A church filled with white calla lilies. A bright, red sports car. A child’s pink shoe. All these objects have one thing in common. They are reflections of a person’s personality. In 1947, Swiss psychotherapist Max Luscher suggested that a person’s favorite color could determine whothey were as an individual, what their current fears and obstacles were, and their desires for the future. Luscher put his findings in a simple tool known as the Color Diagnostic Test.
The Color Diagnostic Test’s Color Meaning
The Color Diagnostic Test has been revised over the years to understand people within the workplace, schools, and in counseling. Each of the eight colors that are represented in the test has deep psychological meaning. The first are based on the four primary colors of blue, green, red, and yellow. They are dark blue, blue-green, orange-red, and bright yellow. The auxiliary colors are violet, brown, black, and gray.
· (Dark) Blue means self-centeredness. A person who loves blue is in touch with his or her feelings and is full of love, affection, tenderness, sensitivity and contentedness
· Green-blue means self-assertion, self-esteem, and perceptiveness
· Red-orange is a warm and passionate color. Red-orange reflects masculinity and indicates sexuality and desire. The warmth of the color also lends itself to empathy, found in the orange half
· Yellow shows spontaneity and concern for others
· Brown is the color of comfort and security. A brown person can be insecure and yearns for deep-rooted longing
· Black is not a depressive color, but it is rebellious toward changes in life. A person who loves black is stubborn and full of hopelessness
· Violet is a mixture of red and blue. Because both colors are present, violet reflects identification. It means enchantment and reality in thought and desire
· Gray is a non-descript color. It means non-involvement and concealment
According to Luscher’s color meanings, the psychological meanings are reflections in nature. Yellow signals daylight and new beginnings. Since blue and black are considered “night”, there is a fear of unknown associated with them. Green signals the promise of health in vegetation. Lastly, when red is associated with brown, it means blood. Brown is linked to aggression. It is also known to be related to the bodily senses, or how we feel physically.
What Colors Mean Psychologically
According to the International Journal of Reality Therapy, primary colors in nature are built into our biological makeup. They provide a variety of physiological responses in terms of what we feel and think of ourselves. There are four psychological senses of self. Each asks a question regarding the inner self:
· Self-respect is reflected in greens, indicating persistence, willpower, stability, and fairness. The inner question: “Who do I want to be?”
· Self-confidence is reflected in red, indicating excitement, ambition, and energy. The inner question: is “How do I react to challenges?”
· Self-moderation is reflected in blues, indicating loyalty and determines attachment and connections within a relationship. The inner question: “How do I feel toward a person close to me?”
· Self-Development is reflected in yellow, indicating progress but also growth within ourselves.
· Yellow also is a big indicator of free spirit and self-expression. The inner question: “What do I expect from the future?”
Max Luscher’s Color Diagnostic Test suggests a new way in learning and understanding people. The test reflects a person based on their current personality seen by others, not by who they are trying to be. The test also indicates the struggles and desires of a person, via colors with deep psychological meaning.
Sources:
-Clifton, Daphni. “Basic Needs a New Light.” International Journal of Reality Therapy, Vol. XXVI, No. 1.
-Colors and Humans (Thinkquest.org)
-Luscher, Max. “The Color Quiz.”
-Snell, Teddye. “Feeling Blue? Relax, you’re happier than you think.” Tahlequah Daily Press. February 22, 2006.
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