Abstract
The relationship between the abuse tendencies of mothers and verbal reactions during frustration scenarios was examined in 51 mothers with 3-year-old children. This study utilized a questionnaire regarding childcare understanding, constructed to evaluate the following four criteria : abuse tendencies, level of informal support, mother-role affirmation, mother-role denial, and a Picture-Frustration (P-F) study designed to measure verbal reactions during frustration scenarios. A negative correlation was observed between criteria of informal support and abuse tendencies. A positive correlation was demonstrated between criteria of mother-role denial and abuse tendencies. No significant differences were observed in verbal reactions between the high and low abuse tendency groups in the P-F study. However, subjects within the group displaying high mother-role denial tended to attribute causes of frustration to other individuals and external (environmental) factors, and expressed simple aggression. Subjects within the group displaying low mother-role denial tended to initially engage in self-reflection, then to seek a solution to the problem in order to achieve frustration resolution. In addition, mothers displaying a high level of informal support demonstrated straightforward speech and behaviors minimizing stress in unfavorable scenarios. These individuals tended to be more expressive and self-assertive.
In this study, the tendencies of unconscious dissatisfaction and self-deception were found in mothers with 3-year-old children using a combined method of questionnaire and the projection technique but not by the questionnaire alone.
