Diagnostic possibilities of using the "Method of color metaphors" by I.L. Solomin in the study of codependent behavior in women

Meshcheryakova Tat'yana Anatol'evna medical psychologist, Orenburg Regional Clinical Narcological Dispensary 460009, Russia, Orenburgskaya oblast', g. Orenburg, ul. Instrumental'naya, 2 mta.1989@mail.ru

Gamzina Elena Vladimirovna medical psychologist, Orenburg Regional Clinical Narcological Dispensary 460009, Russia, Orenburgskaya oblast', g. Orenburg, ul. Instrumental'naya, 2 lena.tolk@mail.ru

Introduction.

In modern society, much attention is paid to the system of personal relationships in various spheres of her life: professional, family, interpersonal, intrapersonal, subject, etc. We are all connected to our loved ones, mutually influence and, to some extent, depend on each other. Previously, the concepts of "dependence" and "codependency" were considered together, and codependency was of secondary importance as one of the areas of assistance to people dependent on chemicals. Gradually, the situation has changed, today codependency is a condition that leaves an imprint on the attitude of a person to the world, himself and other people. Codependent relationships are characterized by a person's attachment to another, emotional immersion in the life of another person, a fusion of needs, feelings, a mixture of roles and functions. According to M. Beatty (2016, pp. 82-102), this condition has pronounced signs in the form of: blurred personal boundaries; the need to take care of; low self-esteem; suppression of feelings; overcontrol; obsessive experiences; denial of problems; dependence on relationships; broken communications; lack of trust; anger; sexual problems; ambivalence in attitudes of thinking and behavior. ^[3]

Relevance.

Codependency has a high prevalence among the population, there is a term "codependent society" with a corresponding pattern of behavior and its transmission from generation to generation (Weinhold B., Weinhold J., Stafford D., Hodgkinson L., Whitfield, Moskalenko V. D., etc.). The relevance of the chosen topic is related to the desire to study the needs that trigger the behavior model of a codependent state of personality, to develop a scheme of psychological support, in order to improve the quality of life of the individual.

Currently, there is an increased interest in the field of co-dependent personality research. This research is focused on how gender and age differences (Kovtun S. A., Kravtsov.A., 2017; Tagay E. F., Silchenko I. V., 2016, Openok (Cherkasov) R. S., 2015; A. Kuritsyn, V., 2012; Orlov, M. M., Novikova N. M., 2017); the interpersonal aspect of communication codependent people (Koryakin S. A. et al., 2009; geldings A.V., Lukashuk A. V., 2017), the family relationship (Belyaev, M. A., 2012; Hagai V. V., Selezneva E. I., 2016, Birch, J. V., Isaeva E. R., and others, 2016; Osinsky, S. A., 2015), and intrapersonal characteristics of the perception of reality (Yacyshyn S. M., 2012; Kalanova A. S., 2019)^[5].

Despite the increasing interest in the described condition, there are not so many methods for determining the level of codependency. In our country, the most common are: "Spann-Fisher Codependency Scale" in the adaptation of V.D. Moskalenko; "R. Grishfield Interpersonal Dependence Questionnaire" in the adaptation of O.P. Makushina; "Questionnaire to identify codependent interaction models" by B. Weinhold, J. Weinhold; "Codependency Profile" by N.G. Artemtseva (Artemtseva N.. G., pp. 58-70). Achina A.V. and Kolenova A.S. considered the degree of informative value of projective techniques in the field of studying codependent behavior, using the example of the Rorschach ink spots test. This method allows you to explore the personality: methods of processing and structuring information, features of emotional response, resource components of personality, self-attitude and strategies of interaction with other people, etc. ^[6]. Their research allowed us to prove the validity of using this test to determine the psychological characteristics of a codependent personality, and, according to the authors, it can become "the basis for the projective diagnosis of the phenomenon of codependent behavior" ^[6].

Having some experience with the correction of codependent behavior, we are interested in expanding the diagnostic tools of this condition, in order to further interact with this type of client. In this study, we want to draw attention to the basic and actual needs of a codependent personality, which are states of dependence on the conditions necessary for the existence and development of the individual and personality. There are a large number of classifications of human needs. Needs characterize the specifics of a person's personality. These are communicative and cognitive needs, needs for love, power and self-affirmation, needs for the realization of creative possibilities, for achieving success, moral and aesthetic needs. It is on the basic needs that the ability to make profitable informed decisions is based, which can become the goal of psychological correction ^[9].

