Are large drawings signs of psychological expansion or effects of drawing skills? A critical evaluation of Wartegg drawing size categories in a Finnish sample.

In the Wartegg Drawing Completion Test, drawings which are larger than the norm size are interpreted as signs of the personality trait of expansion. The popular handbook by Wass and Mattlar (2000) includes a graphic presentation of the size norms. We scored 351 test blankets into the size categories small, normal and large following these norms. Only 14% of the drawings fitted into the category of normal size, while 13% were small and 73% were large. We also evaluated the test blankets according to drawing ability into five categories and found a high correlation between large size and drawing ability. The results show a need to re-evaluate the direct link between large size and expansion, as well as a need to modify the size norms.