Abstract

ANTONIO, Lígia Rosado  and  BARBIERI, Valeria. PSYCHODYNAMICS OF OBESE ADOLESCENTS IN THE THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST (TAT) – PARISIAN SCHOOL. Psicol. clin. [online]. 2022, vol.34, n.3, pp.509-530.  Epub Aug 02, 2024. ISSN 0103-5665.  https://doi.org/10.33208/pc1980-5438v0034n03a04.

The aim of the present study was to investigate the psychodynamics of obese adolescents through the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), based on the Parisian School theoretical framework. Seven adolescents, aged 12 to 14 years, took part in the study. It was found that, among the problems addressed by the TAT, the most common was the fear of the drive expressions, followed by resurgence of the Oedipus conflict and the fear of helplessness, while the desire for autonomy and the mourning for childhood were less frequent. Regarding the defensive procedures, the ones most used belonged to C series (conflict avoidance) and to A series (rigidity), followed by B series (lability), whereas those in E series (emergence of primary processes) were barely used. The participants signaled the possibility of good development of inter-personal relationships; however, inhibition, difficulty of symbolization and expressing drives were common traits. The adolescents were also shown to keep mostly submissive to their parents, with scant investment in their own inner world.

Keywords : obesity; adolescence; emotional development; projective methods; Thematic Apperception Test.

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