Diagnosis of adolescent problems by art therapy. Diagnosis by methods of art therapy. Purpose and priority goals

2.2. Methods of art therapy and creative therapy used in traumatic stress and post-stress disorders

The interpretation of a drawing is both a mysterious game and a scientific work.

P. Brutsche

Artistic creative activity is considered in AT initially as a therapeutic process, intended, figuratively speaking, for the "healing of the soul." In other words, therapeutic drawing in the conventional sense. This is a delicate, humane opportunity to observe a person in the process of spontaneous creativity, to get closer to understanding his interests, values, to see the inner world, originality, personal originality.

At the same time, foreign and domestic experts emphasize the significant diagnostic potential of the creative products of participants in the AT work, which allows you to express inner, deep feelings, to see the bright individuality of the individual.

Sometimes, notes art therapist K. Welsby, it can be very difficult to understand the nature of certain problems of students: whether they are associated with physical, sensory, cognitive, emotional or behavioral factors, and how serious these problems are. So, a closed, quiet girl may have more serious problems than a naughty and emotionally unbalanced girl, although it is the former who may be left without attention from a specialist.

Back in 1924, the talented teacher V.N. Soroka-Rossinsky convinced his colleagues that this or that child may turn out to be difficult not at all because of any defect in general ... but, on the contrary, because of the complexity and richness of his nature .. On the other hand, moderation and accuracy... do not always speak of something valuable in the spiritual sense [Ped. op. - M., 1991. - p. 140].

Personality as a complex, dynamic, plastic formation is characterized by a tendency to continuous changes in its components. The study of these processes is by no means always amenable to formalization, since it affects various characteristics of mental activity, including the spheres of the conscious and the unconscious. Therefore, diagnostics requires the involvement of appropriate systemic and non-linear procedures in nature.

In AT, the diagnostic and therapeutic process itself proceed simultaneously through exciting spontaneous creativity. As a result, it is easier to establish emotional, trusting communicative contacts between the parties included in the diagnostic process.

This is especially significant if the subject is experiencing severe anxiety and tension arising in situations of traditional examination, as well as in working with children. The child's psyche is extremely unstable, the emotional sphere is extremely labile. Younger students often see a game component in the survey or intuitively try to find the right answer. Their reactions may be imitative. Instead of the choice that would come “from the heart”, children can come up with a game with their own rules (L. N. Sobchik).

In therapeutic drawing, the situation of diagnosis is less noticeable, as a rule, it is not recognized by participants of any age and does not provoke defensive reactions.

The basis of diagnostic material is visual production. To some extent, this brings AT closer to projective drawing tests. Some authors even distinguish projective AT as an independent variety (E. M. Burno, S. Kratokhvil, A. A. Osipova, etc.). Other publications note that AT belongs to the group of expressive projective methods, which is quite justified in terms of the diagnostic capabilities of the pattern. However, AT is certainly a deeper phenomenon.

AT interpretation of drawings is not an end in itself and is not reduced to a quantitative and qualitative analysis of formal elements, although, of course, the foundations of such work are present. The priority formal components are line, form, color in their interconnected dynamics, as well as other aspects and ways of symbolic expression by means of fine art.

So, in the mentioned approaches to diagnostics, it is easy to notice significant differences, which are presented in the form of a table for clarity.

In projective graphic methods, a pictorial image for a specialist is only diagnostic material. In this case, standard scales of formal elements are used.

A structural (or formal-structural) division of the drawing is carried out, a qualitative and quantitative analysis of characteristic details, interpretation in order to clarify the individual and personal characteristics of the author of the graphic product.

For example, features of design, composition, perspective, proportions, lines, strokes, lighting are tracked (R. B. Khaikin); formal and stylistic features of the image (M. E. Burno), the frequency of occurrence of certain parameters is taken into account, etc.

In a word, it is logical to define this level of interpretation of drawings as technological.

Conducting projective drawing allows the absence of both the researcher (psychologist) and the post-drawing interview procedure, for example, if the work is done at home. However, it should be noted that in this case the diagnostic value of the technique is significantly reduced.

In AT, instead of an independent interpretation of the formal features of the drawing, the psychologist relies on the system of meanings and associations of the author himself, uses a variety of speech strategies, monitors the features of his facial expressions, movements, non-verbal sound expression and other reactions.

It should also be emphasized that the number of thematic tasks for graphic projective tests is limited. In particular, the classic ones include drawing a person (tests by F. Goodenough, D. Harris), "Tree" (K. Koch), "House - tree - man" (D. Buk); family drawing (W. Wolf; W. Hules; R. K. Berne, S. K. Kaufman) and some others.

In AT, on the contrary, a wide variety of topics for creative activity are offered. However, their diagnostic value is not elevated to absolute. Drawings are not subjected to analytical analysis solely for the purpose of revealing meaning. Introspective perception is considered more informative than the external signs of a finished work (R. Goodman, K. Rudestam, G. Fers, etc.).

In addition, there is a great danger of subjectivism, the projection of diagnostic expectations, the experiences of the specialist himself in the process of interpreting the received material. “My own inner life interferes with my perception of the outside world and, perhaps, I lead the child out of his way with involuntary interpretations,” G. Schottenloer reflects.

In every graphic image, which can be considered as a non-verbal message to someone else, there remains something specifically individual. And the difficulty of the methodological task, according to E. S. Romanova, O. F. Potemkina, is to highlight as much as possible what belongs to the author, separating him from what constitutes the normative, “non-authorial” side of the image - the canvas of the objective situation, the influence of the standard tasks, the content of the general meaning of the message.

The problem of seeking objectivity is to some extent connected with the principle of psychological projection as the basis of projective drawing. Projection underlies all types of artistic and scientific creativity, and "the subject projects (reflects, expresses) his unconscious or hidden needs, complexes, repressions, experiences, motives. Moreover, people who have "lower indicators of basic trust tend to project onto products spontaneous creativity preimuDtsegsheshga depressive experiences. In general, any person, both prepared and unprepared, has the ability to project their internal states in a visual form,

As the participants translate their emotional experience into fine art, they very often become able to describe it in words (M. Naumburg). In other words, the pictorial disfigures - a reflection of the individuality of the psychological properties of the author, his attitude, x

The children's picture is projective in relation to the internal mental state of the individual (K. Machover). Features of social circumstances of development, family situation, emotional and physical well-being, as well as other similar factors affect the construction of an artistic image, composition, use of color space, symbolism, and the nature of movements.

Even doodles have a high diagnostic potential and are regarded as an indicator of self-knowledge and social maturity of the individual, which is transmitted by the structure of scribbles (E. Ullman, F. Kane). It can be concluded, emphasizes M. Betensky, that doodles represent new information for diagnostics and new resources for art therapy.

Graphic methods give a person the opportunity not only to project reality, but also to interpret it in their own way. Naturally, the result obtained to a large extent bears the imprint of the personality, its mood, state, feelings, features of the inner world. That's why the specialist

A pictorial program that seeks to understand the_sddrrzhaniya of the pictorial program __ "TGUTSCHyyT should not be speculative __ represented and its own projections, but on the associations of the author himself and the "language" of his body (R Goodman) ^

In other words, a stubbornly linear interpretation should not

need to have a place in art therapy. R. Goodman warns

"1) T of using "cookbook technology"_in di-

agiostics of drawings, insists on the need to observe

__^gbaverbals:? oh expression of a person, be able to build

learn a speech strategy, choose the right words and not

treat them as something secondary.

What has been said is consonant with the convictions of M. M. Bakhtin, according to which it is impossible to master the inner person, to see and understand, making him the object of an indifferent neutral analysis. You can approach him and open -

more precisely, to force him to reveal himself - only through communication, dialogically

"a lot of anxiety, personal problems, fears," or the whole thing, that the author of the drawing grew up in a mountainous area.

Another example is the interpretation of the sun as a symbol of the parent figure. Is it really, R. Goodman reflects, that the sun should be associated with authority, because it "reigns" in the sky, gives everyone light, warmth and is associated with the idea of ​​God? Is not

means that such interpretations of images are incorrect. They just aren't always right. And even if they are true, is it possible to somehow verify this? “When making generalizing conclusions, we strive for objectivity, possibly ignoring the content put into the image by its creator. Thus, the connection between the symbol and what it symbolizes is lost. Unfortunately, by recklessly using symbol dictionaries, we are betraying the foundations of our activity. We must always look back and, while trying to formulate value judgments, try to see the deeper meaning of the image. Only by taking into account all the variety of associations evoked by this image, we can make a more correct interpretation.

It is very difficult, according to G. Furs, to arrange the support elements in a sequential order. There are no ready-made recipes and methods for this.

In addition, the subject can project cognitive images as a result of the knowledge acquired in the learning process, visual patterns and drawing skills. For example, children know that the trunk of a tree is most often brown, the foliage is green, the sky is blue, and the sun is yellow, and they depict them accordingly. It happens that when they come up with a story on behalf of their drawing, they say: “This tree is me,” and then they easily switch to a retelling from a natural history textbook.

One of the most common mistakes in reviewing children's work is to apply the same approaches to interpretation that are usually used in work with adults. As M. Hagood emphasizes, our own projections and psychoanalytic explanations based on theoretical positions concern the psyche of adults and are hardly relevant in working with children.

Restriction 3. So, the specificity of the pictorial taoo_four in childhood is the bird-like boundary of the method of art therapy diagnostics.

In the context of the foregoing, we single out at least two aspects: the objective patterns and stages in the development of children's creativity, which are reflected in the drawing, as well as the subjective processes of the growth and development of the child. In other words, the psychologist interacts with an undeveloped, poorly integrated structure, an immature personality.

Nevertheless, general guidelines are known on which it is possible to build a study of the leading individual typological tendencies and identify the degree of adaptation (or maladjustment) of the child being examined (L. N. Sobchik).

(For more details, see "Children's Fine Art: Peculiarities of Art-Therapeutic Diagnostics".)

Restriction 4. Common for all age groups. It is caused by the lack of strict standardization, the predominance of the empirical approach in art therapy diagnostics and, accordingly, the subjective nature, dependence on the level of preparedness, intuition, and personal experience of the psychologist (art therapist). The data obtained in this way are descriptive in nature, they are difficult to measure and present in the form of a coherent system of statistically objective, reliable, reliable results.

