Evening star., 1942-03-19
Of Sturs, Men
And Atoms
Notebook Of Science Progress.
In Laboratory, Field
And Study
BIZ Thomas r. Henru.

By Thomas r. Henry.
When adults play with toys they re-
veal hidden depths of their personalities
This is the basis Of new kind Of psy-
choanalysis reported to the American
Psychological Association by Drs. Hedda
Bolgar, New York psychologist, and Lot
te Fischer of San Paulo. Brazil. They got
the idea from an early novel by H. G..
Wells.
Those taking the test build their own
dream world and so reveal their con-
flicts with the actual world in which
they live. A subject Is taken into a
room with an assortment OF 232 toys,
the sight Of which would drive any
child into ecstacies. There are toy
houses, toy furniture, men, women, sol.
diers. wild and domestic animals, trees,
streets, trains, automobiles. The average
adult still is child at heart, and takes
delight in making things out OF the
materials provided.
Some build neat little village with
church in the center, tree shaded
streets, policemen on the corners, chill
dren playing on green lawns. Some
build rural scene with cattle grazing
peacefully in pastures. Some build up
a desert island, or some jungle scene
full OF wild animals. Some use nearly
every object provided while some, with
poor imaginations and starved lives, can
find places for only few. Curiously, it
was reported to the psychologists, war
scenes seldom are produced and toy
soldiers. so popular with children, make
very little appeal to adults, even If their
minds are disordered
1t is all like a dream while wide
awake and the psychologists are able to
apply to 1t some of the principles Of
psychoanalysis. The wild animals be-
come symbols of suppressed desires, the
church a symbol Of religious yearnings.
Many make the center Of the scene a
fine mansion. symbolic OF their own
warnings for a better home. Some con-
strict perfectly ordered towns with
straight streets and square corners.
Others construct a hodgepodge with
crooked streets, streets ending in a river,
and persons distributed without any
reason. This indicates the degree OF Or
derliness of the builders mind.
Every remark made while playing with
the toys is recorded and is considered
In the final Interpretation of the case.
There are deliberate pitfalls Toys OBJ
vlously intended to represent sitting
persons are provided but there are no
chairs. II these manikins are used. the
subject must have the ingenuity to con-
struct furniture for them to sit on. The
degree of irritation expressed and the
difficulties encountered in solving simple
construction problems are recorded.
When the play world is finished It is
Photographed and kept as a permanent
case record, to be studied at leisure by
the psychiatrist. The great ADVANTAGE,
DR.. Bolgar explained. is that it is non
verbal. While words spoken may clarity
the Interpretation they are not neces-
sary. The individuals imagination is
applied directly to objects without the
mediation Of words which themselves
have secondary symbolic meanings and
may be used deliberately to deceive The
same might be true Of the manipulation
OF the toys except that the subject has
no idea of what the test is intended to
reveal. He is told to play with the toys
just as If they had been given him when
child. There is no wrong or right an
swer to anything. as would be the case
with most verb tests.
The plan is, DR.. Bolgar said, to estab-
lish normal pattern of response. Al
ready the test has been applied to
groups of normal persons Of average in
telligence in New York City and DR..
Fischer is doing the same in Brazil in or
der to get the standard pattern of vari-
Gus racial groups. The response of every
person will be slightly different, DR. Boil
gar said. but the tests thus far conducted
show that there are only a few standard
patterns. Marked deviations from these
are expected to show deviations from
the normal personality and thinking
patterns.
An important factor, she explained, Is
the order in which the toys are chosen.
This is apt to show the dominant in
took a toy lion and then constructed
his entire play world around this saw
age beast it would require lot of in
terpreting on the part of the psychia-
artist. Or, she said, supposing person
built railroad track leading to river
with no bridge and then placed on it
a train filled with people headed in
the same direction-it would mean de-
structive impulses surging in the person S
mind
On the basis of the test conducted.
personality profiles are being established
which will serve as measures of normal
ity Deviations from them. interpreted
in the light of what already is known
of the persons history, may not show
abnormality but will reveal hidden dis
contents with life. Thus a city dweller
who proceeded to construct a peaceful
rural scene would be shown longing for
the scenes Of long past childhood and
this longing might be coloring his whole
life
The use which person makes OF
a toy in particular setting, DR.. Boil
gar says, reveals whether the object is
a subconscious symbol. For example,
nearly 80 percent of subjects who make
use of toy dog place it as companion
of human being. If the animal is used
alone the probability is that it means to