In what was a sort of active Rorschach test, Machover had patients draw a man and a woman. Then, based upon those figures' expressions, postures, and positions on the page, she made inferences about the patient's psychological makeup. Hammer was an intern when he learned of, and was intrigued by, Machover's work. He convinced his superiors to let him use drawings as part of his analysis, and then Hammer took Machover's method one step further. He began to look at doodles, a notion that has since gained widespread acceptance in psychology's post-Freudian precincts.
Doodles carry an array of symbols.
Some clear and uncontestable, others obscure and concealed. Koren, and other doodle analysts, have found some reliable indicators. The idle drawing of kittens, puppies, and other non-aggressive animals reveals someone inclined to protect people around them. Doodling on the bottom of a page may be a sign of depression, while those who draw with light pressure on their pens or pencils probably have a high level of sensitivity. Doodles can also reveal a person's dark side.