A Study on the Psychometric Properties of the Fairy Tale Test (FTT)

Abstract

The Fairy Tale Test (FTT) is a projective personality measure that provides a comprehensive evaluation of the child’s personality. The test consists of 21 cards that depict popular fairy tale characters that are administered in sets of three. Having three versions of the same character allows the child to project different aspects of self and activates the emergence of several defense mechanisms such as undoing, reaction formation, and splitting. The test is administered in the form of a semi-structured interview. Children’s responses are interpreted in a quantitative and qualitative way. Quantitative interpretation includes the rating of 30 personality variables on a 1–3 scale, while qualitative evaluation consists of the analysis of ego functions and the nature of anxiety. The FTT was standardized in Greece on a sample of 873 nonclinical children. The construct validity was examined through the application of factor analyses that led to the formation of 13 first-order and 5 second-order factors. Criterion validity included the comparison of the FTT factors with those derived from the AQ, the BYI, and the CBCL. The results confirmed the dichotomy of reactive and proactive aggression and disclosed their association with victims and bullies.