Implicit Aspects of Relationships as Predictors of Adjustment in Middle Childhood; Mutual Recognition and Role Confusion

Relationship Aspects of Mothers and Their Adolescents with Intellectual Disability as Expressed through the Joint Painting Procedure

“…The process of mutual recognition was expressed through personal images or the painting styles of each partner that involved certain shared elements such as connected figures or a joint pictorial story. The painting process that developed from the individual work towards a joint work facilitated a rich relational process [ 37 , 43 ]. Mutual recognition within the relationship involves the ability to recognize the self and the other as having separate inner worlds, who at the same time can have a close mutual relationship [ 60 , 61 ].…”

“…Researchers who have probed the implicit aspects of relationships indicate that to evaluate implicit aspects, they should ideally be examined during an interaction [ 35 , 36 ]. One way to evaluate these implicit qualities of the relationship between parents and children is through joint creative processes [ 37 , 38 ]. Over the last four decades, extensive clinical literature has pointed to the value of joint painting and drawings as a way to better understand family relationships [ 39 , 40 ].…”

“…The present study examined aspects of implicit relationships between parents and adolescents with ID using an art-based assessment, which can thus bypass the verbal obstacles characterizing population with ID [ 34 , 42 ]. It implemented the Joint Painting Procedure (JPP) [ 43 ], a validated, art-based assessment tool that has been used in research and clinical settings for over a decade with children in middle childhood [ 37 , 44 , 45 ].…”

“…A shared relationship representation differs from an individual representation in that it relates to the behavior of each member of the dyad toward the other and can capture mutual emotional responses in the “here and now” of the mother–child interaction. This ongoing interaction can provide a clearer picture of the implicit aspects of the actual relationship [ 37 , 45 ]. Previous studies using the JPP indicate that it allows for the evaluation of a range of aspects of the implicit relationship conveyed nonverbally through the painting, the artistic process and the behavior [ 37 ].…”

“…This ongoing interaction can provide a clearer picture of the implicit aspects of the actual relationship [ 37 , 45 ]. Previous studies using the JPP indicate that it allows for the evaluation of a range of aspects of the implicit relationship conveyed nonverbally through the painting, the artistic process and the behavior [ 37 ]. To the best of our knowledge, no studies have examined aspects of the implicit relationship between mothers and their adolescent children with ID.…”