING something – some kind of action” (Burns & Kaufman, 1972, p.5). There is no time limit, but it a good idea for the evaluator to remain cognizant of the time used.
Inquiry: There is not specific post-drawing inquiry, but it would helpful for the evaluator to ask an open-ended question or request about the drawing.
Interpretation: The evaluator uses the dictionary-style interpretive manual to explore the drawing’s style, the symbols used, the actions of individuals, and the actions between individuals. The evaluator also considers the distance between figures, size of the figures (as measured on a grid provided in the interpretative manual), barriers, and juxtaposition of the figures. Depicted defense mechanisms and omitted body parts should also be explored.
Strengths: This assessment provides a lot of information about a person and his or her perception of the familial dynamic in a quick drawing. The interpretative manual provides illustrated examples of actions, styles, and symbols.
Limitations: This drawing may be perceived as artistically challenging and relatively threatening because it is necessary to draw human figures in action. The manual is kind of difficult to use because of its organization. This assessment is not supported by empirical research.
Reflection: Of the drawings that we collected for this class, this one seemed to be the most true to the family-situation of my “clients.” I will definitely use this assessment in my practice to learn more about my client’s home life.