A total quantitative study, according to many experts, is also not universal, since it deforms the vision of an object, highlighting only that part of it that can be measured. A qualitative interpretation of visual products helps to see the deep foundations of an individual-personal pattern, reducing the risk of “generalizing and individuality”.

Specialists for too long, according to S. Mak-Npff, concentrated their attention on the products of the creative activity of clients. And the key to understanding the healing potential of art lies in the realization of human creativity.

The purpose of art therapy is not to be shortcomings or violations, emphasizes W. Becker-Glosh. On the contrary, it is addressed to the strengths of the personality, and also has the amazing property of ^ internal support and restoration of the integrity of a person. In this context, the "" position of F. Nietzsche is interesting. For him, health meant not freedom from illness, but the ability of a person to cope with it And it is this ability that is actualized in the process of fine art.

So, art therapy diagnostics can hardly be classified as self-sufficient methods, therefore it plays an auxiliary role in scientific research. However, in combination with other qualitative methods, it is art-therapeutic interaction that allows the most complete and careful presentation of the phenomenological picture of the phenomena being studied, providing a deep and individualized understanding of them.

From the standpoint of phenomenology, the client's creative product is seen as an expression of inner experience, a part of his personality. According to M. Betensky, this method inspires confidence in a person who first stays in the role of an artist, then becomes an observer and from time to time initiates a sense of himself as a person in the process of therapy. This feeling grows with systematic self-expression and openness of inner experiences.

Art therapy diagnostics can also be considered in the context of hermeneutic methods, which are based on feelings and intuition. They are designed to reconstruct the internal logic and meaning of certain actions of the subject, which have a sign-symbolic expression. It is with the help of understanding that it is possible to see subjective meanings, values, relationships, experiences and other humanitarian essences behind the external manifestations of a person. These unique opportunities are provided by art-

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therapist in the process of verbal and non-verbal communication with the client through his pictorial production.

The works of the psychotherapist W. Oaklander contain simple instructions that reflect the very essence of the art-therapeutic discussion of visual material, according to R. Goodman, “golden rules”.

"*~""Let the client talk about his work the way he wants to.

Ask to comment on certain parts of the picture, clarify their meaning, describe the definition

~ divided forms, objects or characters. This will help avoid premature assumptions about the content of the work.

Ask the client to describe the work in the first person, preferably for each of the image elements. The client can build dialogues between the individual parts of the work, regardless of whether these parts are characters, geometric shapes or objects. It is necessary to distinguish between "ego-oriented" and "object-oriented" questions. The client's comments may relate to the external or internal properties of the item. If, say, a client fashioned a food product out of clay, you can ask what ^ he ate for breakfast.

"TOGI what does he like most about the dishes that ^_ foj)bie_roTaBHT his mother? The first question is more_ "object-oriented", the second is more

"" ego-oriented *, Art therapist, choosing one or another question, must decide at what level the discussion should be carried out first. If the client does not know what this or that part of the image means, the art therapist can give his own explanation, however it is necessary to ask the client to what extent such an explanation seems to him true.

pits. When an explanation does not evoke any reaction, it is worth considering whether this is due to erroneous

"The new interpretation of the action is due to the unpreparedness of the client.

Encourage the client to focus on colors. What are they talking about? By focusing on a color, he can become aware of something. It should be noted that colors can be used in different ways at different times: in some cases they reflect the properties of objects, in others - the author's attitude towards these objects.

Try to fix the features of intonation, body position, facial expression, breathing rhythm of the client ^ Use these observations for further questioning or, in case of strong client tension, to switch to another topic. Since the visual process is associated with pronounced physical and emotional reactions, all of them should be the subject of observation by the art therapist. Help the client to understand the connection between his own statements about creative work and his life situation by gently asking questions about what and how in real life the pictorial work he created may reflect. It should be understood to what extent the client is able to integrate interpretations. Even if your explanations are correct, they may cause resistance. But if you are right, and the client is not yet ready to accept them, remember that there will be an opportunity to return to these explanations.

Pay special attention to the missing parts of the image and the empty spaces in the drawing. It is not at all necessary that the absence of the top in and the other part should carry the symbolic_nag12uz; ku. The image may have a "shorthand

"character". For example, J. Bowers notes that when

depiction of the human figure by victims of violence, the absence of the lower body

1, I I * I-y. with and

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in some cases, it can speak of repressed sexuality, and in others - T^yg.

Remember that sometimes you should take the image literally, sometimes look for something opposite to the image, especially if there is reason for such an assumption. The work of Edith Kramer, in particular, is replete with examples of the portrayal of fantasy characters by children with a strong ego who feel confident. At the same time, she points out that such images are often created by children seeking to form an ideal, unrealistic image.

"once the 'I', as a result of which they each time painfully experience the collapse of this ideal.

Ask the client to talk about how they felt during the process of creating the work, before it began, and also after it was completed. __

Allow the client to work at his own pace and with the knowledge that he

"will depict something that it can depict, and reflect those states that it is ready to explore. Regardless of the degree of directive approach, we must give the client the opportunity to feel what _r_n _self^counter_length_of_the_artistic process and its results.

Strive] to highlight the most stable themes and images in the client's work. Over time

“To the extent that semantic connections are determined, a lot can become clear and “speak” in them. Over time, the client will be ready to see common semantic lines in his images in the context of all the work done [quoted from 15].

Thus, in the modern scientific world, opposite ideas about the possibility

ty rational interpretation of the pictorial product. According to some positions, due to the irrational nature of creative inspiration, it is impossible to logically comprehend and “read” the drawing. According to another point of view, the “personal meanings” contained in the image, experiences can be decoded and realized both by the “artist” himself and by a specialist (art therapist, psychologist), who is called upon to help the author understand the content and symbolism of his own work.

These ideas generally reflect the main trends in the development of research both in terms of the potential possibilities of art therapy diagnostics, and in terms of the limits of its effectiveness.

At the same time, experts agree on the positive resource of art therapy itself and the absence of contraindications. Any person from about the age of five or six, regardless of cultural experience and artistic abilities, can be a participant in the art therapy process. It is believed that before this period, symbolic activity is still being formed, and children are only mastering the material and methods of depiction. The visual activity of preschoolers remains within the framework of play experimentation, so art therapy classes are not fully effective.

Adolescence and youthful periods, on the contrary, are favorable for the use of art therapy. Communication through expressive products is often preferable to verbal communication, since it helps young people to "hide" their experiences in visual images and avoid direct contact with an adult (psychologist, teacher). As they become aware of their intra-psychic problems and conflicts, adults and children can gradually move on to their verbalization, overcoming, and resolution.

Visual creativity of children (features of art therapy and diagnostics)

How cheerfully children draw Credulous miracles - Not Truth and Virtue, But a little man or a dog.

And the dog is furious and orange, In the teeth is green: "Wow-wow"! And, having awakened the rainbows, the Horse rides on six legs.

Child! From thoughts

reckless me with a line separate. Let go, let me go

into a drawing And settle in a good world!

David Samoilov

The visual activity of children as a possible method for studying the individual psychological characteristics of a person has long attracted the attention of specialists. Among the founders in the study of this problem abroad, such names as F. Goodenough, G. Kershensteiner, A. Clark, E. X. Knudsen, S. Levinstein, M. Lindstrom, G. Luke, K. Machover, J. Piaget, K. Stern, X. Eng et al.

Various aspects of the problem of children's fine arts have been studied by domestic scientists. Among them: V. M. Bekhterev, Yu. N. Boldyreva, L. N. Bochernikova, L. A. Venger, L. S. Vygotsky, O. I. Galkina, Ignatiev, T. V. Labunskaya, V. S. Mukhina, E. S. Romanova, Yu. A. Poluyanov, N. P. Sakulina, S. S. Stepanov, D. N. Uznadze, et al.

The identified features and patterns make it possible to reasonably and effectively build art-therapeutic interaction with children.

Childhood is a period of intensive development of physiological and mental functions. “A child thinks in forms, colors, sounds, sensations in general,” wrote K. D. Ushinsky, urging teachers to rely on these features of children's thinking.

The work of fantasy is manifested in visual images, and then in words. Visual work is a safe and natural type of activity for a child, which serves as a “transit space” for him (R. Goodman, D. Johnson).

The main neoplasms at the age of 6 to 10 years are arbitrary mental processes, an internal plan of action, reflection of behavior. At the same time, drawing plays the role of one of the mechanisms for implementing the program for improving the body and psyche, and also contributes to the consistency of interhemispheric interaction. In the process of drawing, concrete-figurative thinking is coordinated, which is mainly associated with the work of the right hemisphere of the brain, as well as abstract-logical thinking, for which the left hemisphere is responsible (V. S. Mukhina, D. N. Uznadze). Therefore, many experts consider children's drawing as one of the types of analytical-synthetic thinking. Drawing, the child, as it were, forms an object or thought anew, graphically formulating his knowledge, studying the patterns relating to the objective and social world (A. A. Smirnov, S. S. Stepanov).

Awareness of the environment occurs in the child faster than the accumulation of words and associations. Drawing gives him the opportunity to most easily express in figurative form what he knows and experiences, despite the lack of words. Visual activity is a kind of analogue of graphic speech (L. S. Vygotsky).

Speech arises on the "foundation" of images. In their verbal description, sometimes, especially in children, difficulties arise. Therefore, it is non-verbal means that are often the only way to express and clarify strong feelings and beliefs. “I could draw, but I don’t know how to put it into words” (K. Rudestam).

S. Levinshtein, V. S. Mukhina and other researchers also emphasize that drawing for children is not art, but speech. They have a tendency to draw. This is a kind of experimentation with artistic symbols as substitutes for real objects. Through drawing, the individual's need for self-expression is realized. It is spontaneous visual activity for the child that is most natural, interesting, and pleasant. It does not require exceptional, strong-willed and intellectual efforts, it is close to the game and therefore does not cause disturbing experiences.

Children are able to use art materials for communication, playing with images, improvisation, theatricalization. They seem to feel the limited expressive possibilities of the word, and this probably makes them more “perfect” creatures than adults (E. Bülow).

The age of five to about ten years is even called the golden age of children's drawing.

The first years of education are one of the most significant periods in the development of a child's personality. The youngest function of the psyche is developing - speech. There is a formation of contextual and dialogic situational speech, communication is being improved. Therefore, it is the younger students who, for various reasons, may experience difficulties in communicative activity, verbalization of feelings and thoughts. However, they are happy to “speak” non-verbally, through visual and plastic expression, drawing. Even K. Jung considered the symbolic language of fine arts as the most adequate, more accurate and capacious than words.

