The child’s affective relationships in the family and in class: Graphic representations compared

In sequence, family and school are the first fundamental settings in which the child’s affective, emotional, social and cognitive growth takes place. Two images of the child are formed, separately, in these two groups, the “filial” image and the “scholastic” image, which inevitably merge together, seeking a conformation, in the personality of the child (cf. Liverta Sempio, Marchetti, 1995). This investigation aims to evaluate and compare the affective relationships experienced by the child in the family and in the class, as observable from the child’s drawings. The study involved 105 primary school students (60 males, 45 females) in Piemonte, of whom 65 were in the first cycle (first and second grades) and 40 in the second cycle (fourth and fifth grades), analyzing a total of 210 drawings. Drawings of the family and the class were produced and analyzed as suggested by Tambelli, Zavattini, Mossi (1995) and by Quaglia and Saglione (1990) respectively. It was found that there are graphic differences according to the subjects’ gender and age group. Comparison between the findings that emerged from the Family Drawing and those from the Class Drawing pointed to common aspects and specific features of the depicted settings