To measure the individual system of subjective values of various objects of a codependent personality, we used the "Technique of Color Metaphors" developed by I.L. Solomin. The identification of motivation is necessary to predict and correct the behavior and condition of the subjects. We assume that the study of the basic needs of the surveyed women will allow us to determine the targets of correctional work and will allow us to develop a plan for psychological interaction with people who have a codependent personal profile. 

The purpose of our study was to identify the possibility of using the "Method of color metaphors" by I.L. Solomin in the diagnosis of latent motivation of a codependent personality and the use of the data obtained to compile a program of psychocorrective measures.

Subject of research: the system of subjective meanings of various objects of a codependent personality.

The object of the study was women attending psychological support groups "Family meetings", which is organized on the basis of a drug dispensary.

We tested the following hypotheses: 1) "The technique of color metaphors" by I.L. Solomin is informative enough for wide application in the diagnosis of codependent states; 2) content analysis of the received material will help to determine the features of the motivational and need sphere of a codependent personality.

The respondents were offered the following methods: in order to obtain information about the respondents, the questionnaire method was used. Standardized questionnaires were also used: the Spann-Fischer Scale for measuring the level of codependency, adapted by V. D. Moskalenko; the Method of Color Metaphors by I. L. Solomin.

Materials and methods

The sample of subjects consisted of women (21 participants) attending psychological support groups "Family meetings", which is organized on the basis of a drug dispensary. The age of the participants in the experiment is in the range of 27-66 years, the average age was 48 years. All the subjects are closely related to patients addicted to psychoactive substances: they are more often spouses or daughters, less often parents.

The empirical part was carried out in several stages.

At the first stage, in order to obtain information about the respondents, the questionnaire method was used. The questionnaire was a short list of open-ended questions concerning gender, age, level of education, marital status, number of children and the period of attendance at codependency correction classes.

At the second stage, the subjects were offered a "Spann-Fischer Codependency Measurement Scale" adapted by V.D. Moskalenko. The questionnaire consists of 16 statements evaluated on a Likert scale from 1 to 6 points, where 1 – "completely disagree" and 6 – "completely agree". The methodology is based on the definition of codependency as a psychosocial state manifested through a dysfunctional behavior model, which is characterized by: 1) a pronounced orientation to the outside, 2) lack of open expression of feelings and 3) attempts to get a sense of self-importance through relationships ^[2].

In the third block, the "Method of color metaphors" by I.L. Solomin was applied.

The selected method allows you to obtain the following characteristics: 1. A list of basic needs that are the most stable, related to personality and determine what is most important for a person in life, what he strives for first of all, what he is passionate about, what he is interested in. 2. The degree of satisfaction of basic needs at the present time, in the expected future and in the past. 3. The composition of actual needs, which are mainly due to the content of the situation in which a person is currently located, and determine what a person is forced to do, what he is concerned about, what he is focused on, what he is currently thinking about. 4. Attitude to the future, expectations, hopes, intentions, plans. 5. Attitude to oneself and to other people, the ratio of ideal and real images of "I". 6. Attitude to various types of activities, the motives of these activities, whether these activities are motivated by basic, relevant or insignificant needs. 7. Sources of stress, activities, people or events that cause anxiety and other negative emotional experiences. 8. Ideas and experiences repressed from consciousness under the influence of emotional traumas or prohibitions, which determine what a person tries not to think about, what he does not pay attention to, what he ignores, what he tries to forget ^[10].

Directly for the study, we adjusted the list of proposed concepts-stimuli, taking into account the psychological characteristics of a codependent personality: we left stable basic needs, such as: success, love, communication, rest, health, home, hobby, interesting occupation, creativity, etc. To determine the state of psychological boundaries, relationships with family members and other people, the concepts were used: father, mother, husband, children, parental care, family holiday, friends, boss. When interpreting the results, special attention is paid to the ratio of the ideal and real images of the "I", their connection with the time period of life, positive and negative emotional state. Also, in connection with the specifics of the object of research, psychoactive substances were given: alcohol, drugs, smoking, frustrating factors were noted.

When processing the data obtained, attention was paid to the attitude of the subjects to values, people from close surroundings, activities, and self-assessment. The time periods introduced into the list of evaluated concepts made it possible to note the actual representation of the respondents' worldview, i.e. those concepts that are in the same group as "my present", a predictive picture of the world marked by the concept of "my future" and an assessment of the past.