In the works of one of the founders of art therapy, M. Naumburg, it is also emphasized that the most important thoughts and experiences as a product of the unconscious, first of all, appear in the form of images. Imprinted in visual products, they become available for perception, understanding and analysis.

At the same time, the diagnostics and psychological content of individual elements of visual production can hardly be mechanically transferred to the practice of working with children. In particular, according to the study by E. S. Romanova, an extremely low predictive and diagnostic value of standardized projective drawing tests was established in older preschoolers and primary school students.

Children's drawings, like children's concepts, are poor at first, they are distinguished by a lack of coherence, the ability to distract (L. Shvantsara, I. Shvantsara). Drawings and speech up to school age retain a schematic character.

Children's drawing in its development goes through several specific, universal stages. The origins of the first children's images hide the secret of the origin and development of the most valuable human abilities: artistic vision, higher forms of fantasy, intuition, creative imagination (E. V. Ilyenkov).

It is characteristic that children brought up in conditions of different cultures, in visual activity, necessarily go through the stages of “scribing”, “cephalopods”, “shapeless images”, “schematic representation”, etc. Experts note that the drawings of children of different nations, but of the same age, amaze amazing resemblance. Typical features of the pictorial product clearly reflect the stages of development of the child's visual-spatial-motor experience, on which he relies in the process of drawing. In particular, "artists" until about 6 years of age do not recognize the

strange image, they only draw a front or top view.

By the age of 6-7, children develop a new type of pattern arrangement. Its main feature is symmetry in the placement of images. Children begin to understand and take into account the limitations of the sheet, its interconnected parts (top, bottom, sides, center). However, the child uses them separately, successively switching attention, as if obeying the structural division. The work begins in the middle of the sheet with the most important event, usually with a large object, and then shifts to the right or left (Yu.-A. ​​Poluyanov, L. Shvantsara, I. Shvantsara).

The little draftsman depicts, as already mentioned, not an object, but a generalized knowledge about it, denoting individual features only with symbolic signs.

The next stage - the stage of plausible images - is characterized by a gradual rejection of the scheme and attempts to reproduce the actual appearance of objects.

Nevertheless, despite the complication, three main features continue to remain unchanged in children's drawings (3. V. Denisova, V. S. Mukhina, E. S. Romanova, O. F. Potemkina, S. S. Stepanov, etc. ).

Firstly, the image, as before, is only the contours of objects, there are no shades and light and shade.

Secondly, the proportionality of the image is still not respected: a person can be taller than a nearby house.

Thirdly, a sketch of those parts of the object that in reality, at its given position, cannot be seen is preserved. Related to this is the most characteristic feature of children's drawing - its transparency. For example, in the pocket of a drawn person there may be a wallet, and in it - coins (S. S. Stepanov).

Often in the images of cars, ships and space satellites there are mechanisms invisible in reality, motors, gas tanks, fuel, electrical wiring, etc.

Such an important diagnostic indicator of projective graphic methods as erasing and correcting an image is also not applicable to the drawings of children under 7-8 years of age. Preschoolers almost never correct mistakes. The most common way is to stop the initial drawing and move on to a new image on another sheet of paper.

According to the observations of E. I. Ignatiev, wanting to improve the drawing, the child does not correct the contour line, but adds more and more new details to what has already been done. In free drawings, quickly emerging associations are very easily used. The child is fascinated by the process of drawing to a greater extent than performing a specific task.

The interpretation of works can be particularly difficult due to significant differences in the individual abilities and levels of mental development of children. It is necessary to take into account the child's limited ability to verbally express his experiences against the background of considerable artistry characteristic of a younger age (R. Goodman, V. Oaklandre).

Thus, the general psychological patterns of the formation of children's fine art convincingly clarify the reasons for the ineffectiveness of interpretation according to the criteria generally accepted in projective methods.

According to V. S. Mukhina and other scientists, a projective drawing diagnoses not so much the level of a child’s mental abilities as the degree of formation of the activity that underlies the test. In other words, high scores obtained by a particular subject cannot be unequivocally considered as indicators of high in-

intelligence. They can be a manifestation of visual templates or drawing skills learned in the process of learning (V. S. Mukhina, Yu. A. Poluyanov, G. M. Fers, G. Schottenloer).

Therefore, the results of quantitative processing of graphical characteristics should be regarded as indicative, preliminary, requiring additional verification by comparison with personality research data by other methods. This confirms the widespread opinion about the lack of validity and reliability of projective drawing tests in relation to primary school age.

So, despite the general patterns in the development of fine art, each children's drawing is distinguished by specific, purely individual features that allow one to get an idea of ​​the individual psychological properties of the child.

I. Sibgatullina and colleagues, summarizing their own experience of using the drawing in the diagnosis and assessment of children's health, point to two aspects:

Children's drawing has diagnostic and therapeutic possibilities, and drawing itself can be considered as a special technique for balancing the internal state of physical, mental and emotional qualities in the development of the child, and in this process the "leading" is the child himself;

Children's drawing carries special information about the state of health of the child. Comprehensive aspectual analysis of the drawing ... is useful in assessing the state of health, as well as in choosing an adequate method of recovery, psychotherapeutic procedures, psychological correction and social therapy.

These provisions are consistent with the conclusions of L. S. Vygotsky that drawing is a certain kind of

a story about your individual development and the formation of individual body systems.

Drawing, drawing, modeling, as actions related to writing, make a new organ of the brain out of the hand - a particularly accurate and figurative instrument of language and speech (V. V. Klimenko). Moreover, drawing not only promotes development, but also connects the most important functions: vision, motor coordination, speech, thinking (L. S. Vygotsky).

According to the concept of D. N. Uznadze, the child does not look closely at the original and draws without nature. This means that he draws not what he directly perceives, but what he has in his mind. And although perception and representation have the same nature - the visual image of the object, in reality the child draws something else. And this is not what an adult draws. The pictorial form organically develops from a simple model to a more complex one, and not in the increasing “correctness” of the image.

A drawing is a kind of story about what it depicts, and, in essence, does not differ from a verbal story. Actually, this is a story made in a figurative form, which must be able to read.

Moreover, as A. N. Leontiev wrote, the difference between the “world of images”, individual sensory impressions and the integral “image of the world” in which a person lives and acts has become fundamental.

On the one hand, the feeling is included in the corresponding images, on the other hand, the imagination itself affects the feeling (L. S. Vygotsky).

Therefore, a psychologist can promote a child's well-being through artistic creation, while using therapeutic drawing to model various emotions.

Understanding the features, patterns and psychological mechanisms of drawing activity in combination with the appropriate techniques, methods and techniques of work is one of the most effective and correct

ha-zh-ya. s o cha-saz,

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ways to move to non-verbal communication available to everyone.

Getting closer to the secret meaning of the drawings means getting closer to understanding the inner world of a person, his true feelings, experiences, problems.

At the same time, the result of the interpretation, according to Dr. Paul Brutsche, is by no means a schematic summary of the analysis. Rather, it is a shock from the wisdom of the creative potential of the drawing.

Diagnostic potential of art therapy techniques Art therapy technique "Who am I?" in the context of diagnostics

As the processes of self-exploration become significant for a person, interest in individual forms of creativity increases. The image makes you concentrate and realize the “secrets” of the inner world hidden by the consciousness.

Art therapy diagnostics is not perceived by the participants as an evaluation procedure, therefore, it often reveals personality traits that are deliberately hidden in situations of formal communication.

Among the standardized methods aimed at the study of personal identity, the M. Kuhn test, as well as the T. McPartland test, are most in demand, allowing to identify actualized self-identifications and their inclusion in the holistic formation of psychosocial self-identity. Subjects are asked to give at least 10 answers to the question "Who am I?". Priority status categories that characterize a mature identity include such as: "planetary", "universal", "civil", "ethnic", "group", etc.

In the context of art therapy work, it is logical to use this test in combination with a spontaneous drawing on the topic “Who am I?”. This researcher

This technique does not take much time and provides extensive material for qualitative interpretation. In addition, the drawing is initiated and controlled by the person himself, thereby contributing to the strengthening of the integrity of his personality. In a spontaneous creative drawing, along with reflection, there is also a modeling of social reality. Being an organic component of an art therapy class, artistic activity enriches communication and social repertoire, helps to realize the inner potential of a person, which forms the basis of positive personality changes in the future.

So, each participant in the study is invited to draw an image of the Self and give the portrait a name. It must be emphasized that the appearance of the drawing, the quality of execution are much less significant than the symbolic meaning that will help to tell something important about yourself. As a result, two ways to complete the task "Who am I?" make it possible to compare verbal and non-verbal characteristics that reflect the interaction of conscious and unconscious aspects of a person's mental life.

In particular, according to the author's observations, first-year students most often (up to 39%) have the characteristics of the social self: a student, an excellent student, a medalist, a good friend, a daughter, a future teacher, a bride, a wife, an athlete, etc.

In second-year students, such characteristics are less common (up to 21%). This is probably due to the weakening of the significance of external motivation and the change in value ideas about the status of one's own personality.

The following in terms of frequency of occurrence (up to 28%) are the characteristics of the reflexive self: an interesting person, personality, clever girl, beloved, friend, “kindness itself”, Cinderella, “poor Lisa”, “the last letter in the alphabet”, a liar, an enemy, etc.

The percentage of characteristics of the physical I is high among first-year students (up to 21%); fashion model, beauty, fat woman, ugly, "blind chicken", "crooked leg", "nose", sleepyhead, etc.

Mostly negative characteristics prevail, which confirms the well-known fact that young people are “stuck” on external data.

First-year students rarely use the characteristics of the spiritual self in relation to themselves (up to 12%): joy, a stream, a piece of the universe, the morning of life, a mystery, a tender soul, a cloud, etc.

In addition to the named images, there are also:

Stereotypical characteristics: Taurus, Virgo, Capricorn;

At the level of single presentations, characteristics indicating nationality, religion;

Identification with objects, animals or using them as common nouns: rag, oak, tree, dog, elephant, bear, annoying fly, monkey, weirdo, flower, rosette.

Moreover, according to the results of the analysis of verbal self-presentations in both methods, no statistically significant differences between the indicators were found.

