The Psychodynamics of Adolescent Obesity: Family Entanglements
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.32467/issn.1982-1492v23na12Keywords:
obesity; family; projective methods; psychoanalysis; case studyAbstract
This clinical-qualitative study, grounded in psychoanalytic theory, investigated the individual and family psychodynamics involved in the obesity
of an adolescent aged between 12 and 14 years, classified as Class I obesity. The Rorschach Inkblot Test, the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), and family
projective techniques (Projective Genography and Projective Spatiography) were employed. Integrated analysis revealed restricted symbolization, affective
control, and a still insufficiently differentiated identity, articulated with a family dynamic marked by emotional undifferentiation and denial of loss. The bodily
symptom appeared to function as an organizer of relational balance, operating simultaneously as an intrapsychic defense and an intersubjective solution.
Clinical implications and possible articulations with multidisciplinary care are discussed. As a single, cross-sectional case study, the findings represent a specific
configuration and are not generalizable to adolescent obesity as a whole.
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