Examining the Mood States and Self-Representations of Psychology Students Through the Cactus Drawing Test and Discourse Analysis

By use of the Draw a Cactus Test and discourse analysis, this study investigates the emotional states and self-representations of psychology students. Under a qualitative research model, the study included 150 psychology students whose drawings were assessed utilizing a projective evaluation method. Thirty participants—selected based on pre-defined theme criteria—were also semi-structured in-depth interviews whose responses were subjected to discourse analysis. Chi-square tests were used to investigate the correlation between drawing traits and psychosocial tendencies; logistic regression analysis was then used to find important predictive elements. The results show interesting correlations between individuals’ psychological characteristics and drawing preferences. Especially, externalized hostility and domesticity turned out to be important factors affecting the dependent measurements. The discourse analysis also showed that those who strongly felt inclined to defend personal boundaries tended to show big, spiky cactus, whilst those who were emotionally tired usually showed solitary, isolated cacti. On the other hand, those showing more adaptability and suppleness created cactus with more symmetrical and ordered structures. These findings highlight the need of combining projective approaches with discourse analysis to better grasp personal inner psychological processes. Combining drawing-based projective techniques with qualitative analytical methods can provide a complete way of evaluating psychology students’ professional progress and psychosocial traits, the study underlines.