‘FENCING AND CLINICAL SPORT PSYCHOLOGY’
Dr. Giovanni Lodetti
Dr. Elena Pomesano
AIPPS – Association International Psychologie et Psychoanalyse du Sport – Onlus
Born in 1994 at Università Statale di Milano
www.aipps.it
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
AIPPS theoretical framework:
Through the observation of defense mechanisms and social interaction during the
sport practice it is possible to detect some discomfort signals in order to plan an
intervention program through sports practice
Sport = place of personality structuring
not as competitive game
especially between latency period and pre adolescent age
Context: intervention on young age discomfort and its prevention
Clinical instruments: transactional analysis, projective tests, observation
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
The intervention through sports practice: why?
☞ It has some characteristics useful for the education
and interesting characteristics for the children (meeting other children, feeling
independent and participating in a pleasant activity).
☞ the rules of the sport allow the person to express freely, in a ‘socially
accepted way’, the instincts that in a different context can make one feel guilty.
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
Date: between 2000 and 2001 and repeated in the following years
Participants: 1224 kids of the primary schools (between 7 and 11 years old)
in Milan and Desio
(including children with mental diseases such as Down Syndrome).
Sport used: fencing, practiced twice a week for two hours and taught by a
fencing master.
Clinical operators: two psychologists who observed the children
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
Why fencing
It has more interesting aspects related to the management of the self,
compared with other sports:
☞ a vis à vis sport
☞ a real fight mediated by the weapon
☞ it requires sophisticated technique and precision
☞ the mask facilitates the instinct expression
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
Phases:
1) Observations during the fencing practice
2) Noting of the behaviours on a grid that associates behaviours to the related
defense mechanisms.
3) Projective tests (TAT and Three test) in order to check what was detected in
the observation phase.
4) Fencing practice again
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
ACTION
NUMBERS
MECHANISM
No save/direct hit
Suppression
Violently hitting and then going to
comfort the opponent
Cancellation
Saving without responding
Reaction
formation
Brash behaviour in front of the
challenger
Denial
Attribute the own behaviour to the
challenger
Projection
Self denigration, getting angry with
oneself
Inversion
Reversion to a previous technique
Regression
Deny the defeat as a painful
memory and not feel it as painful
Isolation
Saying to be unable to hit because
of sudden physical reasons
Somatization
It doesn’t matter if I win or not: I
play to entertain the onlookers with
my style
Sublimation
In the sports practice context we inserted and proposed
some role playing activity, choosing the role we judged
the most appropriate for each single child.
☞ it was possible to act on the most difficult ‘cases’
detected in the previous phase through observation and tests (e.g.
aggressiveness or hyperactivity).
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
Fencing practice + role playing improves the following aspects:
☞ consciousness of the behaviour rules
☞ socialization
☞ creativity
☞ attention
☞ character building
☞ ability to manage the own physical self
☞ ability to cope with conflicts
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
We summarized these skills in 4 main items:
Self Control
22%
18%
Abidance
Socialization
32%
28%
Autonomy and
creativity
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
Future perspective
Following the AIPPS studies health managers, psychologists and sports
operators, universities, hospitals, professional orders and provinces
provided a collaboration network that led to the birth of the ‘clinical sports
psychologist’.
This specific figure acts on the territory as operator and trainer within the
projects related to the young age discomfort prevention, using the sports
practice as preferred instrument.
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
☞ We hope other authorities in psychological
and medical field
will improve and substain the activity
of the clinical sport psychologist
on an international level.
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
Dr. Ph. Giovanni Lodetti
President of SIPCS (Società Internazionale Psicologi Clinici dello Sport),
Scientifical Director of AIPPS, Scientifical Director of the Master course in
Psicologia Clinica dello Sport, S.Anna Hospital,Como
Responsible of ‘Sportello di Avviamento allo Sport’, Unità Spinale, Hospital
Cà Granda Niguarda, Milano
Transactional psychoanalyst (Rmet) – President of sports clubs
Manager Fis (Federazione Italiana Scherma) Milano
Psychologist trainer for CIP (Comitato Italiano Paralimpico)
Member of Epee Italian Team (1988-90) in World Cup
Fencing master, son of M° Marcello Lodetti (Master of Italian Fencing Team
1960-1980)
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
Dr. Elena Pomesano
Psychologist
Member of Sipcs
Member of Aipps
Teacher at the Master in Psicologia Clinica dello Sport, S.Anna Hospital
Collaborator with CIP (Comitato Italiano Paralimpico)
Fencing player at agonistic level
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS
THANKS FOR YOUR KIND ATTENTION !
Barcelona, 16th February 2008
Dott. G.Lodetti
AIPPS President
Dott. E.Pomesano
AIPPS