At the same time, graphic images are closer to reality than words. The drawing, as it were, removes the psychological defenses of the author, clarifies many hidden meanings, reproduces the attitude towards oneself, including the unconscious, shows low self-esteem, self-irony, narcissism, etc.

For example, we can refer to the work of the fifth graders Masha (Fig. 3, p. 56) and Ksenia (Fig. 4, p. 56).*

Article by L. Lebedeva, O. Lebedeva "The Lost World". - School psychologist. No. 10, 2002.

Masha began to draw without thinking. She did not ask questions, like most of her classmates: “What should I draw?”, “Can I draw this?”. She worked calmly, even somehow closed, detached, not paying attention to others (which is not typical for a situation in a class environment).

Masha is 10 years old. She is like a "yule". Fidget, often “grumbles”, is dissatisfied with something. At the same time, she builds funny grimaces and pouts her lips, although in general the girl is very kind and sympathetic. At the lessons she is active: she strives to answer, she likes to go to the blackboard. He studies unevenly (at 5, 4, sometimes gets triples), attends a music school.

tala vdaya in vc-

Equally diverse is her drawing “Who am I?”. The girl drew herself in the form of an angel in a smart dress, but with a cat's head. Above this character, the sun timidly, barely noticeably breaks through.

On the back of the sheet Masha wrote:

1) I am a grass growing in a meadow.

2) I am a Rubik's cube, which is very difficult to solve.

3) I am transparent tulle.

4) I am a date.

5) I am sweet, but small.

6) I am a rose with thorns.

7) I am a begonia.

8) I am a hair that is easy to break.

9) I am a cliff.

10) I am air.

Xenia is 11 years old. She is a calm, good child (they say about such children - “correct”), neat, she studies consistently successfully, mostly at 5. Despite the fact that outwardly she is a rather cheerful girl, she has some kind of sadness in her eyes.

Ksyusha drew a girl guessing on the cards. Despite the fact that the painter herself is a tiny girl, even too small, in the image of I turned out to be an adult fat woman. The drawing is located on the left half of the sheet, the blank right side is separated by a line. Ksenia refused to color the drawing, although she was offered both felt-tip pens and pencils. Giving the work, she doubted: “Probably should have drawn a cat, but I look like a cat,” and when she saw Masha’s drawing, she said: “Yes, I should have portrayed an angel better.” On the back of the picture was written:

1) I am a girl.

2) I am a student.

3) I am small.

4) I am smart.

5) I am amazing.

6) I am tender.

7) I am cheerful.

8) I am mischievous.

9) I am gambling.

10) I am beloved.

Comparing verbal and non-verbal self-presentations, it is easy to notice the hidden claims and unsatisfied needs of little artists, their inner world lost in the school framework, so amazing and multifaceted.

I note that the presented technique not only increases interest in self-exploration, but is also deeply therapeutic in essence. After all, understanding one's own internal processes of both a destructive and creative order, awareness of the sources and characteristics of experiences ultimately creates a feeling of confidence and a positive life perspective.

Art therapy technique

"The man who picks an apple from a tree"

in the context of diagnostics

With a high degree of probability, we can assume that most people have practical experience of picking an apple from a tree, or at least visual images of this process in their ideas. This fact underlies the graphic projective technique developed by art therapists Linda Gantt and Carmel-lo Tabon.*

The Russian modification is presented in the studies of A. I. Kopytin, E. Svistovskaya.**

* Gantt L. & Tabone C. Formal Elements Art Therapy Scale.

The Rating Manual. Gargoyle Press Morgantown, WV. 1998. ** Svistovskaya E. Art therapy scales of formal

elements: a pilot intercultural study.

// Healing art. Journal of Art-Tragement, No. 2,2000.

Instruction:

Draw a person picking an apple from a tree. Materials:

A4 paper, a set of felt-tip pens or pencils in 12 colors, including gray and black.

Usually this projective technique is considered from the point of view of the analysis of the graphic features of the image in the context of the selected art-therapeutic scales of formal elements.

Let's try to shift the emphasis to the plane of qualitative interpretation. After all, as you know, "... generalization and formalization blur the lines between genius and mediocrity" (M. M. Bakhtin).

The instruction for the task leaves a high degree of freedom for the subject and allows you to model the proposed situation at your own will. This means that the problem and the level of difficulty of its solution, in fact, are set by the artist himself. For example, one can imagine and draw any tree of a suitable height, a sufficient number of apples on it, growing as low as necessary for an elementary solution of a problem, as well as a person of an appropriate height.

However, most of the subjects (both children and adults) portray not just a person picking an apple from a tree, but a person who finds himself in an extremely difficult situation, who needs to overcome considerable difficulties in order to complete the task. So, quite often there are drawings in which the depicted subject, with all his strength, standing “on tiptoe”, reaches for an apple or shakes a tree; knocks down fruits with a stick; climbs the stairs; climbs the trunk; even conquers a mountain peak, moreover, with a result unknown to the viewer.

What prompts the subjects to model the situation as problematic, intractable or insoluble at all? What determines the amount of imaginary effort expended to achieve the goal?

It is believed that drawing on paper is a work on the border of contact between the inner and outer worlds (G. Schottenloer). At the same time, "artists" spontaneously project visual images rich in symbolism onto paper.

Symbols are usually seen as signs or images of various psychological realities.

The mythological symbolism of the apple is well known.

The serpent-tempter in the biblical myth seduced Eve to taste the apple - the forbidden fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

The goddess of discord, Eris, tossed the guests a golden apple with the inscription "Most Beautiful", because of the possession of which Aphrodite, Athena and Hera argued. As a result, the cause or object of the quarrel is allegorically called the bone of contention.

No less figurative is the expression "an apple on a silver platter ...".

Picking an apple in the context of dynamic symbols is an action during which a person shows the ability to move towards the goal of his mental "liberation".

Without a doubt, each image of a "man picking an apple" is deeply individual. At the same time, diverse drawings can formally be systematized on the following grounds:

"the completeness or fragmentation of the image of these objects;

2) according to the method of action (what is shown: preparation for action, the action itself or the end result?);

3) by result (what efforts are made by a person to achieve the goal, how successful is the result: is the apple picked?).

Illustrations

The author of the drawing, a ten-year-old girl, depicted a huge pink apple and a fragmentary branch with a green leaf. The fingers of an invisible person of unknown age and gender barely touch this apple (Fig. 5).

Similar stories are found in adults.

The images of the second type include the following illustrations. On fig. 6 it is easy to see what incredible efforts a climber has to expend in an effort to get the cherished fruit. (The author is a 20-year-old student.) Moreover, just as in the work of a ten-year-old boy, only the action is indicated (a person reaches for an apple), the end result is not known (Fig. 7).

The third type of drawings, on the contrary, does not contain information about how the goal was achieved. The viewer sees only the result: apples in the hands, a basket, etc. (Fig. 8.9).

Let's pay attention to the characteristic features and symbolism of the presented drawings. branch image

instead of a tree, according to some researchers, presumably indicates infantilism, and too large an object - about inner looseness, freedom.

B. E. Egorov, E. S. Romanova interpret these signs in a different way. According to them, the ripening fruits are the ripening problems of the "artist's" personality. The number of fruits depicted is equal to the number of problems being solved that are being actively worked out, and fallen apples indicate problems already solved.

According to Koch, the presence of apples on a tree means guilt.

It is important to pay attention to how the visualized apple looks: ripe, juicy or green, shriveled; sour or sweet; tasty or "wild"?

There are drawings in which a person picks up an apple from the ground, often wormy or rotten, and even eats such an apple (see Fig. 9). A special case is if an imaginary person picks up fallen or picked apples by someone. Such "signs" leave the impression of a draftsman's psychological distress.

The dynamic image of a person picking an apple can be attributed to the so-called "children's symbols". These are impressions of early childhood that can awaken positive feelings and positive emotions. Among them: a holiday, balloons, a parade, fireworks, a river at sunset, a children's song or a book ... (Mouse). These symbols and symbolic scenes refer to the pre-psychotic state of a person. They help to establish a connection with the normal part of his personality, which at the moment may be hidden or suppressed.

In art therapy practice, the appeal to "children's symbols" will allow the psychologist to most successfully establish contact with the subject, the group and provide the necessary emotional support.

According to R. Assagioli, the technique of using symbols through their visualization contributes to the achievement of integration of the conscious elements of the personality with the unconscious and, to some extent, logical thinking with unconscious non-logical personal manifestations. However, this method is difficult to apply to overly extroverted, rigid or intellectual subjects who have very clear objective ideas at the level of their conscious self and a weak connection with the unconscious. Such people do not like symbols, or at any rate symbols do not tell them anything.

In general, a qualitative analysis of a drawing using the "Man picking an apple from a tree" method gives an idea of ​​the dominant ways of achieving goals by the subject or special combinations of strategies that form a certain stylistic type of decision making. And this, in turn, determines individual achievements, as well as the results of people's joint activities and the effects of their interaction.

The space of the art therapy process

The concept of space as one of the basic concepts in art therapy is usually considered in two aspects.

Firstly, this is the atmosphere that develops in the process of interaction between a psychologist (art therapist, teacher) and participants in art therapy based on non-verbal and verbal communication. The general emotional background is largely determined by the characteristics of art-therapeutic relations.

Secondly, this is the place where the art therapy process takes place, where visual means, materials, and products of creative activity of art therapy participants are stored.

This refers to the physical symbolic space of the art therapy room, which forms a special, "healing" environment of interaction - "facilitating environment", in the terminology of D. Winnicott, C. Rogers.

Each person who comes to the art therapy room uses it in their own way, while establishing a unique relationship with the art therapist (K. Case, T. Dalley). At the same time, the presence of certain boundaries provides an opportunity to maintain the necessary distance between him and the rest of the participants.

Obviously, the space should provide a high degree of internal security for everyone entering into a psychotherapeutic relationship. After all, this is what determines the level of trust and openness necessary for the development of the art therapy process. The loss or threat of personal space causes at least unpleasant emotional experiences.

The school class, in which the student constantly takes his place, forms a component of his personal space. K. Blaga and M. Shebek, for example, note that teachers often do not take this fact into account and transplant students in accordance with their goals. Adults behave as if the class space belongs to them. However, the child perceives the place at the desk as personally significant, essential. And if it is subjectively bad (someone else's desk), then the student's concentration of attention is often disturbed, passivity, lack of initiative develops. In a new place, according to the authors, he automatically has an orienting reaction, like “accepting” or “feeling” a new space. Therefore, the teacher, when transferring students, must anticipate that the guys will start to worry, chat among themselves, or otherwise violate discipline.

