Adams, Kate
THIS IS THE HOUSE THAT JAKE BUILT: A BOY DEVELOPS EGO STRENGTH

Journal of Sandplay Therapy, Volume 19, Number 1, 2010

KEY WORDS: ego strength, anxiety, aggression, assertion, parental projection, containment, sandplay, water play, Self, safety, child, boy, ego strength, individuality, Sandplay therapy, inner impulses, clinical example, boy, child, male, maternal anxiety, projection, Self, individuality.

ABSTRACT: In order to feel secure, an individual must feel connected to this own deeper nature, the Self, as well as develop a level of ego strength to be able to modulate his inner impulses and deal assertively with the outer world. In this article, the author presents the case of an eight year old boy whose development was impeded by his own reticence and fears as well as by the anxiety of his mother which was projected onto him. Through his work in the sand, this boy discovered and developed his inner resources, touched the Self, and emerged with a newfound sense of his own individuality.