Psychotherapy research: an interplay between inner and outer and a succession of meanings

Psychotherapy research is a rapidly developing area of study that aims to explore the integration of inner and outer conditions of an individual’s experience, the interplay between subjective and objective, as well as between individual and collective. Questions regarding a more integrative view and qualitative research in psychotherapy are discussed in the paper. The author introduces some ideas from the studies on psychotherapy effectiveness that were done at Vilnius University by a group of researchers who work in the ‘Centre for research on the psychodynamics of personality’. Clinical psychologists who hold a doctorate degree or who are in doctoral studies in the Department of Psychology at Vilnius University are members of this research group. The subjective understanding about healing episodes and the development of depth premises were the main tasks of these studies. Among other methods, the researchers used the drawing a picture of a healing moment and telling a psychotherapy story recalled by the client to collect data. Two examples of drawing a picture of a healing moment and one example of telling a therapy story are analyzed in the paper. The themes of subjective experience of renewal in psychotherapy as well as the multiplicity of experience and results in psychotherapy are discussed in the paper with case illustrations. This study showed that drawing a picture opens one more dimension of reflection and that it can be an appropriate tool for developing individual narratives as well. Authoring and re‐authoring one’s life narrative is accepted as part of a productive therapy as well as discovering one’s inner authorship. The ability to follow a succession of meanings, as well as a connection to nature and culture could be one of the ways of actualizing an integrative view in psychotherapy research.     

4~7岁儿童绘画摹写的语义编码特点

以二维模型为主对儿童绘画编码特点及发展进程的探讨。研究对象为4—7岁儿童,按年龄分为4组,共163人。主要实验有二：一是选择同一实物的三维和二维两类模型让被试摹写;二是选择语义熟悉程度和语义多寡不同的二维模型让被试摹写。个别实验,实验顺序随机安排。研究结果表明：儿童对维度不同的模型绘画编码具有共同的特点,表现出三种编码形式：其一,将模型的各构件分离,各自独立编码;其二,依模型的典型特征编码;其三,按各模型真实形象编码。儿童对不同维度模型绘画编码发展的进程不同。对二维模型绘画编码水平和发展速度比三维模型提早1年。模型语义的多寡及熟悉程度影响儿童二维模型绘画编码。     

Are young children's drawings canonically biased?

In a between-subjects design, 4- to 6-year-olds were asked to draw from three-dimensional (3D) models, two-and-a-half-dimensional (212D) models with or without depth cues, or two-dimensional (2D) models of a familiar object (a saucepan) in noncanonical orientations (handle at the back or at the front). Results showed that canonical errors were produced mainly by the youngest children in the 3D models copying condition. A large proportion of errors did not, however, reflect biases toward the participants' "own" view of the object; rather, these errors reflected biases toward their "best" view of the object. Drawing from models having fewer than three dimensions resulted in a significant increase in view-specific productions in all children for the back orientation. When a more complex front orientation of the object was proposed, sensitivity to model type developed gradually with age. Results are discussed in terms of the flexibility of the mental model that mediates between children's perception of a model object and the depiction decisions.     

Effects of Cortical Lesions upon the Onset of Hoarding in Rats

Psychologists agree that play is an essential ingredient in a child's development. The present investigation evaluated the effects of an intensive period of dramatic play upon the cognitive structures of young children (N = 12 boys and girls, ages 3 to 5 years) using repertory grids to extract their systems of personal constructs. The period of dramatic play produced substantial and sustained improvements in the numbers of constructs, which confirms the importance of play in cognitive growth. The findings are also taken to support the value of drama therapy in bringing about cognitive change in the mentally ill.     

绘画是人们最适宜的心灵表达方式--绘画在心理治疗中的应用及其作用机理

绘画作为一种心理治疗方法有其独特作用,不仅可以处理人们的情绪和心理创伤问题,而且可以使心理障碍患者的自我形象、自尊或自我概念、社交技能等得到提升,促进语言的发展与认知功能的改善.机理是,绘画是人们最适宜的心灵表达方式,它作为一种人类心理意象的主要表现形式,发展象征性的语言,能触及人所不知的心灵感受,并能创造性地将它们整合到人格里,直至发生治疗性的变化.     

再论《周易》与中国画

本文对《周易》的直观意象思维和中正和谐思想与中国画的创作特点进行了深入的比较分析,表明了《周易》思维方式对中国画的深刻影响,同时,对《周易》的玩占与艺术家们的玩墨也作了比较研究,揭示了玩占与玩墨所体现的深刻文化意蕴。     

A new theory on children's drawings: Analyzing the role of emotion and movement in graphical development

The aim of this paper is to develop a new understanding of children's drawings and to provide ideas for future research in early childhood. Starting from classic theories on child graphical development, we proceed to analyze them and provide our own views on the subject. We will also recount a number of relevant empirical studies that appear to validate our theory. Our belief is that emotion and self-expression through movement play a key role in the development of child art, and that this may be already visible during the scribbling stage of drawing.     

儿童绘画与语言关系的发展研究综述

儿童绘画与儿童语言的关系,是儿童绘画心理及符号认知发展研究中的重点和难点问题。文章在简要回顾儿童绘画心理相关研究的基础之上,从绘画与语言都是符号、二者在发生和发展过程中的相似性以及二者心理发展阶段的一致性等方面介绍了儿童绘画与语言相互关系的研究。这些研究的结果表明,不同符号系统之间联系的焦点在于意义,意义是沟通两个符号系统的纽带。儿童绘画与语言的关系随着儿童的发展而变化。文章还分析了这些研究中存在的不足并提出了今后研究的思路。     

儿童对观察者预期造成的模糊刺激解释多样性的理解

研究考察6~8岁儿童在由观察者预期造成的对模糊信息有多样解释上的理解.操纵影响观察者预期的因素,包括知觉经验、知识水平、先前经历和偏见,要求儿童预测观察者对局限视野图形或两可动作信息的解释.结果表明,6岁儿童仅对观察者偏见影响其对行动者行为的解释拥有部分理解,他们还不能理解知觉经验和知识水平会影响观察者对视觉刺激的解释,以及先前经历会影响观察者对行动者行为的解释.7岁儿童除了知识水平外,其它三方面的理解都已发展起来.8岁儿童可以理解多种观察者预期造成的解释差异,解释性心理理论比较稳定,但离完全成熟的理解还有一段距离.     

Brain drawings following traumatic brain injury (TBI) and links to illness perceptions and health outcomes – Findings from a population-based study

Objective: Individuals’ illness perceptions predict health behaviours and influence functional outcomes. This study examined associations between a novel assessment of illness perceptions, in the form of adult’s brain drawings after traumatic brain injury (TBI) and questionnaire measures of illness perceptions, quality of life and post-concussive symptoms.

Design: Population-based, prospective longitudinal study examining 245 adults with predominantly mild TBI with high risk of complications.

Main outcome measures: Participants were asked to draw pictures of what they thought their brain looked like before injury and at baseline and one month post-injury. Drawing characteristics (height, width and percentage damage at one month) were examined in relation to each outcome of interest at six months.

Results: Greater damage at one month was associated with more negative illness perceptions (rs = .23), poorer mental health (rs = ?.21), and more total post-concussive symptoms (rs = .27 to r = .35) at six months. The extent of damage depicted reduced over time (p < .001). No associations were found between the amount of damage drawn and injury severity, nor the height or width of drawings and injury severity or illness perceptions.

Conclusion: Drawings post-TBI offer a simple, cost- and time-effective way to begin discussions and improve understanding of peoples’ illness perceptions.