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

is thought to generate more appropriate information than empirical techniques for
psychotherapy, and fits in with a general trend of more integrated approaches suggested
by the new breed of recent books 84 . However, studies based on these precepts present
a deluge of unanalysed information in which it is difficult to distinguish a purpose or
research value.
The problems of the approach to psychiatric pictures
Single case descriptive methods, projective tests and indeed most descriptions or
interpretations of psychiatric paintings have in common an approach typical of art
criticism to the paintings, which has been applied without consideration of the
assumptions the language implies. One of the most obvious assumptions is the conscious
and serious intention of the artist 85 . This approach cannot cope with involuntary
experience were stimulated by interviews about selected drawings and relate change in the client to the art
process. Quail feels that this validates and confirms the value of art-therapy; Debra Linesch (1994),
Interpretation in Art Therapy Research and Practice: The Hermeneutic Circle, The Arts in Psychotherapy ,
V.21(3):185-195 applies a model of interaction to a case study of an abused girl.
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for example: Frederick J. Leger (1998), Beyond the therapeutic relationship: behavioral, biological and
cognitive foundations of psychotherapy , New York: Haworth, attempts to integrates and unite multifarious
psychotherapies and discusses scientific difficulties; Arthur Robbins et al.(1998), Therapeutic Presence:
Bridging Expression and Form , London: Kingsley, explores nontraditional interactions; and articles:
Herman M. Adler (1997), Towards a Multimodal Communication Theory of Art Therapy: the vicarious
coprocession, Am J. of Psychotherapy , V.51(1):54-66, supports common therapeutic processes of music,
art and other events; Sarah G. Banker, The Power of Art and Story: women therapists create their own fairy
tales, in A. Robbins, Therapeutic Presence op.cit., explains how symbolic presences open up multiple
solutions for expression; G.L. Engels (1977), The Need for a New Medical Model: a challenge for
Biomedicine, Science , April 8, V.196(4286):129-37, discusses the out-of-date medical model of disease
and the new personal rather than illness focus; Ruth Cohn Balletino (1998), The Need for a New Ethical
Model in Medicine: a challenge for conventional, alternative and complementary practitioners, Advances ,
V.14(1):6-16 joins the debate and introduces suggestions for a new ethics code for new boundaries.
85 Gilroy and Dalley (1989) Pictures at an Exhibition, op.cit. is a synthesis of essays dealing with art
therapy of mental patients, and psychoanalytic examination of the work of artists, using the same kind of
language and treatment of the subjects, and assuming an active creative process. Recent example of use
of language and aesthetic analysis to artwork of mental illness in Dalley and Case (1992), op.cit. Ch. 6,
Development of psychoanalytic understanding p.119-145; Art and Psychoanalysis p.71-96.
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