Les contenus anatomiques au test de Rorschach : comparaison des réponses de sujets infirmiers à une population contrôle.

in Encéphale (L') (2013), 39(2), 94-100

Introduction: The study of answer contents at Rorschach test leads to numerous debates and controversies. On a pragmatic point of view, the recurrent question is to understand the meaning of a content (or ... [more ▼]

Introduction: The study of answer contents at Rorschach test leads to numerous debates and controversies. On a pragmatic point of view, the recurrent question is to understand the meaning of a content (or its repetition) in a protocol. On a discursive and perceptive point of view, it is hazardous to give an interpretation other than descriptive and contextual. Indeed, no one interpretative theory or analysis method is able to determine with certainty and rigour a strict correlation between people’s psychological functioning and the contents they perceive. Methods: In this empirical context, we studied the “anatomy” answers (frequencies and formal qualities) in a nurse population (N=38) matched with a control group (non medical subjects, N=38). The Rorschach test was administrated according to the recommendations of Integrated System. Results: The average of An+Xy answers was clearly and significantly higher in nurse population (3.58) than in the control group (0.89) and than in the three comparative norms that we selected (from 0.96 to 1.83). Concerning the formal quality, the repeated-measures analysis of variance showed a significant interaction effect: although subjects in the control group gave a similar number of ordinary, unusual and minus forms for An+Xy answers, the nurses gave more wrong (minus) forms (1.79) than unusual forms (1.21) and finally than ordinary forms (0.58). un nombre significativement plus élevé de mauvaises formes (1.79) que de formes inhabituelles (1.21) et finalement que de formes ordinaires (0.58). Discussion: Two hypotheses may be suggested in order to explain our findings. From one part, there is highly probable that our results are linked to the everyday body confrontation in nurse job. From another part, we suggest that by giving An+Xy answers, nurses tend to reveal some idiosyncratic characteristics in order to show their own identity. Indeed, our nurse subjects were selected because of their job and then they complied with the social identity that was implicitly expected. This is congruent with the complex functioning in social reality: in a social group, people will not verbalize all of their perceptions, they will preferentially verbalize perceptions that define their social identity. On the contrary, if some perceptions do not comply with subject’s identity, these perceptions will be less frequently verbalized despite the fact that they were perceived. Concerning the second main finding, the inadequate formal quality of answers given by nurses emphasizes a visual misrepresentation conditioning by one’s job. This effect is interesting on a psychological point of view because it suggests that this tendency to perceive more anatomical contents arises to the detriment of the “reality”. Finally, our findings allowed us to suggest hypothesis on the role of identity on answer contents at Rorschach test according to the context and to formulate some recommendations about the content use in the Rorschach interpretation. [less ▲]

Experimental design for a study of drowsiness using a driving simulator

Poster (2012, October 05)

Crisis situations / flexibility/ adaptive or and routine expertise studied in robotic surgery

Scientific conference (2012, June 03)

Symposium on the impact and role of the psychological traumatism and forensic evaluation on victimization process

Conference (2012, May 11)

This symposium aims to discuss and increase the comprehension of victimization process through the psychological traumatism, revictimization and the forensic assessment. It addresses a relevant ... [more ▼]

This symposium aims to discuss and increase the comprehension of victimization process through the psychological traumatism, revictimization and the forensic assessment. It addresses a relevant contemporary issue for clinical psychology and more generally for the society (as partner violence, forensic patients and forensic assessment). Moreover, this symposium will be also the occasion to extend the discussion to the psychological traumatism among workers in police. This last contribution will explain how workers in emergency situations are able or can be helped to manage their stress in order to prevent psychological traumatism. [less ▲]

The influence of sexual assault in childhood on the feeling of parental competence

Poster (2012, May 11)

Malingering in expertise context: How to better understand the victimology process?

Conference (2012, May 11)

In forensic context, the psychological or psychiatric assessment occurs in a particular and different way than the usual practice in psychotherapy, and malingering has a specific dimension in this context ... [more ▼]

In forensic context, the psychological or psychiatric assessment occurs in a particular and different way than the usual practice in psychotherapy, and malingering has a specific dimension in this context. This article focuses on malingering in situations of damages compensations. We analyse this behaviour through the study of the victimisation process, the family influence, the existent psychological tests and the examiner’s role. The injured persons are placed or place their-self in a victim position that seems to be a factor involved in their reconstruction process and by this way, in the use of malingering. The family has also a strong influence on the management of the traumatic incident and by this way, on the (conscious or unconscious) choice of malingering, particularly for children (by example, in the Munchausen by proxy syndrome). Finally, our study shows how the examiner’s role and attitude are central in the functioning and the interaction of the two mechanisms (management of the event/reconstruction by the victim and malingering). Although psychological tests can be used in order to discover malingering, a meticulous assessment, empathy, and neutral and benevolent attention are indispensable elements in order to assure authentic complaints and thus to prevent malingering. [less ▲]

