Komolov D.A., Chebakova Yu.V. Application of the “Wonderland of Feelings” Method for the Study of Affective Body Representations in Various Health Groups of Adolescents

Abstract: The article deals with methodical research opportunities of affective representation of the body in the model health group of adolescents in the context of ontogenesis and psychosomatic dysontogenesis. To study the affective components of body representation the authors used the author's modification of the “Wonderland of feelings” method that allows to carry out the data processing both from the position of qualitative and quantitative analysis. The authors also described and theoretically grounded the following method parameters that introduce various affective components of body representation: the body needs representation, emotion load of the body and its parts, the emotional attitude to the body.  60 younger adolescents (11-12 years old) of the first, second and third health groups (20 in each group) were involved in the research. Analysis of the results of the research was made by using the following statistical tests: 1. Mann-Whitney U-test for ordinal scales; 2. Spearman's rank correlation coefficient; 3. Wilcoxon signed-rank test; 4.Pearson's chi-square test for the assessment of the significance of the frequency. The authors demonstrate the difference in measures of the extracted parameters for the adolescent three health groups and reveal various mechanisms of the body affective representation in terms of psychosomatic problems, as well as prove the possibility of using the author's modified method “Wonderland of feelings” for purposes of individual psychosomatic diagnostics, psychological correction and psychological preventive measures. 

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