When using the "Method of color metaphors", concepts reflecting personal values were given, such as: love, family, health, money, home, responsibility, parental care, family holiday, earnings, creativity, success. Among the basic values and needs, those that the subjects assessed with the most attractive concepts were identified, and included in the group with an "interesting occupation" and "hobby".

Figure 1. The number of positive choices of the subjects

Thus, the concepts received the maximum number of positive choices: "what I want to be", "joy", "communication", "success", "love", "family", "rest", "children", "parental care", "creativity" and "freedom". From this it can be concluded that the category of an ideal attitude to oneself for a woman in a codependent relationship is a basic need and value.

Discussion of the results:

The results obtained on the "Spann-Fischer Scale" allowed us to divide the sample into three unequal parts according to the level of severity of codependency: the norm is 2 people; the average level of severity is 12 people and pronounced codependency is in 7 women. The average age of respondents in these groups differs: the "younger" group are women with moderate codependency, who are in the age range of 27-62 years, their average age was 42 years; the group of women with pronounced codependency from 42 to 66 years have an average age of 55 years; the oldest and smallest group (2 people) there were women with normal indicators according to this method, their average age is 60 years.

Also interesting are the questionnaire data regarding a family member dependent on surfactants: for example, in a group with moderate codependency, one family member is sick, more often the husband, in 9 cases, in three cases – the father, one woman was dependent on alcohol mother. In groups with pronounced codependency and norm, several family members, usually a spouse and children, are or were dependent, in cases of divorce or death of dependent relatives.

The value component. Among the basic values and needs, those were identified that the subjects assessed with the most attractive concepts, and included in the group with "interesting occupation" and "hobby". The maximum number of positive choices received concepts: "what I want to be", "joy", "communication", "success", "love", "family", "rest", "children", "parental care", "creativity" and "freedom". The following specifics of basic needs were revealed in the codependent women who participated in our study:

· the need for communication related to interaction within the family, manifested in parental care, and representing rather a need for isolation and rest;

· the need for self-realization, which is not associated with the transformation of any particular activity, professional or labor, but is associated with the development and promotion of creative activity, also refers more to the need for isolation;

· the need for positive emotions, for example, such as joy, we assume that the need for existential positive emotions is reflected here.

         Thus, in the motivational-need sphere of a codependent personality, the leading need for isolation manifests itself, which manifests itself in communication with the reference group (family and children) associated with caring for loved ones, communicating with oneself, as a reflection of the need for rest, comfort and a sense of freedom, in the transformation of subject-practical activity, creativity and hobbies.

The idea of yourself. The category of an ideal attitude to oneself for a woman in a codependent relationship is a basic need and value.

The concept of "what I want to be" was marked with a positive color by 100% of respondents, and the concept of "what I really am" – 67%, and only in two cases these two concepts were part of the same group. This may indicate that there is a need for a codependent personality to feel its inconsistency with the ideal self-image. 33% of respondents note the real idea of themselves with an indifferent color, which indicates the unimportance and irrelevance of self-assessment, despite the fact that the ideal idea of themselves in 100% of cases is a basic need. The data obtained allow us to note that the category of an ideal attitude to oneself for a woman prone to codependency is a basic need associated with the values of communication, success, love, family, creativity and freedom. The results obtained, regarding the ratio of ideal and real self-image, indicate that women who have dependent relatives devalue themselves and their feelings, feeling a discrepancy with the ideal image, which affects their satisfaction with themselves and life in general and confirm the characteristics of a codependent personality given by Moskalenko V.D. in the book "Addiction: family illness", namely, the rejection of oneself, of one's feelings, the refusal to be satisfied with oneself and life in general ^[7].

Attitude towards family members. A comparative analysis of attitudes towards close family members showed that:

 71 % of respondents have a positive opinion of mothers and children;

 57% - positively assess fathers;

 43% - say they rate their husbands positively;

 19% of women report a negative attitude towards their husbands;

 5% of negative elections received the concepts of "mother" and "children";

 10% of the subjects marked the image of the father with a negative color.

