Art Therapy Exam BC Flashcards by Stephy-Graded A

Art Therapy Exam BC Flashcards by
Stephy-Graded A

Art Therapy Theory and Practice
Identify shared characteristics of art making and mental health. - ANS-A generally
accepted characteristic of both art and mental health includes flexible problem-solving.
Problem-solving is a process in which an individual perceives and resolves a gap
between a present situation and a desired goal, with the path to the goal blocked by
known and unknown obstacles. In general, the situation is one not previously
encountered and is not known. The creative process emphasizes problem-solving and
self-actualization. Another generally accepted characteristic of both feelings (ways to
manage frustration and emotions, such as fear, anger, sadness, disappointment,
happiness). The art therapist respects the client's right to personal freedom, choices,
values, and autonomy as they work together to help the client find healing.

Compare art therapy and art education. - ANS-Both art equations and art therapy teach
techniques, use similar materials, try to get individuals to express their inner feelings,
and foster growth as they create. Both strive to help the individual to grow. Art therapy
uses art as a therapeutic device. In art therapy, emphasis is placed on the creative
process. In art therapy, emphasis is placed on the creative process. The art therapist is
trained and skilled in art therapy techniques and interventions. Art education focuses on
the techniques to create the finished product. They differ in that art therapy focuses on
the feelings and behaviors being expressed to assess what the conflict is and how to
help the individual cope.

Explain the relationship of creativity to mental health. - ANS-Creativity is often used as
an indicator of mental health. The idea of creativity being related to mental wellness
may be supported by studies concerning the therapeutic value of creative processes.
Many studies have indicated that the creative arts may be. Great source of therapy for
those suffering from mental illness and for others, as well. It is thought that the therapy
may act as a release for trapped emotion. Most studies show that there is a link
between creative ability and the risk of mental disorder: in fact, the prevalence of mental
problems among creatively gifted people is significantly higher than in the general
population.

Describe the theories of Naumburg and Kramer. (Work of Edith Kramer and Margaret
Naumburg) - ANS-Both Naumburg and Kramer rely greatly on Freudian theories in their
work.
To Margaret Number, art was a form of symbolic speech going from the unconscious,
like dreams, to be evoked in a spontaneous way and to be understood through free
association. Art was conceived as a "royal road" to the unconscious symbolic contents,

,a means of both diagnosis and therapy, requiring verbalization and insight as well as art
expression.
To Edith Kramer, art was a "royal road" to sublimation, a way of integrating conflicting
feelings and impulses in an aesthetically satisfying form, helping the ego to control,
manage, and synthesize via the creative process itself. Kramer believed that the art
process itself and creativity are healing. She emphasized how the art product promotes
sublimation as a therapeutic intervention.

Compare art as therapy and art psychotherapy - ANS-Art as therapy (Edith Kramer) is a
product-oriented approach in which the main focus is the expression of art for
academic, aesthetic, or cultural aims. The therapist who uses this approach believes
that the creative process itself helps an individual to reconcile emotional conflicts and
foster self-awareness and personal growth.
Art Psychotherapy (Margaret Naumburg) is a process-oriented approach that focuses
on both the product and any associations as a means to assist individuals to reconcile
emotional conflicts and to foster self-awareness and personal growth. Therapists who
use this approach view the actual art-making process, the ways in which the forms are
presented, the content, and the verbal association as a reflection of an individual's
personality, development, personality traits, and unconsciousness.

Explain the role of transference communication between client and therapist as a
mutual symbolic language. - ANS-Transference is the projection of the client's
unconscious feelings onto the therapist. Transference begins the first time that a patient
meets a therapist or even before, in which the patient imagines what the therapist is
going to be like before therapy begins. In art therapy, some degree of transference
exists due to two factors:
The projective nature of the art expression
The relationship between the client and patient
The therapist must be aware of the potential harm that can occur as a result of the
therapeutic relationship, which ultimately can inhibit the healing process and ethical
issues.

Explain the functions and relationships of primary, secondary, and tertiary process
thinking. - ANS-Freud first explained. "primary" and "secondary process" thinking. The
term primary refers to information that is perceivable by the senses. This information is
described as the "common sense" aspects of knowledge. Primary thinking is a normal
part of childhood and should be relatively rare by 18 in healthy adults. Secondary
processes are shaped, learned, and cultivated as the person develops within his/her
environment and culture. This way of processing information and creating mental
representations make up our human personality. As an individual develops, secondary
process thinking takes over. By age 6, the child lives mainly in secondary thought
processes.
Tertiary process thinking occurs when these two processes are integrated. Sylvan
Arietta defines creativity as the "tertiary process." This occurs when the right and left
sides of the brain serve as a bridge to create a unique form of thought.

