A Case Report on The Fear of Houseflies in Childhood

Abstract

The play therapy context provides a setting that allows for the emergence and symbolization of the underlying causes of phobias in children’s plays. It is possible to understand these fears by the way of interpreting the content of these plays. The underlying meaning of every phobia is related to the subject’s experience, therefore, interpreting the way that the subject expresses his or her fears is important. Thus, focusing on the subjective experience provides a rich source of information about one's fears. Besides, with the help of play therapy, fears observed in childhood may decrease and children may find another way to express their fears. Within this stated framework, this study aimed to explore the “fear of houseflies” of a seven-year-old child named “A.” This fear was one of the reasons that brought A. and her parents to the clinic. Among the conducted play therapy sessions, six of them were chosen to be focused on for this research. These interviews were analyzed with discourse analysis, which is one of the qualitative research methods, and the results were discussed within the scope of psychoanalytic theory. With discourse analysis, certain categories that are previously defined are excluded. In this way, focusing on the subjective expression of the subject’s experience constitutes a rich source of information. The results of the analysis showed that there was a change in A.'s discourse from neglect, competition, and anger to the similarities established with the therapist and subjectivity. In this way, A.'s fear is evaluated within the framework of her subjectivity. This study may contribute to the understanding of the fears that emerge during childhood.

Keywords

• play therapy,phobia,qualitative research,discourse analysis

Çocukluk Dönemi Sinek Korkusu Üzerine Bir Vaka Sunumu

Abstract

Çocuklarla yapılan terapötik çalışmalarda, fobilerin temelinde yatan nedenlerin ortaya çıkması ve oyun içinde simgeselleştirilmesi için imkân sağlayan bir ortam vardır. Korkuların anlaşılması, çocuğun oynadığı oyunların değerlendirilmesi yoluyla mümkün olabilir. Her fobinin birey için ne anlama geldiği kişinin kendi yaşantısıyla bağlantılıdır ve kişinin korkularını nasıl ifade ettiğinin öznel olarak değerlendirilmesi söz konusudur. Bu sebeple kişinin öznel deneyimine odaklanılması, kişinin yaşadığı korkularla ilgili çok geniş bir bilgi kaynağı sunmaktadır. Ayrıca çocukluk döneminde görülen korkular oyun seanslarıyla birlikte gerileme gösterebilir ve korkular başka bir yola kanalize olma şansı bulabilir. Bu çerçevede yapılan çalışma, 7 yaşındaki A.’nın vaka öyküsüyle birlikte kliniğe getiriliş sebeplerinden biri olan “sinek korkusu”nun araştırılması amacı taşımaktadır. Araştırma kapsamına uygun 6 görüşme belirlenmiştir. Bu görüşmeler nitel araştırma yöntemlerinden biri olan söylem analizi yoluyla incelenmiş ve psikanalitik kuram kapsamında tartışılmıştır. Söylem analizi ile öncesinde oluşturulmuş belirli kategorilerin dışına çıkılır. Bu yolla kişinin deneyiminin öznel anlatımına odaklanılması zengin bir bilgi kaynağı oluşturmaktadır. Bu kapsamda yapılan çalışma sonucunda A.’nın söyleminde ihmal, rekabet ve öfkeden; terapistle kurulan benzerlikler ve öznelliğe doğru bir değişim olduğu gözlemlenmiştir. Bu yolla A.’nın yaşadığı korku, kendi öznelliği çerçevesinde değerlendirilerek çocukluk döneminde ortaya çıkan korkuların anlaşılmasında gelecek çalışmalar için katkı sağlayacağı öngörülmektedir.

Keywords

• oyun terapisi,fobi,nitel araştırma,söylem analizi

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