ANALYSING TOPICS OF FIRST MEMORIES IN ONCOLOGICAL PATIENTS

Abstract

Early Recollections reflect a person's current view of others, the world, and themselves. Early Recollections are characterized as projective techniques. Oncology patients, suffering from cancer, are characterized by an impaired quality of life and mental health. Over time, many cancer patients adjust to their illness and report a positive state of mental health, while other patients have greater difficulty coping with the disease. Understanding how people perceive and interpret the world and the individuals around them is also from interpreting childhood memories. These early Recollections define as vivid memories of special events occurring before the age of eight. The aim of this study is to present and explore topics among Early Recollections in oncology patients who respond to the disease in an optimistic and pessimistic manner. Clinical interviews and the Early Recollections Questionnaire by Rule (1972), Altman (1973) and Zarski (1978) were used. The main hypothesis of this study is: "Early Recollections themes can differentiate optimistic patients from pessimistic patients" In this study were 10 (No. = 10) patients diagnosed with stage 2-3 cancer in palliative ward of Elbasan Regional Hospital. Analysis of Early Recollections was interpreted by classifying and using the types of themes and personality typologies of Mosak & Di Pietro (2006).
From the clinical interview, the classification in the category of disease response style was performed, dividing them into optimistic and pessimistic categories. By analyzing the themes of Early Recollections, people with optimistic reactions were more cooperative, optimistic about the future, seeking changes that would improve their health and psychological state, accompanied by feelings of happiness, joy, pleasure that you display typology personality such as: Satisfaction, Type of social interest, Conformist, Passive-conformist. Where patients with pessimistic reactions had resistance personality reactions, infantile, martyr, accompanied by low self-esteem, feelings of fear, shyness, strange, with personality typologies such as: Submissive, Infancy, Confusion, Resistant, Martyr, etc. Confirming the main hypothesis of this research. In conclusion, defining the personality typology as a projective instrument helps to determine the personality and reactions to current situations. It is therefore recommended that it be achieved to provide a foundation on which to build the clinical utility of the Early Recollections of these patients during the therapeutic process.