[Flight into the imaginary world and dependence: personality trait or opportunist defence mechanism in the transsexual].
While analysing the psychological functioning of sex reassignment candidates, it appeared that they frequently use the mechanism which consist in taking refuge in passivity and fantasies so that they can avoid displeasing situations, responsibilities and decisions making. This unconscious process, identified by Exner in the Rorschach as the Snow-White Syndrome seems to take place in a specific way regarding the real situation faced by the sex reassignment candidates: the achievement of their aim (the sex reassignment) actually depends on the medical crew (doctors, psychologists, surgeons). We wondered if this fact consisted in a stylistic component, that is to say a stable feature of transsexuals' personality or in an opportunist defence. The dependence on the third, executor and decision-maker could be seen either as the indication of this feature being a favourable condition to the construction of the transsexual Issue or a consequence the transsexual's real situation. The hypothesis of the situational use of this process is studied by comparing the frequency of the Snow-White Syndrome during the moment before giving the surgical response with its appearance frequency after the sex reassignment. The individuals' retest (7MF/7FM) after the operation brings favourable arguments to the second interpretation since the process stops being used as soon as the passive dependence position doesn't exist anymore (the Snow-White Syndrome disappears in 70% of cases). So, as the goals are reached (the medico-surgical transformation materialising the desire), the flight in fantasies and passivity is not necessary anymore and the dependence on contributors disappears. During the psychological follow-up, attention should be paid to this psychic impact of anatomical reality so that it favours an earliest access to autonomy the transsexual is able to prove. In regard of a psychological view (in opposition with a surgical view), this autonomy could be researched before the body transformation, validating the "Real Life Test" experience.
Michel
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A
Université de Liège, Service de Psychologie Clinique, boulevard du Rectorat, B33, 4000 Liège, Belgique.
Mormont
C
C
D000328:Adult; D003657:Decision Making; D003674:Defense Mechanisms; D003859:Dependent Personality Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D005201:Fantasy; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D007092:Imagination; D008016:Life Change Events; D008297:Male; D012392:Rorschach Test; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014189:Transsexualism / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*