The application of measures of object representation to the dream reports of girls aged nine to eleven.
Item
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Title
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The application of measures of object representation to the dream reports of girls aged nine to eleven.
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Identifier
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AAI9304669
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identifier
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9304669
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Creator
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Gluckman, Elaine Louise.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Steven Tuber
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Date
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1992
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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, Developmental
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Abstract
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This study attempted to validate the Krohn Object Representation Scale for Dreams (ORSD) for use on reported dreams of children. In addition, the study explored the relationships between this scale and two other scales of object representation, i.e. the Mutuality of Autonomy Scale (MOAS) and the Developmental Analysis of the Concept of the Object Scale (DACOS), which were applied to Rorschach responses. The study was conducted on a sample of 52 girls, aged 9 to 11 years, recruited from public schools and mental health clinics situated in inner city neighborhoods. Subjects' level of social and emotional health/pathology was assessed through use of the Achenbach Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL).;Results obtained indicated the ORSD to be a valid measure of object representation for preadolescent girls. The validity of the ORSD was supported by the fact that clinical girls (i.e. girls showing behavioral signs of emotional disturbance) generated significantly lower and more primitive levels of object representation than their normal counterparts. (Lower level object representations tend to be more malevolent, amorphous, inconsistent, and less human-like than higher level ones.).;The convergent validity of the ORSD was supported by the finding that girls' ORSD scores significantly correlated with their DACOS dream scores.;Contrary to expectation, there were no significant differences in the levels of object representation generated in the Rorschachs of clinical versus nonclinical girls when rated by the DACOS or MOAS. The possibility is therefore suggested that object representations generated in dreams reflect a different aspect of object relations functioning than object representations generated in Rorschach productions.;The main findings supported the theoretical notion that object representations are a measurable characteristic of personality structure which is reflected in overt behavior. The importance of children's recalled dreams as a source of projective data regarding level of object representation was reinforced, and the ORSD was determined to be a valid instrument for the assessment of object representation level in girls' dreams.
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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.
