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Characteristics of the Defense Mechanism Technique modified (DMTm) as Related to Age and Gender of Adolescent Inpatients at a Psychiatric Clinic

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Author

  • Alf Andersson
  • Claes Sandström

Summary, in English

A cross-sectional developmental study of 326 non-psychotic inpatients at a child and adolescent psychiatric clinic was carried out making use of the Defense Mechanism Technique modified (DMTm). The 139 girls and 187 boys were divided into three age groups: 12-13, 14-15 and 16-17 year olds. It was predicted on the basis of previous research that the younger boys would exhibit the defense of inclusive affect isolation more frequently than the older ones. This was found to be the case, this same age-related difference being found for the girls and for the group as a whole. The sign of disappearance of hero/heroine (H) was found more frequently in the younger than the older subjects, and the sign of H sad more frequently in the 14-15 year olds. As expected, the girls were scored for the identity defense of denial through reversal III more often than the boys. Other characteristics found more frequently in the girls than the boys were repression at the site of the attribute (A-repression) and the signs of H sad and A a child. The identity defense of denial through reversal I and the sign of splitting (split H) were characteristics more often observed in the boys than the girls. The findings were interpreted in terms of the Andersson developmental and psychodynamic model of the mind.

Publishing year

2010

Language

English

Publication/Series

Lund Psychological Reports

Document type

Report

Publisher

Department of Psychology, Lund University

Topic

  • Psychology

Keywords

  • Defense Mechanism Technique modified
  • cross-sectional development
  • adolescent psychiatry
  • Adolescence
  • DMTm
  • percept-genesis

Status

Published

Report number

1

ISBN/ISSN/Other

  • ISSN: 1404-8035