This investigation studied the relationship between self confidence ba
sic trust and drug-abuse amongst female teenagers gathered at a centre
of attention and treatment for women. The test group was constituted
by 49 teenagers with criminal behaviour who were divided into two grou
ps: 25 drug addicts and 24 nondrug addicts with ages ranging from 14 t
o 18. The Thematic Aperception Test (TAT, Murray, 1938) was used, and
sheets 1, 2, 3NM, 4, 5, 6NM, 7NM, 12M, 18NM, 19 and 20 were classified
in order to carry out a content analysis. The content analysis was ca
rried out according to areas that measure basic trust in themselves ta
ken from Erikson's Theory of Development (1950, 1963 and 1968) and Eri
kson's Inventory of Psychosocial Stages (Rosenthal, 1981) which includ
e the following areas: self-control, worry, perception, self-confidenc
e, social empathy, success in life, optimism, confidence in other peop
le and drug abuse. Scores were obtained from each one of the obtained
variables, and the t Student test was assigned in order to establish t
he differences between both test groups. Regarding the areas that meas
ure basic trust, these were divided into basic positive- indicative se
lf-confidence variables, and negative-indicative variables in basic tr
ust alterations. Thus, it was possible to determine that there were di
fferences between the two groups studied. These differences allow us t
o state that the rejection for drugs is partly determined by a more su
ccessful advance in the first stage of development postulated by Eriks
on, and the establishment of a greater feeling of self confidence that
results in a better empathy with other people, a feeling of success i
n life, and a feeling of confidence in others.