The psychopathology of everyday art: a quantitative Study - World ...

each participant received the same materials and instructions and maintained a neutral
supportive atmosphere in collaboration with a member of the hospital's therapeutic team
in each ward. The work was collected and rated by me at the end of the series.
Participants painted in rooms where there were no pictures visible. They worked in
groups of two and three, placed so that they could not see each others work without
effort. Table tops rather than easels were used so that art could take place in the usual
environment of the ward rather than in a special place which may have proved difficult
for some participants. Two of the wards had not previously been offered art, but this
approach limited disruption to ward routine. The other two groups had used this format
before.
Themes were set to hold the content constant and provoke personal involvement
from the patients, because it is recognised that sometimes methods such as free painting
can be demanding for people with functional impairments and they often produce no
picture at all 283 . The thematic focus was self portraiture: previous research on draw-a-
person studies has demonstrated that figure drawing works across a wide variety of
abilities, and suggests some personal involvement with the work. Staff were instructed
to be encouraging but not to make comments or suggestions. The same subject matter
was specified in all groups for 5 sessions based around self portraiture: (1) Draw yourself
(2) Draw yourself as you would look if you were an animal (3) A picture which shows
you doing something you enjoy (4) A picture of your life with future and past (5) A
picture which shows how you are feeling now. One person with cerebral injury used 5
283
J.B. Couch (1994), DDS Research with older people diagnosed with organic mental syndrome and
disorders, Art Therapy , V.11(2):111-115.
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