Fairy Tale Test (FTT-21)

Overview

The Fairy Tale Test (FTT-21) is a well-established projective psychological assessment designed to evaluate the personality, emotional functioning, and intrapsychic processes of children aged 6 to 12 years. Developed by Carina Coulacoglou, the FTT is based on the premise that the symbolic characters and narratives found in traditional fairy tales serve as powerful projective stimuli, enabling children to express their thoughts, emotions, internal conflicts, and unconscious wishes in a natural and non-threatening manner.

The assessment consists of 21 illustrated cards depicting familiar fairy tale scenes and characters, including Snow White, Little Red Riding Hood, the Wolf, the Witch, and other archetypal figures. Children respond to structured questions concerning the thoughts, emotions, motivations, and behaviors of these characters, indirectly revealing important aspects of their own psychological functioning. The FTT evaluates 29 personality dimensions, encompassing cognitive, emotional, and interpersonal domains such as anxiety, aggression, defense mechanisms, self-esteem, moral development, depressive tendencies, emotional maturity, social adjustment, family relationships, and attachment to significant caregivers.

Objective

The primary objective of the Fairy Tale Test (FTT-21) is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of children’s personality structure and socio-emotional functioning through a projective framework grounded in the symbolic meaning of fairy tales. The instrument facilitates the identification of emotional and behavioral difficulties while enhancing understanding of children’s internal conflicts, interpersonal relationships, and family dynamics.

More specifically, the FTT is designed to:

  • Assess children’s emotional development and personality characteristics.
  • Explore unconscious conflicts and defense mechanisms.
  • Evaluate attachment relationships and family functioning.
  • Examine anxiety, fears, aggression, depressive symptoms, and self-esteem.
  • Support the development of individualized psychological, educational, and therapeutic interventions.

Test Structure

The FTT-21 comprises 21 projective stimulus cards, each portraying symbolic scenes derived from well-known fairy tales. During administration, children are invited to interpret each scenario by describing the thoughts, feelings, intentions, and actions of the depicted characters. Responses are systematically coded according to a standardized scoring system that generates profiles across 29 distinct personality variables, providing a multidimensional representation of the child’s emotional and psychological functioning.

Applications

The FTT-21 is widely employed in clinical child psychology, child psychiatry, school psychology, developmental psychology, and psychological assessment. It is particularly useful for evaluating children presenting with emotional, behavioral, social, or adjustment difficulties. Beyond clinical practice, the instrument is extensively utilized in research investigating child personality development, emotional regulation, family relationships, attachment patterns, and psychological adjustment.

The assessment can also be administered alongside other standardized instruments, such as the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL), Beck Youth Inventories (BYI), and the Aggression Questionnaire, thereby enhancing convergent validity and providing a more comprehensive psychological evaluation.

Scoring and Psychometric Evaluation

Responses are scored using a standardized coding system that converts qualitative responses into quantitative ratings across the 29 personality dimensions. Unlike many psychometric questionnaires, the FTT does not produce a single global score. Instead, it generates an integrated psychological profile that requires interpretation by appropriately trained mental health professionals, who consider both individual personality dimensions and the child’s overall response pattern.

Research applications of the FTT frequently include analyses of internal consistency (Cronbach’s α), exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA/CFA), correlation analyses, and group comparisons to investigate associations between personality characteristics and broader psychological or social outcomes.

Psychometric Properties

The Fairy Tale Test has been extensively standardized and validated across multiple cultural contexts. The original Greek standardization was conducted between 1989 and 1992 using a sample of 800 children attending public schools in the Attica region, followed by a re-standardization between 2001 and 2003 involving a comparable sample of children aged 6–12 years. The instrument has subsequently been translated, adapted, or standardized in numerous countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, Russia, Brazil, China, and India, supporting its cross-cultural applicability.

Empirical studies have demonstrated satisfactory construct validity, factorial validity, and convergent validity, supported by significant correlations with internationally recognized measures of child behavior, aggression, and psychopathology. These findings establish the FTT-21 as a reliable and scientifically supported projective instrument for assessing child personality and emotional functioning.

References

Coulacoglou, C. (2000). The Cross-Cultural and Clinical Values of Fairy Tales and the Fairy Tale Test. Journal of Psychology and Mental Health, 8(2), 149–152.

Coulacoglou, C. (2002). Construct Validation of the Fairy Tale Test: Standardization Data. International Journal of Testing, 2(3–4), 217–242.

Coulacoglou, C., Souyoudzoglou, M., & Atsarou, A. (2002). Un estudio de la agresividad en los niños mediante el “Test de los Cuentos de Hadas”. Revista Iberoamericana de Diagnóstico y Evaluación Psicológica, 13(1), 9–27.

Coulacoglou, C., Souyoudzoglou, M., & Atsarou, A. (2003). Étude vers la compréhension et l’évaluation de l’ambivalence chez l’enfant. Le Carnet Psy, 80, 25–31.