,What historic role did the following play in the development of art therapy? Margaret
Naumburg, Edith Kramer, Elinor Ulman, Florence Crane, and Hanna Kwiatkowska.
Margaret Naumburg - ANS-Defined the theory of art in therapy. Emphasis on making
the unconscious conscious (Rubin, 1999) Spontaneous drawing, free association, and
interpretation were encouraged with Naumburg's approach.
Edith Kramer Proposed the art-as-therapy approach. More process-oriented "Goals of
art as therapy are to support the ego, foster the development identity, and promote
maturation." Counselor functions more as a facilitator (Kahn, 1999)
Elinor Ulman Credited with starting the first journal in the field. Initiated an early training
program in conjunction with a friend, Bernard Levy.
Hanna Kwiatkowska Worked with the National Institute of Mental Health to integrate art
and therapy. Developed structural evaluation method for families (Family Art Evaluation)
Florence Crane, Art educator, felt that art was therapy rather than a means for therapy.
Modified principles from art education for use with children. Emphasized teaching
methods to free artistic expression Movement and scribbling

Describe the theory and work of Margaret Naumburg - ANS-Naumburg believed that art
had symbolic qualities that came from the subconscious. Naumburg subscribed to the
Freudian concept of free association. She encouraged the client to verbally provide
descriptions of spontaneous art created. She chose no specific theory of interpreting art
expressions and suggested that the person's free associations were key to
understanding images created in therapy and lead to change and growth.
Naumburg subscribed to the idea of transference. Naumburg thought that patients'
attachment to the artwork gradually replaced their dependence on the therapist and that
the therapist could encourage this by avoiding interpretation. In this way, the person
would "discover for himself what his symbolic picture means to him." She believed that
the creation of art itself is therapeutic, whereas others believe that art is merely a way
for the therapist and the client to meet on a more common footing.

Describe the theory and work of Edith Kramer. - ANS-Kramer began her career in a
hospital setting and left to study psychoanalysis. Kramer believed that tart therapy was
a way of integrating conflicts on an aesthetic plane so as to bring the id, ego, and
superego into balance. She blended Freudian personality theory within art therapy with
her work with children, emphasizing the importance of sublimation as another defense
mechanism derived from Freud. Through the experience of sublimation, Kramer
believed that a synthesis of content and form was achieved by transforming emotional
material into fully formed images. She believed that the creation of art itself is
therapeutic whereas others believe that art is merely a way for the therapist and the
client to meet on a more common footing.

Describe the development of art therapy in the United States. - ANS-The development
of art therapy theory and practice was influenced by intellectual and sociological
developments in the late 19th and early 20th centuries when psychiatrists became
interested in the artwork created by their patients with mental illness. The development
of art therapy as a profession in the United States emerged during the 1940s as a result
of the work of Margaret Naumburg on children's art. Two approaches to art therapy

, emerged during the 1970s. Those who practiced "art as therapy" emphasized the innate
healing power of making art. Those therapists who considered their practice "art
psychotherapy" used art as a healing tool within the format of verbal psychotherapy.
The 70s and 80s were formative years in the growth of art therapy as a separate
profession. Partnerships with medicine and psychiatry resulted in jobs being created in
mental health centers, medical centers, day treatment programs, and substance abuse
programs.

Summarize the contributions of Otto Rank to the field of art therapy. - ANS-Formally a
follower of Freud, Rank developed a style of psychotherapy that focused on the here-
and-now, real relationship, conscious mind and will, rather than past history,
transference, unconscious, and wish. Art and education are of interest to Rank. Rank
describes three basic types of persons that we can become, adapted, neurotic, and
productive. The productive refers to the artist, the genius, the creative type, and the self-
conscious types who accept and affirm themselves and create an ideal that functions as
a positive focus for will. As a therapist, he attempted to reduce the time required for
successful psychoanalysis to a few months.

How did Freud's theory about the unconscious influence the art world? - ANS-His
discovery of the unconscious brought about a revolution in art and culture in the early
part of the 20th century. Freud established the theory that unconscious motives control
much of behavior, and he felt that artists had a special insight into psychic truth. Artists
discovered a world of the subconscious to be explored through dreams, alternate
reality, and irrationality. Freud's theories have provided new themes for many artists.
His theories influenced surrealism. Surrealistic painting and writing explore the inner
depths of the unconscious mind. Freud believed that the unconscious is the source of
our motivations, whether they are simple desires for food or sex or the motives of an
artist, and they are often available to us only in disguised form.

Explain how Jung's concept of symbols influenced the field of art therapy. - ANS-Jung
developed his own theories systematically under the name of Analytical psychology.
Jung's most famous concepts are the collective unconscious and the archetypes.
According to Jung, the unconscious expresses itself primarily through symbols. He
encouraged his patients to paint, sculpt, or employ some other art form as a way to
explore their inner depths. Jung's influence on art therapy derived from his interest in
the psychological meaning inherent in artwork, especially the mandala (magic circle in
Sanskrit). His fascination with his own drawings and those of his patients were also
influential.

Explain the development of projective techniques for assessment. - ANS-Projective
techniques of assessment are ways of accessing buried information by allowing the
patient to project it somewhere else. The basic idea is to provide neutral and non-
threatening stimuli to a patient and then ask them to interpret ambiguous pictures, fill in
the blanks, make associations, or tell stories. According to the theory of projection, the
client will project his/her own unconscious impulses onto the non-threatening stimuli,
allowing the assessor to interpret and move the patient toward increased insight. Most