Thus, both the student and the teacher need a certain (lability of the surrounding world) in order to develop their abilities and connections.

What has been said is equally true

2. Limits of art-therapeutic diagnostics.

1. Features of art-therapeutic diagnostics.

Graphic creative activity is considered in art therapy initially as a therapeutic process, intended, figuratively speaking, for the “healing of the soul”. In other words, therapeutic drawing is not a diagnostic method in the conventional sense. This is a delicate, humane opportunity to observe a person in the process of spontaneous creativity, to get closer to understanding his interests, values, to see the inner world, originality, personal originality.

At the same time, foreign and domestic experts emphasize the significant diagnostic potential of the creative products of the participants in art therapy work, which allows you to express inner, deep feelings, to see the bright individuality of the individual.

Sometimes, notes art therapist K. Welsby, it can be very difficult to understand the nature of certain problems of students: whether they are associated with physical, sensory, cognitive, emotional or behavioral factors, and how serious these problems are. So, a closed, quiet girl may have more serious problems than a naughty and emotionally unbalanced girl, although it is the former who may be left without attention from a specialist.

Back in 1924, the talented teacher V.N. Soroka-Rossiysky convinced his colleagues that this or that child may turn out to be difficult not at all because of any defect in general ... but, on the contrary, because of the complexity and richness of his nature .. On the other hand - moderation and accuracy ... do not always speak of something valuable in a spiritual sense.

Personality as a complex, dynamic, plastic formation is characterized by a tendency to continuous changes in its components. The study of these processes is by no means always amenable to formalization, since it affects various characteristics of mental activity, including the spheres of the conscious and the unconscious. Therefore, diagnostics requires the involvement of appropriate systemic and non-linear procedures in nature.

In art therapy, diagnostic and actual therapeutic processes proceed simultaneously through fascinating spontaneous creativity. As a result, it is easier to establish emotional, trusting and communicative contacts between the parties included in the diagnostic process.

This is especially significant if the subject is experiencing severe anxiety and tension arising in situations of traditional examination, as well as in working with children. The child's psyche is extremely unstable, the emotional sphere is extremely labile. Younger students often see a game component in the survey or intuitively try to find the right answer. Their reactions may be imitative. Instead of the choice that would come “from the heart”, children can come up with a game with their own rules (L. N. Sobchik).

In therapeutic drawing, the situation of diagnosis is less noticeable, as a rule, it is not recognized by participants of any age and does not provoke defensive reactions.

The main diagnostic material is visual products. To some extent, this brings art therapy closer to projective drawing tests. Some authors even distinguish projective art therapy as an independent variety (E. M. Burno, S. Kratokhvil, A. A. Osipova, etc.).

Other publications note that art therapy belongs to the group of expressive projective methods, which is quite justified in terms of the diagnostic capabilities of the drawing. However, art therapy is certainly a deeper phenomenon.

Art therapy interpretation of drawings is not an end in itself and is not reduced to a quantitative and qualitative analysis of formal elements, although, of course, the foundations of such work are present. The priority formal components are line, form, color in their interconnected dynamics, as well as other aspects and ways of symbolic expression by means of fine art.

So, in the mentioned approaches to diagnostics, it is easy to notice significant differences, which are presented in the form of a table for clarity.

In projective graphic methods, a pictorial image for a specialist is only diagnostic material. In this case, standard scales of formal elements are used.

A structural (or formal-structural) division of the drawing is carried out, a qualitative and quantitative analysis of characteristic details, interpretation in order to clarify the individual and personal characteristics of the author of the graphic product.

For example, features of design, composition, perspective, proportions, lines, strokes, lighting are tracked (R. B. Khaikin); formal and stylistic features of the image (M. E, Burno), the frequency of occurrence of certain parameters is taken into account, etc.

In a word, it is logical to define this level of interpretation of drawings as technological.

Conducting projective drawing allows the absence of both the researcher (psychologist) and the post-drawing interview procedure, for example, if the work is done at home. However, it should be noted that in this case the diagnostic value of the technique is significantly reduced.

Art therapy diagnostics is impossible in the absence of a specialist. Instead of an independent interpretation of the formal features of the drawing, the psychologist relies on the system of meanings and associations of the author himself, uses a variety of speech strategies, monitors the features of his facial expressions, movements, non-verbal sound expression and other reactions.

It should also be emphasized that the number of thematic tasks for graphic projective tests is limited. In particular, the classic ones include drawing a person (tests by F. Goodenough, D. Harris), "Tree" (K. Koch), "House - tree - man" (D. Buk); family drawing (W. Wolf; W. Hules; R. K. Berne, S. K. Kaufman) and some others.

In art therapy, on the contrary, a wide variety of topics for creative activity are offered. However, their diagnostic value is not elevated to absolute. Drawings are not subjected to analytical analysis solely for the purpose of revealing meaning. Introspective perception is considered more informative than the external signs of a finished work (R. Goodman, K. Rudestam, G. Fers, etc.).

In addition, there is a great danger of subjectivism, the projection of diagnostic expectations and experiences of the specialist himself in the process of interpreting the received material. “My own inner life interferes with my perception of the outside world and, perhaps, by involuntary interpretations I lead the child out of his way,” G. Schottenloer reflects.

In every graphic image, which can be considered as a non-verbal message to someone else, there remains something specifically individual. And the difficulty of the methodological task, according to E. S. Romanova, O. F. Potemkina, is to highlight as much as possible what belongs to the author, separating him from what constitutes the normative, “non-authorial” side of the image - the canvas of the objective situation, the influence of the standard tasks, the content of the general meaning of the message.

The problem of distortion of objectivity is to some extent connected with the principle of psychological projection as the basis of projective drawing. Projection underlies all types of artistic and scientific creativity, and the subject projects (reflects, expresses) his unconscious or hidden needs, complexes, repressions, experiences, motives. Moreover, people with lower indicators of basic trust tend to project predominantly depressive experiences onto the products of spontaneous creativity.

In general, any person, both prepared and unprepared, has the ability to project their internal states in a visual form. As participants convey their emotional experience in fine art, they very often become able to describe it in words (M. Naumburg). In other words, a pictorial product is a reflection of the individual psychological properties of the author, his attitude, character, self-esteem.

Any children's drawing is projective in relation to the internal mental state of the individual (K. Machover). Features of social circumstances of development, family situation, emotional and physical well-being, as well as other similar factors affect the construction of an artistic image, composition, use of color space, symbolism, and the nature of movements.

Even doodles have a high diagnostic potential and are regarded as an indicator of self-knowledge and social maturity of the individual, which is transmitted by the structure of scribbles (E. Ullman, F. Kane). It can be concluded, emphasizes M. Betensky, that doodles represent new information for diagnostics and new resources for art therapy.

Graphic methods give a person the opportunity not only to project reality, but also to interpret it in their own way. Naturally, the result obtained to a large extent bears the imprint of the personality, its mood, state, feelings, features of the inner world. That is why a specialist seeking to understand the content of visual products should focus not on speculative ideas and their own projections, but on the associations of the author himself and the "language" of his body (R. Goodman).

In other words, straightforward interpretation should not have a place in art therapy. R. Goodman warns against using "cookbook technology" in diagnosing drawings, insists on the need to observe a person's verbal expression, be able to build a speech strategy, choose the right words and not treat them as something secondary.

What has been said is consonant with the convictions of M. M. Bakhtin, according to which it is impossible to master the inner person, to see and understand, making him the object of an indifferent neutral analysis. It can be approached and revealed - more precisely, forced to reveal itself - only through communication, dialogically.

Thus, art therapy interpretation, in contrast to projective graphic methods, is accompanied by a verbal feedback based on the reflection of the “artist” himself, which encourages him to independently realize the content of the inner world. Priority guidelines are given to the author's own associations of the visual product, his non-verbal behavior and verbal expression.

Characteristically, art therapy gives a person the opportunity to simultaneously act as a “witness” and “direct participant” in the visual process, to reflect on their traumatic experience, “translating” information about it from an emotional to a cognitive level (R. Goodman).

The plastic image reflects the totality of certain ideas and is the most economical communication tool. Drawing, in comparison with verbal language, openly and sincerely conveys the meaning of the depicted. Emphasizing this feature, K. Jung called artists "mouthpieces of the unconscious."

So, it is in the process of therapeutic drawing that the unconscious reactions of the personality are most clearly expressed, which allows us to conclude about the deep, projective potential of art therapy diagnostics, as well as about its significant advantages in a number of cases.

Figuratively speaking, it is important to know the answer to the question: "What is good and what is bad" in the interpretation of the picture.

2. Limits of the method of art therapy diagnostics

Fine art is an attractive and interesting activity that is accessible to children and adults and has a high psychodiagnostic potential.

Therefore, it is necessary to comprehend the phenomenology, research resources and limitations of the method of art therapy diagnostics, to identify the real boundaries within which the information received will meet the criteria of objectivity, reliability, correctness, reliability.

Restriction 1. It is generally recognized that all people, without exception, regardless of age, racial and national origin, have the ability to be creative. However, the objective fact of reflecting certain cultural attitudes in an artistic product can be logically attributed to one of the limitations of the diagnostic potential of art therapy.

Through visual images containing graphic signs of belonging to a particular culture, people convey ideas about themselves. For example, drawings by a Mexican may be characterized by bold outlines of figures, while drawings by a Japanese may show a lot of free space. Both of these examples demonstrate some connection between pictorial expression and cultural and ethnic foundations and traditions.

The formal elements of the image are considered as criteria characterizing unconscious processes. However, the ambiguity and contradictory nature of their interpretation is another limitation of the method of art therapy diagnostics. In a word, the problem of the validity of methods for analyzing visual data and content analysis of subjective information remains relevant.

Restriction 2. The category of analysis in art therapy is limited to products of artistic spontaneous creativity. The formalized side is represented by the following procedure. A structural (or formal-structural) division of the drawing is made. The features to be analyzed are selected (standardized graphical characteristics of the drawing:

location on the sheet, size of figures, predominant colors, shading, etc.). The frequency of occurrence of a feature (element) corresponding to the category of observation in the products of the subject's activity is registered and calculated. A meaningful interpretation of the results of statistical analysis is carried out. However, at the same time, the understanding of the subtle “matter of the soul” may well be distorted or lost.

