Psychological Temporality in an Elderly Patient with Type 2 Diabetes: An Integrative Clinical Study Using Projective Techniques and the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI)

Abstract

This study examines psychological temporality in an older adult living with a chronic illness—type 2 diabetes—through an integrative clinical case-study design. Projective techniques (the Rorschach and Thematic Apperception Test [TAT]), the Zimbardo Time Perspective Inventory (ZTPI), and a semi-structured interview were administered to a 68-year-old participant diagnosed with type 2 diabetes. The study investigates how conscious time perspective and unconscious psychological temporality are organized and how temporal conflicts emerge across the past, present, and future. The findings indicate profound temporal fragmentation marked by acute temporal freezing in a fatalistic present. Repetitive responses, compulsive rumination, impoverished associative production, and difficulty investing in future representations appeared in the projective material. The bodily trauma associated with chronic illness, loss anxiety, relational disruption, and narcissistic inhibition constrained the flow of psychological time. ZTPI findings supported this interpretation: the Fatalistic Present dimension received the highest score, followed by Positive Past, whereas Future received the lowest score. At the conscious level, the participant expressed acceptance of illness and satisfaction with fate, yet also idealized a past associated with youth and freedom from illness. The integration of objective and projective methods revealed a relative split between conscious adaptation and persistent unconscious trauma. The findings support routine psychological assessment of older adults with diabetes and demonstrate the value of combining psychometric and projective approaches in clinical research.