Dissertations and Theses
Date of Award
2025
Document Type
Thesis
Department
Psychology
First Advisor
Sasha Rudenstine, PhD
Second Advisor
Steve Tuber, PhD
Third Advisor
Lissa Weinstein, PhD
Keywords
Caregiver-child, Object Relations Theory, projective testing, Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), Defense Mechanism Manual (DMM), Object Relations Scale for Dreams (ORSD)
Abstract
Caregiver-child interactions, beginning in infancy, are essential for socio-emotional development. Through these exchanges, caregivers impart fantasies, fears, and beliefs—both consciously and unconsciously—that shape the child’s internal models of self and others (object representations) and strategies for managing intense emotions (defense mechanisms). Historically, projective tests, such as the Thematic Apperception Test (TAT), have been used to explore these constructs. In the TAT, participants craft narratives based on images that portray characters in different emotional states and interpersonal situations. Through their responses, participants project elements of their own internal world into the stories they create. Despite the TAT’s success in differentiating diagnostic groups and offering insight into socio-emotional functioning in both children and adults, few studies have directly compared caregiver and child TAT narratives. This study aimed to address this gap by administering the TAT to 20 caregiver-child dyads at a community mental health clinic (children ranged in age from 6 to 15 years old). Responses were analyzed using the Defense Mechanism Manual (DMM), a valid and reliable tool for assessing defense mechanisms on the TAT, and the Object Relations Scale for Dreams (ORSD), a system for quantifying object representations. While the ORSD had previously demonstrated diagnostic validity with projective tests like dream reports and the Rorschach, it had not yet been applied to the TAT prior to the current study, making this a novel exploration. Contrary to initial hypotheses, statistical analyses revealed no significant associations between caregivers' and children's DMM and ORSD scores, indicating that the relationship between defenses and object representations is more nuanced than merely being synchronous or asynchronous. Additionally, the lack of correlation between ORSD and DMM scores within participants indicates the ORSD may not be a valid tool for analyzing TAT data. However, further qualitative analysis uncovered meaningful themes in caregiver-child descriptions of emotions and relationships, revealing salient within-dyad patterns of mirroring and conflict. These findings highlight the TAT’s clinical utility for assessing intrapsychic and relational dynamics in caregiver-child dyads and provide insights for child and family therapy. Implications for assessment and treatment planning are discussed.
Recommended Citation
Bloom, Hannah L., "An Exploration of Object Representations and Defense Mechanisms In Caregiver-Child Dyads on The Thematic Apperception Test" (2025). CUNY Academic Works.
https://academicworks.cuny.edu/cc_etds_theses/1322