The senselessness of exclusively formalized diagnostics and interpretation is emphasized by many experts. So, S. Kratochvil notes with a great deal of irony that the peaks of mountains can be associated with the image of the mother's breast, testify to anxiety, personal problems, fears, or just that the author of the drawing grew up in a mountainous area.

Another example is the interpretation of the sun as a symbol of the parent figure. Is it really, R. Goodman reflects, that the sun should be associated with authority, because it "reigns" in the sky, gives everyone light, warmth and is associated with the idea of ​​God? This does not mean that such interpretations of images are incorrect. They just aren't always right. And even if they are true, is it possible to somehow verify this? “When making generalizing conclusions, we strive for objectivity, possibly ignoring the content put into the image by its creator. Thus, the connection between the symbol and what it symbolizes is lost. Unfortunately, by recklessly using symbol dictionaries, we are betraying the foundations of our activity. We must always look back and, while trying to formulate value judgments, try to see the deeper meaning of the image. Only by taking into account all the variety of associations evoked by this image, we can make a more correct interpretation.

It is very difficult, according to G. Furs, to arrange the support elements in a sequential order. There are no ready-made recipes and methods for this.

In addition, the subject can project cognitive images as a result of the knowledge acquired in the learning process, visual patterns and drawing skills. For example, children know that the trunk of a tree is most often brown, the foliage is green, the sky is blue, and the sun is yellow, and they depict them accordingly. It happens that when they come up with a story on behalf of their drawing, they say: “This tree is me,” and then they easily switch to a retelling from a natural history textbook.

One of the most common mistakes in reviewing children's work is to apply the same approaches to interpretation that are usually used in work with adults. As M. Hagood emphasizes, our own projections and psychoanalytic explanations based on theoretical positions concern the psyche of adults and are hardly relevant in working with children.

Restriction 3. So, the specificity of fine art in childhood is also a kind of boundary of the method of art-therapeutic diagnostics.

In the context of the foregoing, we single out at least two aspects: the objective patterns and stages in the development of children's creativity, which are reflected in the drawing, as well as the subjective processes of the growth and development of the child. In other words, the psychologist interacts with an undeveloped, poorly integrated structure, an immature personality.

Nevertheless, general guidelines are known on which it is possible to build a study of the leading individual typological tendencies and identify the degree of adaptation (or maladjustment) of the child being examined (L. N. Sobchik).

Restriction 4. Common for all age groups. It is caused by the lack of strict standardization, the predominance of the empirical approach in art therapy diagnostics and, accordingly, the subjective nature, depending on the level of preparedness, intuition, and personal experience of the psychologist (art therapist). The data obtained in this way are descriptive in nature, they are difficult to measure and present in the form of a coherent system of statistically objective, reliable, reliable results.

A total quantitative study, according to many experts, is also not universal, since it deforms the vision of an object, highlighting only that part of it that can be measured. A qualitative interpretation of visual products helps to see the deep foundations of an individual-personal pattern, reducing the risk of “generalizing individuality”.

Specialists for too long, according to S. McNiff, concentrated their attention on the products of the creative activity of clients. And the key to understanding the healing potential of art lies in the realization of human creativity.

The purpose of art therapy is not to identify mental deficiencies or disorders, emphasizes V. Becker-Glosh. On the contrary, it addresses the strengths of the personality, and also has the amazing property of internal support and restoration of the integrity of a person. In this context, the position of F. Nietzsche is interesting. For him, health meant not freedom from disease, but the ability of a person to cope with it. And it is this ability that is actualized in the process of fine art.

3. Rules of art-therapeutic diagnostics.

So, art therapy diagnostics can hardly be classified as self-sufficient methods, therefore it plays an auxiliary role in scientific research. However, in combination with other qualitative methods, it is art-therapeutic interaction that allows the most complete and careful presentation of the phenomenological picture of the phenomena being studied, providing a deep and individualized understanding of them.

From the standpoint of phenomenology, the client's creative product is seen as an expression of inner experience, a part of his personality. According to M. Betensky, this method inspires confidence in a person who first stays in the role of an artist, then becomes an observer and from time to time initiates a sense of himself as a person in the process of therapy. This feeling grows with systematic self-expression and openness of inner experiences.

Art therapy diagnostics can also be considered in the context of hermeneutic methods, which are based on feelings and intuition. They are designed to reconstruct the internal logic and meaning of certain actions of the subject, which have a sign-symbolic expression. It is with the help of understanding that it is possible to see subjective meanings, values, relationships, experiences and other humanitarian essences behind the external manifestations of a person. These unique opportunities are provided to the art therapist in the process of verbal and non-verbal communication with the client through his visual products.

The works of the psychotherapist W. Oaklander contain simple instructions that reflect the very essence of the art-therapeutic discussion of visual material, according to R. Goodman, "golden rules".

Let the client talk about his work the way he wants it.

Ask to comment on certain parts of the picture, clarify their meaning, describe certain shapes, objects or characters. This will help avoid premature assumptions about the content of the work.

Ask the client to describe the work in the first person, preferably for each of the image elements. The client can build dialogues between the individual parts of the work, regardless of whether these parts are characters, geometric shapes or objects. It is necessary to distinguish between "ego-oriented" and "object-oriented" questions. The client's comments may relate to the external or internal properties of the item. If, say, a client has molded a food product out of clay, you can ask what he ate for breakfast or what he likes the most from the dishes that his mother cooks? The first question is more "object-oriented", the second is more "ego-oriented". An art therapist, choosing a particular issue, must decide at what level the discussion should be conducted first. If the client does not know what this or that part of the image means, the art therapist can give his own explanation, but you need to ask the client how much such an explanation seems to him true. The attitude to what was said is checked both by verbal and non-verbal reactions. When an explanation does not evoke any response, it is worth considering whether this is due to an erroneous interpretation or is caused by the client's unpreparedness.

Encourage the client to focus on colors. What are they talking about? By focusing on a color, he can become aware of something. It should be noted that colors can be used in different ways at different times: in some cases they reflect the properties of objects, in others - the author's attitude towards these objects.

Try to fix the features of intonation, body position, facial expression, the rhythm of the client's breathing. Use these observations for further questioning or, in case of strong client tension, to switch to another topic. Since the visual process is associated with pronounced physical and emotional reactions, all of them should be subject to observation by the art therapist.

Help the client to understand the connection between his own statements about creative work and his life situation, asking carefully questions about what and how in real life the pictorial product he created may reflect. It should be understood to what extent the client is able to integrate interpretations. Even if your explanations are correct, they may cause resistance. But if you are right, and the client is not yet ready to accept them, remember that there will be an opportunity to return to these explanations.

Pay special attention to the missing parts of the image and the empty spaces in the drawing. It is not at all necessary that the absence of one or another part should carry a symbolic load. The image may have a "shorthand" character. For example, J. Bovers notes that when depicting a human figure by persons who have suffered violence, the absence of the lower body in some cases may indicate repressed sexuality, and in others - a distorted image of the "I".

Remember that sometimes you should take the image literally, sometimes look for something opposite to the image, especially if there is reason for such an assumption. The work of Edith Kramer, in particular, is replete with examples of the portrayal of fantasy characters by children with a strong ego who feel confident. At the same time, she points out that such images are often created by children striving to form an ideal, unrealistic image of the "I", as a result of which they each time painfully experience the collapse of this ideal.

Ask the client to talk about how they felt during the process of creating the work, before it began, and also after it was completed.

Allow the client to work at his own pace and with the knowledge that he will portray something that he can portray and reflect those states that he is ready to explore. Regardless of the degree of directive approach, we must give the client the opportunity to feel that he himself controls the visual process and its results.

Strive to highlight the most stable themes and images in the client's work. Over time, as the semantic connections are determined, a lot of things can become clear and “speak” in them. Over time, the client will be ready to see common semantic lines in their images in the context of all the work done.

Thus, in the modern scientific world, opposite ideas about the possibility of a rational interpretation of a pictorial product coexist. According to some positions, due to the irrational nature of creative inspiration, it is impossible to logically comprehend and “read” the drawing. According to another point of view, the “personal meanings” contained in the image, experiences can be decoded and realized both by the “artist” himself and by a specialist (art therapist, psychologist), who is called upon to help the author understand the content and symbolism of his own work.

These ideas generally reflect the main trends in the development of research both in terms of the potential possibilities of art therapy diagnostics, and in terms of the limits of its effectiveness.

At the same time, experts agree on the positive resource of art therapy itself and the absence of contraindications. Any person from about the age of five or six, regardless of cultural experience and artistic abilities, can be a participant in the art therapy process. It is believed that before this period, symbolic activity is still being formed, and children are only mastering the material and methods of depiction. The visual activity of preschoolers remains within the framework of play experimentation, so art therapy classes are not fully effective.

Adolescence and youthful periods, on the contrary, are favorable for the use of art therapy. Communication through expressive products is often preferable to verbal communication, since it helps young people to "hide" their experiences in visual images and avoid direct contact with an adult (psychologist, teacher). As they become aware of their intrapsychic problems and conflicts, adults and children can gradually move on to verbalizing, overcoming, and resolving them.

It is clear that the analysis of the resulting artistic products is of interest in terms of diagnostics. Informative is the choice of the content of dominant feelings, which, as you know, determine one of the most important characteristics of the orientation of the personality.

The subject of reflection for the psychologist can be such characteristics and features as the gamut of feelings and colors, the overall color of the picture, the relative saturation in the image of positive and negative emotions, as well as the degree of predominance of one or the other. In the same context, it is important to evaluate the work from the standpoint of the complexity of the drawing process. How energetic was this process, how much effort did the artist spend on creating the intended image? Is the silhouette completely painted over or are there empty spaces? What can be said about the degree of integration of image elements? How long did it take to work on each of the visualized feelings, and what were the difficulties?

Of course, the posture of a person is informative, as well as the location of each feeling and the emotions associated with it, the emotional state.

For example, according to one opinion, the feeling of love (as well as hatred) must be placed in the head, according to another opinion - in the region of the heart. It happens that the whole silhouette of a person is occupied by only this feeling, or, on the contrary, it is completely absent. Fear and horror are usually drawn in the legs (“wadded legs”, “trembling knees”), in the face area (eyes, forehead, lips). Aggression, anger is most often depicted in the feet, fists or on the face.

