The Self-Portrait as a Means of Self-Investigation, Self-Projection and Identification among the Primary School Population in Croatia

Oct 15, 2026

The self-portrait is examined as a visual and psychological mediator that supports self-reflection, self-awareness, and acceptance of the Self. Beyond artistic practice, its projective and reflexive features are positioned as valuable for diagnostic and potentially therapeutic purposes across the lifespan. The work reports a Croatia-based project implemented in fifth-grade art classes, using children’s expressive and projective drawing dimensions to explore diagnostic potential and to test how rational-cognitive teaching principles affect creativity and expression.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages22

Reading Time55 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

About the self-portrait and its use in the art class

Projective and diagnostic applications beyond art education

doi: 10.26529/cepsj.927 The Self-Portrait as a Means of Self-Investigation, SelfProjection and Identification among the Primary School Population in Croatia Dunja Pivac*1 and Maja Zemunik2 • The self-portrait is a reflection of the personality in a visual, physical sense, as a concrete form, a summary of the external characteristics of the artist, but also in a psychological sense, when the self-portrait becomes a mediator of communication with the self, a medium of self-investigation. In this way, the self-portrait exists as a means of self-reflection, self-awareness and acceptance of the Self. It contains three primary values: subjective, objective and the archetype. Considering that the self-portrait is not exclusively a means of introspection reserved only for artistic practice, but also includes activities of the entire population, ranging from early childhood to old age, the projective and reflexive features of this motif began tobe used for diagnostic and therapeutic purposes. These findings, as well the need for a new role for art teachers arising from the cognitive, emotional and moral needs of children and youth involved in the regular education system in the Republic of Croatia, gave rise to the project The Self-Portrait as a Means of Self-Investigation, Self-Projection and Identification, which was realised in the regular primary educational process, in fifth-grade art classes. The expressive and projective dimensions of children’s drawings, which can indicate the possibility of diagnostic and potentially therapeutic activity within the regular primary education system, were taken as a starting point. The project also sought to examine the impact of rational-cognitive principles of teaching on children’s creativity and expression. Keywords: children’s art expression, diagnostics, education, selfportrait, self-projection 1 *Corresponding Author. Arts Academy, University of Split, Croatia; [dunja.pivac@umas.hr](dunja.pivac@umas.hr). 2 Arts Academy, University of Split, Croatia. 144 the self-portrait as a means of self-investigation, self-projection and ... Avtoportret kot sredstvo samoraziskovanja, samoprojekcije in identifikacije med osnovnošolsko populacijo na Hrvaškem Dunja Pivac in Maja Zemunik • Avtoportret je odsev osebnosti v vizualnem, fizičnem smislu kot konkretna oblika, povzetek zunanjih lastnosti umetnika, pa tudi v psihološkemsmislu, ko avtoportret postane posrednik komunikacije s samim seboj, kot medij samoraziskovanja. Tako avtoportret obstaja kot sredstvo za samorefleksijo, samozavedanje in za sprejemanje jaza. Vsebuje tri osnovnevrste vrednot: subjektivno, objektivno in arhetip. Glede na to, da avtoportret ni izključno sredstvo introspekcije, rezervirano samo za umetniško prakso, ampak vključuje tudi dejavnosti celotne populacije, vse od zgodnjega otroštva do starosti, so se projektivne in refleksne značilnostitega motiva začele uporabljati za diagnostiko in terapevtske namene. Te ugotovitve pa tudi potreba po novi vlogi likovnih pedagogov, ki izhaja iz kognitivnih, čustvenih in iz moralnih potreb otrok in mladine, vključenih v redni izobraževalni sistem na Hrvaškem, so sprožile projekt Avtoportret kot sredstva samoraziskave, samoprojekcije in identifikacije, ki je bil uresničen v rednem osnovnošolskem procesu pri pouku likovnevzgoje v petem razredu. Kot izhodišče so bile vzete izrazne in projektivne dimenzije otroških risb, ki lahko izkazujejo možnosti diagnostične in potencialne terapevtske dejavnosti v okviru rednega osnovnošolskega sistema. Projekt je poskušal preučiti tudi vpliv racionalno-kognitivnih načel poučevanja na ustvarjalnost in izražanje otrok. Ključne besede: otroško likovno izražanje, diagnostika, izobraževanje, avtoportret, samoprojekcija Introduction: About the self-portrait and its use in the art class One’s own character, one’s own reflection and personal reflections are enduring human fascinations. The need to study and question oneself developsin p

FAQs

How does the document define the role of the self-portrait in self-investigation?

It describes the self-portrait as a visual and psychological mediator for communication with oneself, enabling self-reflection, self-awareness, and acceptance of the Self.

Why is the self-portrait considered useful outside exclusively artistic practice?

The document argues that projective and reflexive features of the motif support diagnostic and potentially therapeutic purposes across a wide population range.

What was the educational project’s main focus in primary art classes?

The project, implemented in fifth-grade art, used children’s expressive and projective drawing dimensions to explore diagnostic and potential therapeutic activity, and examined the impact of rational-cognitive teaching principles on creativity and expression.

Oct 15, 2026

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