Le rappresentazioni filiali delle relazioni nelle situazioni di complessità familiare

[Autom. eng. transl.] The complexity of familiar forms is an aspect that characterizes contemporary society (Scabini, Iafrate, 2003): more and more families, in fact, are called to face a redefinition of their borders, in the light of the multiple possible structural transformations (adoptive, foster families, separated, immigrants, etc.). These changes can affect the representations that children build over time and the ways in which they perceive themselves as members of the family itself. The aim of this study is to investigate if and what change occurs in the way in which children and pre-adolescents perceive family boundaries and how they recall absent people or integrate distant family members. Twenty children of complex families, aged between 6 and 12, are given La inca luna, a graphic-symbolic tool that allows them to represent family borders subjectively, highlighting the distinctive and peculiar elements of each family configuration (Greco , 1999, 2006; Greco, Comelli, 2008). Administration takes place in two stages, 6 months apart. The qualitative analysis is carried out using an ad hoc grid designed to understand both the content and the form aspects of the tool. The results will be discussed in their clinical and research implications at the conference.