The authors are more unanimous in the choice of color schemes. The feeling of love is colored mainly in pink or red; aggression and anger - in black, dirty brown, dark purple; fear and horror - in gray, dark gray colors.

It is important to pay attention to the color range. The choice of primarily brown, gray, black colors reveals, according to L. N. Sobchik, a state of pronounced stress, regardless of what and in whom the stress is caused. This may be an objectively overcomplicated situation or a neurotic reaction in an unstable personality to life's difficulties. Feelings highlight phenomena that have a stable motivational significance.

The author of the drawing, an adult man, by the time of the lesson was in a state of protracted professional conflict for a long time, a constructive way out of which could not be found. The situation seemed hopeless to him.

At the suggestion of a psychologist: depict and<<заполиитъ» контуры человека любыми эмоциями, чувствами подхо­дящей окраски, - протеста не последовало. Напротив, мужчина с удовольствием принялся за работу. Сначала, не задумываясь, быстро нарисовал черным цветом комок ненависти в правой половине груди силуэта. Затем - темно-коричневым изобразил жадность в кулаках. Гряз-

but in gray painted over the rest of the surface of the drawing, since fear, in his opinion, spreads throughout the body. In the region of the heart, he "settled" a two-color pain (shades of marsh and rusty-brown). The work was almost completed and the author, considering it, thought for a long time. As a result, another feeling appeared - complacency, which, like a bubble in the form of a spacesuit, towered over the head and shoulders of the drawn person. At the discussion stage, the man said that he was pleased with the image, that he had drawn all the main feelings and emotions that came to mind in the first place. He was sincerely surprised and laughed for a long time, because he completely forgot about love, joy, happiness, pleasure, surprise and other emotional states that filled the drawings of other members of the art therapy group.

So, the proposed exercises in a playful way allow you to feel, realize, experience and express the full range of feelings and emotions.

At the same time, in the process of creative self-expression, at the unconscious-symbolic level, there is a “response” of internal tension, new paths to personal growth and development open up for a person.

“We draw with symbols and abstractions”

The exercise continues the previous topic in the context of working with a certain feeling. Instruction options:

Using any image style and any artistic means, create an image of guilt (grief, loss, love, happiness, etc.)

Use colors, lines, shapes to create images that express your understanding of guilt (grief, happiness, etc.).

Describe your feelings of guilt (anger, jealousy, etc.) in symbolic language.

Using symbols and abstractions, draw what you feel when you feel guilty (abandoned, loved, etc.) - Then paint a picture when you are happy (sad, offended).

Procedure "What do you see?" will help to find out own associations and ideas of the author of the picture. It is interesting to discuss the author's argumentation of color, form, composition in the depiction of this or that feeling. What signs indicate that an image of joy or, on the contrary, sadness has been created? What plot of the picture corresponds to your understanding of joy (sadness, guilt, resentment)? What episode appears when you are asked to draw a feeling of happiness (grief, hatred)?

Such thematic tasks are conducive to a high degree of openness in the group. Therefore, it is especially important for a psychologist to remember to respect the individuality of each participant in the lesson and take care of his psychological state.

<<Путешествие в детство»

Drawings of early memories are usually considered as a kind of metaphor for the relationship of the author with the contemporary world around him. It is believed that childhood memories as a symbolic model of interpersonal relationships reflect the individual characteristics of interaction, communication difficulties and ways to resolve them, the nature of the response both in the past and in the present. This phenomenon is closely connected with the nature of fine arts (V.

Words and drawings of childhood memories are a strong stimulus for the creative self-expression of those feelings that are associated with the inner world of the subject (F. Mousi and others).

Therefore, the theme of several sessions (classes) may sound: "I can afford to play like a child ...".

One of the tasks: draw the most favorite game (or activity) from your childhood with your “non-working” hand and come up with a name for the drawing.

Depending on the purpose, the instruction may leave freedom for choosing the emotional coloring of a childhood memory (pleasant, joyful or bitter, traumatic). Namely:

Draw with a “non-working” hand any childhood event (any childhood memory);

Draw with a “non-working” hand the most vivid childhood memory.

For work, it is better to use soft pictorial materials (wax crayons, pastels), sheets of large format paper (A3 and larger).

It is obvious that the "right-handed" when drawing with the left hand, as it were, pushes the boundaries of skills, weakens conscious control, appeals to feelings, therefore, becomes more spontaneous. He can just draw without thinking about the perfection of the drawing. At the same time, there is a high probability of manifestation of strong feelings, children's fears and / or the emergence of vivid creative images.

It is important to discuss why this particular children's game arose in the imagination. How did the person feel in the process of working on the images, how does he feel now? What is the connection between the remembered episode and the author's "life scenario", the prevailing strategies of behavior, how is it reflected in his life at the moment?

In subsequent sessions, the theme of childhood memories can be continued: “My first lie...”, “The most impressive event...”, “I am a child”, “When I was little”, “First loss...”, “ The first parting in my life”, “Children's secrets”, etc.

"Metamorphoses of drawing"

The meaning of the task is simple: each participant is invited to quickly create some kind of

or an image, draw a simple picture or just color spots, and then pass the work to the next participant to continue the drawing. The exercise ends when each drawing, having gone around several circles, returns to its first author.

The original idea, the changes that have taken place, and the feelings that arose are discussed. At the end of the lesson, collective drawings are attached to the wall. A kind of exhibition is being created, which for some time will remind of fine art in a “foreign space”.

This technique can reveal strong contradictions in the group process, cause aggressive feelings, resentment, so the art therapist should warn participants about respect for each other's work.

The attitude of a person to the final (collective) version of his own drawing largely depends on how long he worked on his plan before the first transfer of the sheet in a circle.

In short, for many participants, the often drastic changes are easier to accept, the less feeling was invested in the original image. After all, if someone shows destructive tendencies, then the works returned to the authors can be almost unrecognizable.

With a benevolent mood, the initial drawings do not change so noticeably.

Thus, for psychotherapeutic purposes, at the initial stage of fine art, it is better to use time limits. Moreover, to a certain extent, the art therapist himself can control the destructive tendencies in the drawings, if he participates in collective work on an equal basis with others.

So, drawing in a circle makes it possible to obtain significant diagnostic material, to observe individual reactions and the development of a group process.

"Transparent paintings (isotherapy on glass)" -

This technique demonstrates tendencies towards cooperation or rivalry)", dominance, and also allows you to show the attractiveness of a "helping" relationship.

Participants work in pairs on one glass, fixed vertically. Everyone paints with gouache on their own side of the glass, but the theme for fine art is common. For example: depict your ideas about happiness, draw good, dream, pain, joy, etc.

Restrictions on verbal communication. The idea, plot, methods of work are not discussed in advance.

At the analysis stage, ready-made compositions are compared, the participants exchange opinions on how their actions were coordinated, how did the overall composition succeed: is the picture harmonious, is the idea the same? What does the composition look like in the light: is the impression of a holistic work created or is the image perceived only separately from each side?

Participants take turns characterizing and interpreting the drawn objects, describing the associations that have arisen. If everyone paid attention only to their own composition, without coordinating actions with a work partner, it is necessary to correctly clarify the motives for just such a strategy.

It is clear that the result of joint work in a single logic is more attractive?!, since the painted picture looks harmonious;! on both sides of the glass and into the light.

A similar procedure can also be performed using the technique of drawing with plasticine on glass or a large sheet of cardboard. Moreover, the probability of autonomous compositions increases if the sheet is divided in half by a wide (thick) line. If the border is almost imperceptible (a fold, a hard thin pencil), a subject with a pronounced desire for leadership easily moves to "alien" territory.

Words and symbols are known to revive vivid impressions and real sensations that can trigger the natural mechanisms of self-regulation.

It is generally accepted that a feeling of anxiety (emotional component) certainly causes motor anxiety (motor component), as well as changes in the course and nature of the child's thoughts (mental component). Therefore, by drawing a positive image and fantasizing, one can experience a feeling of pleasure, which will be reflected in facial expressions, gestures, actions, attitude towards oneself and others. This means that potentially positive topics are especially useful for therapy: "I'm good"; “My most pleasant (bright, kind, happy) childhood impressions”; "Joy".

The effectiveness of art therapy techniques is largely evidenced by the feedback from the participants themselves, their steady desire to attend classes, as well as the degree of sincerity and openness, positive changes in interpersonal relationships and other signs.

A generalized criterion for the effectiveness of art therapy is the objective dynamics of social and psychological indicators of the state of participants.

In general, the presented exercises and techniques are quite universal. They, like a mirror, reflect models of human behavior in real life.

The system of art therapy classes

Each of the proposed classes is multi-purpose and can become the basis for a system of art therapy work with one of the most common personal problems. Among them: fears, anxiety, aggressiveness, shyness, problems of communication, intragroup interaction, relationships with others, and many others.

At the same time, the system of classes in the proposed sequence represents a model of short-term thematically oriented art therapy. At the same time, the main focus is shifted from therapeutic and correctional goals to psychoprophylactic, social and therapeutic, educational, developmental, and diagnostic goals.

The duration of one meeting with a group is 30-120 minutes (depending on the art therapy goal, the logic of work and the age of the participants). Frequency: 1-2 times a week.

The theme, a clearly defined structure, a certain content of each stage of the lesson set organizational order, some directiveness. However, in terms of the style of psychotherapeutic relations, the emotional atmosphere, art-therapeutic interaction is democratic, creative, humanistic, and personally oriented.

The proposed techniques are quite universal and are suitable for working with all age groups: from elementary school students, starting from the age of seven, to adults and the elderly. Can be adapted for individual art therapy.

Lesson I. "We draw circles ..."

General remarks. Priority Goals

This lesson is suitable for starting and completing AT work. It promotes the development of spontaneity, reflection; allows you to clarify personal characteristics, values, claims, the nature of the problems of each participant, his position in the group; reveals interpersonal and group relationships, their dynamics, has the potential for the formation of group cohesion.

The optimal number of participants is 14-16 people (two small groups). AT space is organized as follows: two large tables (student desks can be made up), around which chairs and an art therapist's table are placed.

Materials:

Two rolls (one for each table) of thick paper, each about 2 m long, without connecting seams.

