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Casualties of Childhood: A Developmental Perspective on Sexual Abuse Using Projective Drawings

NCJ Number
137103
Author(s)
B Kaufman; A Wohl
Date Published
1992
Length
192 pages
Annotation
This volume employs case vignettes and house, tree, person, and kinetic family drawings to explore the link between childhood sexual abuse and specific developmental problems.
Abstract
The authors lay the foundation for their discussion by defining paradigms of trauma and sexual abuse including symptom formation, ruptured trust, and mutilation of self- esteem. General principles in the analysis of projective drawings are laid out: the reliability and validity of drawings as a projective tool, developmental aspects of drawing skills, and the application of projective drawings with sexually abused children. Three specific areas of developmental problems are investigated in depth: projections of ego functions of sexually abused children, aberrations in the superego of sexually molested youngsters, and the incestuous family's influence on the development of object relations during latency. The final chapter explores the long-term effects of childhood sexual abuse on adult survivors. 6 tables, 152 figures, and 167 references