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Representations of self and other in the narratives of neglected, physically abused, andsexually abused preschoolers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 December 1997

SHEREE L. TOTH
Affiliation:
Mt. Hope Family Center and The University of Rochester
DANTE CICCHETTI
Affiliation:
Mt. Hope Family Center and The University of Rochester
JENNY MACFIE
Affiliation:
Mt. Hope Family Center and The University of Rochester
ROBERT N. EMDE
Affiliation:
The University of Colorado

Abstract

The MacArthur Story Stem Battery was used to examine maternal and self-representations in neglected, physically abused, sexually abused, and nonmaltreated comparison preschool children. The narratives of maltreated children contained more negative maternal representations and more negative self-representations than did the narratives of nonmaltreated children. Maltreated children also were more controlling with and less responsive to the examiner. In examining the differential impact of maltreatment subtype differences on maternal and self-representations, physically abused children evidenced the most negative maternal representations; they also had more negative self-representations than nonmaltreated children. Sexually abused children manifested more positive self-representations than neglected children. Despite these differences in the nature of maternal and self-representations, physically and sexually abused children both were more controlling and less responsive to the examiner. The investigation adds to the corpus of knowledge regarding disturbances in the self-system functioning of maltreated children and provides support for relations between representational models of self and other and the self-organizing function that these models exert on children's lives.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
© 1997 Cambridge University Press

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