Many children are very worried and upset if they spill water in the process of work, stain their clothes with paint. So that such unfortunate accidents do not limit spontaneity and freedom of creativity and do not reduce the therapeutic effect of the lesson, it is necessary to take care of comfortable overalls in advance.

Basic procedures. Stages

(Instructions for participants are in italics.)

1. Mood ("warm-up"). Exercise options:

Scribble.

Passing the sheet around.

Drawing in a circle.

2. Individual work.

Take a seat at one of the tables. You can change your location if you wish. You have the right to move freely around the table and work in any territory.

Draw a circle of the desired size with the color you like.

Draw one or two more circles of any size and color on the sheet. Please step away from the table and look at the received images from the side.

The following instruction is only for those who are not satisfied with the results of the work and would like to change (clarify, correct) the appearance, color, location of their circles in the space of the paper web. You can make one or more drawings.

Outline the drawings.

Connect your circles with lines that you especially like. Imagine that you are laying roads.

Fill the space of each of your circles with story drawings, icons, symbols, i.e. give them individuality.

3. Teamwork.

Walk around the picture sheet, carefully examine the drawings. If you really want to finish something in the circles of other participants, try to negotiate with them about it.

Sketch the remaining free space on the sheet with patterns, symbols, icons, etc. First of all, agree with the other participants on the content and methods of creating a background for the group drawing.

4. Stage of verbalization and reflective analysis.

Groups attach the resulting canvas paintings to the wall. Then each participant shares his impressions of the joint work, shows his own drawings, talks about the idea, plot, feelings, reads out loud, if desired, good wishes that other participants wrote to him.

For this technique, the circle was chosen as a mythological symbol of harmonies. It is believed that the circle, due to the absence of sharp corners, is the most "friendly" of all geometric figures, meaning approval, friendship, sympathy, gentleness, sensuality, and thiness.

Working in a circle activates integrative, emotional, intuitive (right hemisphere) thinking, and also unites, stabilizes the group, and contributes to the formation of favorable interpersonal relationships.

Even small children, according to S. Rais, prefer circles to all other figures. This is apparently due to the simplicity of the round shape.

The draftsman, as E. Bülow noted in the article “And here is a sign for you ...”, immersed in the process of depicting a wide variety of symbols, fills the entire surface of the sheet to the very edge, as if opening them for himself. Many sheets, dotted with circles, sometimes larger, sometimes smaller, touching or intersecting with each other, and sometimes included in one another, raise the question of the significance of the circle as a symbol.

Drawing in a circle is usually called the technique of drawing mawdala (“magic circle”). As follows from the psychological dictionary, a mandala is a symbolic drawing, usually a square within a circle or a circle within a square, with some symbol in the center. This is a kind of bridge between the inner and outer worlds, it allows you to depict in the form of a picture the self, a holistic personality, its harmonious state, as well as subtle experiences that are inexpressible by ordinary means (K. Jung). In recent years, this technique has also been used as a projective psychodiagnostic tool.

The proposed version of the lesson is in some sense similar to sociometric methods and has significant diagnostic value.

One of the tasks of the 1st stage is to get to know and / or bring the group members closer together through joint actions. For this, according to R. Goodman, the exercise “Passing the sheet” is especially suitable. It is valuable in that the drawing has no authorship, and therefore cannot become a subject for targeted irony and criticism.

Each of those present is invited to draw on their sheet of paper some simple and familiar image, and then give the drawing to the neighbor on the right. He adds something to the image and passes it further in a circle. The work ends when each drawing returns to its first author. Then the participants share their impressions. Usually there is a favorable creative atmosphere, conducive to the manifestation of creative activity and spontaneity at the next stages of work.

A modification of this exercise is to create a single group drawing. In this case, only one sheet of paper is passed around the circle, on which each participant in turn depicts something according to his own design or supplements the work of previous authors.

The exercise is interesting, especially at a fast pace, but ineffective in large groups, as well as with younger students and children with deviations in the volitional sphere, since those who have already completed the work, waiting for the next instruction, may be distracted, interfere in the creative process of others, comment , advise, ironic. The most impatient ask questions like: “What next? Can I…” Therefore, in such exercises at the stage of mood, time limits are necessary. The psychologist can regulate the duration of the work of each participant, for example, by a stopwatch or interrupt the drawing with cotton.

The stage of individual work has a significant diagnostic potential. The location of the circle, its dimensions, the thickness of the contour, as well as the color choice and the formal characteristics of the connecting lines are informative. It is important to pay attention to the content, symbolism, features of the plot drawing inside the circle. According to these features, it is not difficult to make an initial impression of how the subject sees and perceives personal space, what are his claims, self-esteem, individual personality traits. For example, the presence of strong shading, the small size of the image, presumably indicate an unfavorable physical and / or psychological state of the child, a high degree of tension, stiffness, and anxiety. On the contrary, large sizes, the use of bright colors are regarded as indicators of well-being, relaxedness, lack of tension and fatigue.

It is equally important to observe how a person behaves during creative work, how he perceives instructions and whether he follows them, how carefully he treats the creativity of others, whether he succeeds in communicative contacts with the group.

Some children (and adults too), not having pencils of their preferred color, do not even try to make a request to any of those present. It is desirable, if possible, to clarify the situation, as well as delicately clarify what exactly the subject would prefer to change in the joint group activity.

Information valuable for diagnostics can also be obtained by following the instructions: “Connect the circles you have drawn with those that you especially liked by means of lines.” This is a kind of sociometric choice model, since participants often focus not on the external attractiveness of the drawing, but on the authorship. It also happens that the lines - "roads" on the way to the goal cross some of the depicted objects. It is important to pay attention to the reaction of those whose drawings are spoiled. Do they continue to work, get upset, spoil the drawings of offenders in retaliation, “capture” a new space, behave in some other way? Are there those who have not drawn a single line from their drawings? Are there any images that are not connected to the rest? If there are any, it is necessary to offer to "ground" them with the help of a line drawn to the edge of the sheet. Otherwise, the author may have a feeling of rejection by the group (E. R. Kuzmina).

Therefore, the task of the stage of collective work is to create a situation of humane interaction and mutual assistance. Thanks to joint efforts, previously inconspicuous drawings, to the pleasure of the author, acquire a more attractive appearance. As a rule, there is an atmosphere of mutual sympathy and "infection" with positive emotions.

Children, and many adults, are happy to draw in other people's notebooks. It is important to understand with what intentions a person is introduced into the “territory” of another, how benevolent this cooperation is. Sometimes, despite persuasion, some participants do not agree to any changes in their drawing, sometimes they even show aggressiveness. In such situations, you can not insist.

It happens that some participants erase lines and other images around their circles, outline, isolate the place chosen for work on a common sheet. Such situations, of course, are informative in terms of diagnostics, as well as in the context of respect for the personal space of another person.

The next instruction (draw a background) involves the organization of collective fine art in the free space of the sheet. The psychologist should observe how the participants agree on the content and methods of completing the task: do they all work together, creating a uniform background; divide the sheet into parts and work in small groups; draw individually their own version of the pattern, thereby isolating the territory of their circles? Are there leaders and dissatisfied in this work?

At the final stage, there is a verbalization of thoughts, sensations, feelings that arose in the process of individual and collective work. A person, interpreting his drawing, can supplement, “correct” and explain with words what he could not depict.

At the same time, the need to be understood and accepted by the group is realized.

As a rule, a friendly atmosphere is created at the lesson. During the discussion, the participants intuitively use the “psychological stroking” technique. They praise all the drawings, clarify the idea, and provide emotional support. For example, in one of the classes, a student, showing her circles on a piece of paper, apologized several times for not being able to draw: even the cheeks of the matryoshka turned out to be of a different shade. But the group immediately found another reason - it's just that the light falls unsuccessfully, and the drawing is very good.

Concluding the lesson, it is worth emphasizing the success of everyone and the individual uniqueness of each. In children's groups, it is also desirable to note that thanks to co-creation, an ordinary roll of paper has turned into an elegant, decorative canvas on which all circles are interconnected, they are securely and comfortably together.

Both children and adults after the lesson are worried about the future of their "pictures". It is advisable to leave them attached to the wall (in the office, recreation), as if prolonging the art-therapeutic effect for some more time.

So, this art therapy technique reliably reveals the place of each participant in the overall palette of relationships.

Modifications of the lesson "Draw circles ..."

1. Free drawing in a circle

Each participant is invited to choose one or more circles of any size for individual work. (Templates with a diameter of 3 to 30 cm from thick paper must be prepared in advance.)

After the drawing in circles is completed, the participants unite in small groups of 5-7 people and create a common composition on a piece of paper using their creative work as a basis.

Further, the “pictures” are attached to the wall (board), examined, exchanged impressions. The lesson ends with a reflective analysis. The features of individual work and intragroup interaction are discussed. You can invite participants to write stories to accompany the drawings.

2. Thematic drawing in a circle

To create a composition in a circle, a theme is set. For example, “White and Black”, “Happiness and Sorrow”, “Day and Night”, “Good and Bad”, “Halves of my “I”, etc. The main thing is that the task formulations include alternative concepts, contrasts, reflected duality, hidden contradictions of the whole, "two sides of the same coin." Such work encourages a person to explore and realize their own internal conflicts, experiences, values.

3. Drawing together in the space of a circle Participants are invited to unite in pairs,

choose (or draw) a circle template of a certain size, agree on the content, visual means, ways to work together to create a single composition.

It is clear that not everyone manages to create a harmonious pattern, especially if the couples were formed on a random basis, consisted of partners unfamiliar to each other.

In this exercise, the features of interpersonal interaction, tendencies to leadership or subordination, the dominant styles of behavior of the participants are clearly manifested, which is of great value for diagnosis.

No less interesting and informative is group work in the space of one large circle.

4. Drawing in a circle as a diagnostic technique

Robin Goodman, president of the American Art Therapeutic Association, describes the technique of drawing in a circle for the purpose of diagnosing parent-child relationships. The subjects are asked to depict themselves and their parents using circles of various sizes, placing them on a sheet at a certain distance from each other. The results obtained testify to a large extent to the degree of emotional closeness and significance for the child of each family member.

5. Creation of a mandala.

An interesting version of the lesson is when the participants, according to the appropriate rules, draw symbolic “magic circles” - mandalas on thick cardboard, and then give them to each other as happy talismans, amulets. Often such gifts are carefully stored for many years.