Anxiety Elaboration Strategies in the Response Sequences of Scenes in the “Once...

• Author(s): Pires, Rute ; Fagulha, Teresa
• Date: 2002
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10451/4191
• Origin: Repositório da Universidade de Lisboa
• Subject(s): "Once-Upon-A-Time..." Test; Anxiety elaboration strategies; Personality assessment
• Document Type: Conference Object
• Language: English

Description

In this study we proceed to the identification of four anxiety elaboration strategies in the response sequences of scenes in the “Once-upon-a-time…” projective technique. A strategy which corresponds to the negation of the anxiety emotion – Negation –, two strategies which represent different means of positive dealing with anxiety – Operational Adaptative Strategy and Emotional Equilibration Strategy –, and a fourth strategy which represents the failure of the elaboration of this emotion – Impossibility – were conceived. In a sample of 100 children, from six to ten years old, without identified psychological difficulties, the evolution of the four strategies was studied according to their age and expressiveness in each of the seven cards of the “Once-upon-a-time…” technique. The process of growing implies an increase of the adaptative strategies – Operational Adaptative Strategy and Emotional Equilibration Strategy – and a decrease of the Negation and Impossibility. These findings were expected in theory and support the validation of the anxiety elaboration strategies that have been conceived. Comparing these results with those of 30 neglected children, from six to ten years old, whose emotional difficulties lead to their attendance at a Psychological Service, it was expected that, in this latter group of children, the adaptative strategies would be lower and the Negation and Impossibility of dealing with anxiety would be higher. There aren’t meaningful differences in the results of the two groups, although the neglected childrens’ group uses slightly more the Negation than the other group. Limitations of this second study, partly due to the low number of subjects, might have contributed to these results. It is our belief that this study improves the interpretative process of the “Once-upon-a-time…” technique and may contribute for a new branch of studies regarding this technique.