The women who participated in our study showed a warm attitude towards family members, despite the presence of one of them dependent behavior and problems associated with it. However, the husbands received more negative reviews than the rest of the family members of the codependent woman. Dysfunctional families are characterized by the presence of a "problematic" relative, who causes more trouble and, at the same time, allows himself to be blamed. In this situation, the orientation towards accusations and shifting responsibility in a difficult life situation remains, psychological defenses and mythological thinking are produced, which makes it difficult and impossible to move from accusations to problem solving tasks. Mothers and children received more positive responses, probably this reflects a sense of belonging and pity, the projection of their feelings on them, comparing themselves and their fate with them, the association that mothers themselves suffered from similar living conditions and relationships, children are also perceived as victims of circumstances that cause compassion, a desire to care and take care of. 

The zone of anxiety and stress. To assess and describe the picture of the world of the subjects, this test is interesting because it reveals not only a negative attitude, but also factors that frustrate the personality. For example, in our study, 100% of women rated alcohol negatively and 95% - drugs. Also, 100% of women identified the concept of fear with a negative color.

Figure 2. Concepts marked with negative color

Thus, in the mind of a codependent woman, alcohol and drugs have a clear association with fear. A large number of negative choices are assigned to the concepts: failure, illness, threat, trouble, all values are above 70%. It is obvious that alcohol and drugs are associated with negative experiences and emotions, that their use is associated with painful manifestations, are reflected in failures and conflicts and are perceived with threat, fear. All this determines the zone of discomfort, stress and frustration.

Attitude to the stages of the life path. To describe the dynamics of the worldview of a codependent personality, it is important to have a subjective attitude to the stages of the life path, namely: to the future, past and present.

Attitude to the future. 71% of respondents perceive the future positively, as a rule, it is associated with their desired state and is associated with an ideal self-image. Probably, this priority is due to the fact that women, being in living conditions with dependent relatives who are currently being treated, are more focused on the future, because a sense of hope gives them a certain resource and strength to solve those tasks and problems that are associated with the situation of the use of psychoactive substances by their loved ones.

The perception of a woman's future, with a pronounced level of codependency, is closely related to the ideal self-image, and does not always have clear goals and plans. Thus, the perception of a time perspective is associated with illusory hopes and dreams to improve their situation. This circumstance fixes in a state of impossibility of transition to the stage of problem solving. In women with moderate codependency, the perception of a time perspective is reflected in setting meaningful goals and plans for the future and their achievement is supported by personal responsibility.

Attitude to the present. The present is evaluated positively in 43%, it can be assumed that coming to a medical institution, rather even the fact that the dependent is in a hospital for treatment, gives some peace of mind about his condition and a respite in the mess associated with his use. 10% evaluate the present negatively, and it is associated with alcohol and fear, probably reflecting the situation of a loved one's refusal of treatment, as well as the expectation of his sabotage and early discharge. For the rest, it is perceived indifferently, respectively, the situation "here and now" falls out of the zone of actual experiences and meanings. We associate the perception of the present with the situation of treating a dependent relative.

Attitude to the past. 33% of the subjects evaluate the past negatively, memories of it are associated with a feeling of fear. 19% evaluate the past positively, probably idealizing it, in the studies of the "temporal perspective of personality in the dependent-codependent system" by E.L. Nikolaev and O.V. Chuprova, this attitude to the past is described as a resource that allows coping with life difficulties ^[8].

The practical significance of this work lies in the possibility of identifying therapeutic targets for psychocorrective work, namely:

· Training in meditation techniques, planning the day to meet the need for rest, establishing contact with yourself.

· Working out relationships in the family, informing about the features of the family system, roles (Transactional analysis, V. Satyr, Karpman), teaching the transition from an outwardly accusing position to solving the problem.

· The use of art therapy as a way of self-expression, work with suppressed emotional states, fear.

· Correction of relations with family members: learning to separate yourself and your emotions from a dependent family member, working with personal boundaries, defining areas of responsibility.

· The need for positive emotions can be achieved in the course of working with a negative attitude to life, devaluing oneself and one's achievements, and focusing on meeting basic needs.

· Development of coping strategies in frustrating situations.

· Work to increase the meaningfulness of life: setting goals and plans for the future, accepting your past, learning in situations "here and now" to rely on your own feelings and needs, disidentifying yourself with a problematic situation associated with a dependent family member.

Conclusion.

Thus, conducting this study allowed us to conclude that the "Method of color metaphors" by I.L. Solomin is informative for building psychocorrective work with codependent people.