A Qualitative Analysis of Athenian Psychoanalytic Therapists’ Approach to Working with Adults’ Child Sexual Abuse Memory

Piki, Eirini. 2019. A Qualitative Analysis of Athenian Psychoanalytic Therapists’ Approach to Working with Adults’ Child Sexual Abuse Memory. Doctoral thesis, Goldsmiths, University of London [Thesis]

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Abstract or Description

The historical background regarding proposed psychotherapeutic treatment of adults’ child
sexual abuse memory is bristling with obscurities. More recent relevant history involved the
recovered-false memory debate, which also addressed but failed to answer certain
questions regarding the handling of child sexual abuse memories. The present thesis
attempts to explore literature gaps and controversial situations met by professionals
working with adults who experience child sexual abuse memories. For this purpose 31
Athenian psychoanalytic therapists were interviewed, and the emerging data were analysed
qualitatively using Content Analysis. Most of the key findings, regarding child sexual abuse
memories in psychoanalysis, contradicted past research findings, emphasised difficulties and
revealed that psychoanalytic therapy can be effective. The present study produced new
ideas about unexplored areas in the psychoanalytic work with CSAM (e.g. the conditions
under which the fantasy-realily distinction is the therapists’ responsibility) and provided
guidelines for various issues (such as how to facilitate the distinction between fantasy and
reality in cases involving CSAM). Implications for clinical work with adults who suffer from
child sexual abuse memories are examined and suggestions for future research are given.

Item Type:

Thesis (Doctoral)

Identification Number (DOI):

https://doi.org/10.25602/GOLD.00028265

Keywords:

Child Sexual Abuse, False Memory, Uncertain Memory, Reality, Fantasy, Psychoanalysis, Psychotherapy, Freud, Qualitative Research, Interviews, Content Analysis, Europe, Greece

Departments, Centres and Research Units:

Educational Studies

Date:

31 December 2019

Item ID:

28265

Date Deposited:

12 Mar 2020 16:26

Last Modified:

07 Sep 2022 17:15

URI:

https://research.gold.ac.uk/id/eprint/28265

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