Using the Kinetic-Family-Drawing (KFD) to Assess Attachment in a Young Adult Population
Graduation Date
Fall 2013
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Document Form
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
Degree Granting Institution
Notre Dame de Namur University
Program Name
Art Therapy
Dean
John Lemmon, PhD
First Reader
Amy Backos, PhD, ATR-BC
Second Reader
Carol Melberg, MA, LMFT, ATR-BC
Abstract
This research explores how attachment style in a young adult population can be reflected in the Kinetic-Family-Drawing (KFD). It was hypothesized that participants who are assessed as having insecure or avoidant attachment styles will show greater prevalence of obstacles in the interaction between the self figure and the parent figure(s) as depicted in the KFD. It was also hypothesized that participants who have a secure attachment style will show fewer obstacles. The KFD was administered to 13 female college student and two measures were administered to determine attachment. Qualitative and quantitative analysis of the KFDs was conducted. The quantitative assessment of barriers present in the KFD did not support the hypotheses. However, it was concluded from the qualitative data that the KFD can be an important therapeutic tool in revealing information pertaining to attachment style and family dynamics in a young adult population.