Entre los días 23 y 27 del próximo agosto se celebrará la 15ª Conferencia Europea de Psicología del Desarrollo, organizada por la European Society for Developmental Psychology (ESDP) en la ciudad noruega de Bergen. Allí presentaré el artículo de investigación “The Bears Family Projective Test: Evaluating Stories of Children with Emotional Difficulties” que contiene nuevos resultados de uno de los cinco estudios realizados para mi tesis doctoral. Se trata de un trabajo colectivo firmado por varios autores: Giuseppe Iandolo del Departamento de Psicología Evolutiva y de la Educación de la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, Gianluca Esposito del Riken Brain Science Institute (Saitama, Japón) y Paola Venuti del Departamento de Ciencias Cognitivas y de la Educación de la Universidad de Trento (Italia).
15th European Conference in Developmental Psychology in Bergen (August 23 – 27 2011)
Authors name: Giuseppe Iandolo
Co-author(s): Gianluca Esposito, Paola Venuti
Abstract title: The Bears Family Projective Test: Evaluating Stories of Children with Emotional Difficulties
Abstract
Externalizing behaviour difficulties refers to behaviours characterized by under-controlling of emotions, difficulties with interpersonal relationships and rule breakings as well as displays of irritability and belligerence (Achenbach & Edelbrock 1978; Achenbach 1991; Hinshaw 1992). Internalizing behaviour problems have been defined as an over-control of emotions that include withdrawal, demand of attention, feelings of worthlessness or inferiority and dependency (Achenbach & Edelbrock 1978; Achenbach 1991; McCulloch, Wiggins, Joshi & Sachdev 2000). The aim of this study was to compare internalizing/externalizing children’s stories with a typically developing sample, by the Bears Family Test (Bornstein & Tamis-LeMonda 1995; Venuti & Cesari 1998; Venuti & Iandolo 2003). The Bears Family Test is a constructive-thematic projective method based on anthropomorphic family of bears that children can manipulate to tell a story. Forty children with emotional and relational difficulties (internalizing/externalizing), ages ranging between four and ten years old, were assessed by a multiaxial procedure and the Bears Family Test. The stories of three hundred thirty-six typically developing children, ages ranging between four and ten years old, were used as a reference for the comparisons. Results indicated that internalizing and externalizing children’s stories showed a lot of conflicts, story problems without solutions, positive and negative affection affiliation themes. Moreover, externalizing children’s stories could present more discipline themes while the internalizing children’s ones could present an over-production or under-production of characters or places, propositions or episodes.
