The Effects of Theatrical Play Intervention Using Psychoanalytic Theories: A Research Analysis on Children with Anxiety Symptoms

Pilios-Dimitris Stavrou^1,

¹Department of Psychology, University of Athens, Athens, Greece, 10679

Cite this paper:
Pilios-Dimitris Stavrou. The Effects of Theatrical Play Intervention Using Psychoanalytic Theories: A Research Analysis on Children with Anxiety Symptoms. American Journal of Educational Research. 2018; 6(7):988-996. doi: 10.12691/education-6-7-15

Abstract

The present research aimed to investigate the effectiveness of psychodynamic theatrical play on children with symptoms of anxiety. Drawing from psychoanalytic theories concerning object relations, symbolic function and transitional space, the paper discusses the different dynamics employed during twelve sessions of theatrical play, as well as the procedural progress of the children who participated in the process. The theoretical implications of the theories of Vygotsky, Klein, Piaget and Anzieu are contextualised in this research analysis, which used a kinetic family drawing and a draw-a-person test to establish the anxiety symptoms and emotional stability of three children aged 10 to 12 before and after the completion of twelve sessions of theatrical play, in order to examine the potential effectiveness of an intervention based on the above principles. The different phases of the intervention are analysed and the outcomes of the intervention are discussed.

Keywords:
theatrical play psychoanalytic theories symbolic function symbolization object relations intervention

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	Boucher, J. (1999). Pretend play as improvisation: Conversation in the preschool classroom. British Journal of Developmental Psychology, 17, 164-165.
[2]	Corey, G. (1996). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Pacific Grove, CA: Brooks/Cole.
[3]	Klein, M. (1964). Contributions to psychoanalysis. New York: McGraw-Hill.
[4]	Robbins, A. (1987). The artist as therapist. New York: Human Sciences Press.
[5]	Robbins, A. (2001). Object relations and art therapy. In J. Rubin (Ed.), Approaches to art therapy (2nd ed., pp. 54-65). New York: Brunner-Routledge.
[6]	Henley, D. (1991). Facilitating the development of object relations through the use of clay in art therapy. American Journal of Art Therapy, 29, 69-76.
[7]	Henley, D. (1992). Exceptional children, exceptional art. Worcester, MA: Davis. Jacobi, J. (1942). The psychology of C. G. Jung. London: Routledge & Kegan Paul.
[8]	Winnicott, D. (1953). Transitional objects and transitional phenomena. International Journal of Psychiatry, 34, 89-97.
[9]	Anna Freud Austrian-British psychoanalyst. Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2017-04-15.
[10]	Vygotsky, L. S. (1967). Play and its role in the mental development of the child. Soviet psychology, 5(3), 6-18.
[11]	Fonagy, P., Steele, M., Steele, H., Moran, G. S., & Higgitt, A. C. (1991). The capacity for understanding mental states: The reflective self in parent and child and its significance for security of attachment. Infant mental health journal, 12(3), 201-218.
[12]	Piaget, J. (1970). Piaget's theory.
[13]	Piaget, J. (2013). Play, dreams and imitation in childhood (Vol. 25). Routledge.
[14]	Winnicott, D. W. (1971). Therapeutic consultations in child psychiatry. New York: Basic Books.
[15]	Anzieu, D. (2016). The skin-ego. Karnac Books.
[16]	American Psychiatric Asssiation. (2013). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (5th edition). Washington, DC: Author.
[17]	Bögels, Susan M., and Margaret L. Brechman-Toussaint. “Family issues in child anxiety: Attachment, family functioning, parental rearing and beliefs.” Clinical psychology review 26.7 (2006): 834-856.
[18]	Mechanic, D., & Hansell, S. (1989). Divorce, family conflict, and adolescents' well-being. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 30(1), 105-116.
[19]	Meichenbaum, D. (1977). Cognitive behaviour modification. Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, 6(4), 185-192.
[20]	Lubin, B., Larsen, R. M., & Matarazzo, J. D. (1984). Patterns of psychological test usage in the United States: 1935-1982. American Psychologist, 39(4), 451.
[21]	Louttit, C. M., & Browne, C. G. (1947). The use of psychometric instruments in psychological clinics. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 11(1), 49.
[22]	Sundberg, N. D. (1961). The practice of psychological testing in clinical services in the United States. American Psychologist, 16(2), 79.
[23]	Wade, T. C., & Baker, T. B. (1977). Opinions and use of psychological tests: A survey of clinical psychologists. American Psychologist, 32(10), 874.
[24]	Saracho, O. N. (1984). The Goodenough-Harris Drawing Test as a measure of field-dependence/independence. Perceptual and motor skills, 59(3), 887-892.
[25]	McPhee, J. P., & Wegner, K. W. (1976). Kinetic-Family-Drawing styles and emotionally disturbed childhood behavior. Journal of Personality Assessment, 40(5), 487-491.
[26]	Reynolds, C. R., & Richmond, B. O. (1978). What I think and feel: A revised measure of chidren's manifest anxiety. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 6(2), 271-280.
[27]	Hooper-Greenhill, E. (1991). Museum and gallery education. Leicester University Press.
[28]	Winnicott, D. (1965). The maturation processes and the facilitating environment. New York: International Universities Press.
[29]	Freud, S. (1905). Analysis of a phobia in a 5-year-old boy (Vol. 10). London: Hogarth Press. Freud, S. (1916-1917). Introductory letters on psychoanalysis (Vol. 12). London: Hogarth Press.
[30]	Freud, S. (1918). From the history of an infantile neurosis (Vol. 17). London: Hogarth Press. Furth, G. (1988). The secret world of drawings. Boston: Sigo.
[31]	Fonagy, P. (2018). Affect regulation, mentalization and the development of the self. Routledge.
[32]	Pedder, J. R. (1979). Transitional space in psychotherapy and theatre. Psychology and Psychotherapy: Theory, Research and Practice, 52(4), 377-384.
[33]	Summers, F. (1999). Psychoanalytic boundaries and transitional space. Psychoanalytic Psychology, 16(1), 3.
[34]	Mayes, L. C., & Cohen, D. J. (1992). The development of a capacity for imagination in early childhood. The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 47(1), 23-47.
[35]	Mayes, L. C., & Cohen, D. J. (1992). The development of a capacity for imagination in early childhood. The Psychoanalytic Study of the Child, 47(1), 23-47.
[36]	Bion W. (1962), Learning from Experience, Londres, Heinemann; trad. fr. Aux sources de l’expérience, PUF, 1979.
[37]	Bion, W. (1965), Transformations, Londres, Heinemann; trad. fr. Transformations. Passage de l’apprentissage à la croissance, Paris, PUF, 1982.
[38]	Creme, P. (2008). A space for academic play: Student learning journals as transitional writing. Arts and Humanities in Higher Education, 7(1), 49-64.