Discourse analysis and Rorschach : Preliminary study about self-perception

Poster (2012, May 10)

Réflexion éthique à propos de la position du psychothérapeute appelé à témoigner en justice

Conference (2011, June)

Le psychothérapeute (psychologue ou psychiatre) peut être convoqué comme témoin lors d’un procès concernant un de ses patients ou clients. Dans ce cadre, la Loi prévoit une exception à l’obligation du ... [more ▼]

Le psychothérapeute (psychologue ou psychiatre) peut être convoqué comme témoin lors d’un procès concernant un de ses patients ou clients. Dans ce cadre, la Loi prévoit une exception à l’obligation du secret professionnel et autorise le professionnel à dévoiler des éléments liés à la psychothérapie. Cependant, si la Loi autorise la levée du secret professionnel, l’éthique et la déontologie professionnelles ne recommandent pas nécessairement de suivre cette voie. En effet, de nombreuses questions, telles que l’utilité, les risques et les conséquences de cette divulgation, se posent aussi bien au niveau de la relation thérapeutique avec la personne concernée que pour l’ensemble de la profession et le cadre thérapeutique de la pratique clinique de manière générale. Cette communication présente une réflexion autour des divergences qui apparaissent entre ce que préconisent la Loi, l’éthique et la déontologie. En outre, nous proposons d’alimenter la discussion en distinguant les situations dans lesquelles le patient ou client du psychothérapeute est la victime ou au contraire, l’auteur de faits délictueux. [less ▲]

Psychology of migration and losses: Mourning process in families native from Democratic Republic of Congo

Poster (2011, May 27)

Migration constitutes a potentially traumatic event along with cultural losses and psychic reorganizations (Moro, 1994, 1998). The lost object is physically absent but psychologically present and this ... [more ▼]

Migration constitutes a potentially traumatic event along with cultural losses and psychic reorganizations (Moro, 1994, 1998). The lost object is physically absent but psychologically present and this ambiguity precludes the mourning process (Boss, 1999). Indeed migration losses are unclear, incomplete and potentially retrievable (ex: return in the country, Falicov, 2003). The mourning process cannot be achieved because the object (country, family, cultural and social environments) is still existing (Aouattah, 2003). Nevertheless, exile does not have to be seen only as traumatizing but also as a potentially creative experience (Douville, 2001). Therefore, we also took into account benefits of the migration and individual resources. We analyzed a sample of five families from the Democratic Republic of Congo – with open questions during two meetings – and we tested the following hypothesis: "the mourning process is the result of the dynamic interactions between losses, resources and benefits ". We defined these dynamics through three steps: association and confusion; dissociation and identification; integration and achievement of the mourning process. We tested our hypothesis using Alceste – which is a statistical tool for discourse analysis – and the results confirmed it. We can state our conclusions as follows. At the first stage of the process, there exists confusion between losses, resources and benefits. At the second stage, the persons can differentiate and separate these three elements. And at the last step, people can achieve the mourning process, live with their losses and launch themselves into the future. [less ▲]

Reactive Attachment Disorder and socio-emotional development in childhood: Clinical review.

Poster (2011, May 27)

The quality of interactions experienced with primary attachment figures influence the development of emotional skills. On the other hand, we know how emotions fill a critical adaptive role for the social ... [more ▼]

The quality of interactions experienced with primary attachment figures influence the development of emotional skills. On the other hand, we know how emotions fill a critical adaptive role for the social adjustment, in that they assume both a communicative function and an informative value. In this research, we were particularly interested in how children’s patterns of attachment were expressed in terms of emotional regulation abilities. According to Laible & Thompson’s observations (1998), we tested the following hypothesis: insecure attachment representations are associated with a poverty of skills in decoding emotional signals. They especially would affect the perception of negative emotional expressions. We tested this hypothesis by the meeting of five children of primary school age (5 to 8 years old) with a reactive attachment disorder and through the establishment of two methodological tools. At first, the Attachment Story Completion Task (Bretherton et al., 1990) allowed us to identify attachment representations for each child. Secondly, inspired by Pollak & al.’s study, we developed a recognition task of facial emotional expressions. We observed in these children low average rates of identification of basic and primary emotions. Especially, the accuracy of judgments was not only a function of emotion’s valence, but was also dependant of the child’s attachment pattern. Finally, this research confirmed the observations, already showed in previous studies, that interpersonal difficulties presented by these children could be explained specifically by their inefficiency in interpreting social cues surrounding emotional events (Crick & Dodge, 1994). [less ▲]