Representations of "self" and "other" among individuals with autistic spectrum disorders and their relationship partners.
Item
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Title
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Representations of "self" and "other" among individuals with autistic spectrum disorders and their relationship partners.
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Identifier
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AAI3204991
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identifier
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3204991
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Creator
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Parker Rosenbaum, Pamela.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Jeffrey Rosen
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Date
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2006
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Psychology, Clinical | Psychology, Social
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Abstract
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Mental representations of self and other are thought to develop in the context of early relational experience. This process appears to be profoundly disrupted in the case of Autism, impairing the sufferer's ability to form a stable and coherent sense of self and self in relation to other. Affected individuals show deficits in social functioning, and often fail to form and maintain close relationships with other people. Within this population, however, there are a limited number of adults who have formed long-term partnerships, affording an opportunity to explore their unique experience in a dyadic context.;This study uses qualitative research methods to analyze narrative data gathered in a series of semi-structured interviews. The eight participants included four adults previously diagnosed with Autistic Spectrum Disorders (High Functioning Autism, Aspergers Syndrome, and PDD-NOS) and their marital partners. Individual interviews explored how each participant has developed a sense of self in the context of the relationship, and how he/she has come to understand the subjective experience of his/her partner. A second interview asked each couple to jointly recount the history of their relationship.;Results identified similarities and differences in how participants verbally represent concepts of "self," "other," and "our relationship." Differences were also observed in the quality of the couples' dyadic interactions, which correlated with scores obtained using the Oral History Interview and Coding System (Beuhlman and Gottman, 1996), an instrument previously found to predict marital stability. While all four relationships show a measure of stability, only two of the couples appear to have achieved mutually need satisfying emotional bonds.;The author takes a dynamic developmental perspective, attempting to integrate aspects of neuro-cognitive and psychoanalytic theory. Narrative data are included as a series of case presentations, with clinically informed commentary. The findings are discussed from a standpoint of object relations theory , with the aim of identifying both individual/intrapsychic and dyadic/interpersonal patterns of thinking and behavior that might correspond to internalized constructs of self, other, and self in relation to other. Factors which both challenge and assist the participants in sustaining their relationships are also explored, and implications for treatment are discussed.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
