Grief and Fantasy in Children Aged 7 to 9 Years: A Case Study

Abstract

Grieving situations are inevitable and are part of human development, as well as being necessary for the constitution and formation of the subject. The death of a loved one can be felt intensely and painfully and, when it occurs in childhood, it can generate strong reactions, anguish, and sadness during the grieving process. This article aims to investigate children's grief and fantasies related to death. The study was developed at a Clinical School of Psychology, in the south of the state of Tocantins, with nine (9) children aged between 7 and 9 years as participants. The information from the interviews with the parents was interpreted, in playful interviews and application of the HTP and BDS - IJ tests with the children. The results suggest that the type of death, how it was communicated and the child's bond with the deceased person are aspects that must be considered, when it comes to the loss and its consequences in child development since they can operate as generators of conflicts involving ambivalent feelings and fantasies, such as guilt, omnipotence, and rejection, in addition to the perception of helplessness. The conflicts and feelings expressed by the children demonstrated the child's understanding of death, with the crossing of feelings such as fear and insecurity about changes in the family structure and dynamics. Such facts reinforce the need for support measures, both for children and for the weakened family

Keywords: Death, grief, child, conflict, fantasy.

DOI: 10.7176/RHSS/11-8-01

Publication date: April 30^th 2021