Early Recollections: A Personality Assessment Tool for Elementary School Counselors.

Abstract

Although Alfred Adler (1931/1980) recognized early in this century that an individual's first memories constitute a vital source for understanding personality dynamics, early recollections, like other projective techniques, are not widely used by elementary school counselors. Most elementary school counselors have not received training in projective techniques, and even fewer have been introduced to early recollections. Yet, with the increasing complexity and diversity of children referred for counseling, a relatively brief and incisive assessment instrument would be useful to many elementary school counselors (Myer & James, 1991). As a counseling assessment tool, early memories reveal a child's self-concept, the quality of relationships with others, and related convictions that are crucial for a deeper understanding of a client (Slavik, 1991). This projective method also promotes the counseling relationship and clarifies goals and treatment plans. The purpose of this article is to examine the value and assumptions of early recollections as a personality assessment tool for the elementary school counselor, to suggest guidelines for eliciting and interpreting early memories, and to provide a case study of the application of early recollections in elementary school counseling.

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