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The Nature of Empathy in Theatre:" Crying to Laugh." Final Technical Report

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The Nature of Empathy in Theatre: DOCUMENT RESUME ED 377 525 CS 508 755 AUTHOR Klein, Jeanne M. TITLE The Nature of Empathy in Theatre: "Crying to Laugh." Final Technical Report. PUB DATE 1 Aug 93 NOTE 421p. PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) Tests /Evaluation Instruments (160) EDRS PRICE MF01/PC17 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Acting; A,-7thetic Education; *Affective Measures; Developmental Stages; Drama; Elementary Education; Elementary School Students; *Emotional. Development; Emotional Experience; *Emotional Response; *Empathy; *Identification (Psychology); Perspective Taking; Student Experience; *Theater Arts IDENTIFIERS *Actor Observer Divergence; Sympathy; Theater Research ABSTRACT A study defined and measured empathy in relationship to sympathy, aesthetic distance, imagination, dramatic predispositions, and identification with characters in theater for young audiences. Subjects, 88 children in grades 1,3, and 5, were interviewed individually after viewing "Crying to Laugh," a presentational play about the healthy expression of emotions. Results suggest that the majority of these children sympathized with protagonists within the fictive world far more than they empathized; that they distanced themselves outside the fictive worlds by feeling different emotions and perceiving situations subjectively rather than from characters' perspectives; and they empathized with protagonists by feeling their identical emotions, especially sadness. Findings demonstrate that children sympathize and distance themselves objectively rather than empathize with characters in presentational plays which employ direct address. Appendixes provide empathy and drama indexes for children and adults; "Crying to Laugh" interview . (with children) and questionnaire (for adults); photographs of dolls and models, and facial diagrams used in interviews; coding method; reliability tables; additional statistical tables (referred to in the text); behavioral responses of audiences during performances; and teachers' evaluations of "Crying to Laugh." (Contains approximately 100 references.) (RS) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made from the original document. *********************************************************************** A The Nature of Empathy in Theatre: Crying to Laugh Jeanne M. Klein Associate Professor Director, KU Theatre for Young People. Department of Theatre & Film 317 Murphy University of Kansas Lawrence, KS 66045 (913) 864-4110 Bitnet: KleinJ@UKANVAX Internet: [email protected] Final Technical Report August 1, 1993 ()Copyright by Jeanne Marie Klein 1113 U 5 OLPAPITMENT Of EDUCATION THIS Ohre or Eclucahonst Research and imprpvermtm 'PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE BY EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES INFORMATION MATERIAL. HAS BEEN GRANTED CENTER (ERIC) xTh,S document ASS been ,eeloduced as eceved Iron, the person or orgamthoh ougmafing F' Moor changes have been made to improve tewoduct.on Quakily Pumis CI v.evr or opm.ons slated or Ihrs Po Cu meal do not nOCessara represent othcal TO THE EDUCATIONALRESOURCES OF RI posdmn or policy INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC) PEST (Try AVAILABLE ii Abstract The purpose of this study was to define and measure empathy in relationship to sympathy, aesthetic distance, imagination, dramatic predispositions, and identification with characters in theatre for young audiences. Eighty-eight children (44 boys and 44 girls) in grades one (n=33), three (n=28), and five (n=27) were interviewed individually one day after viewing Crying to Laugh, a presentational play about the healthy expression of emotions with two female protagonists and one male antagonist. Imagination played a key role in empathetic processes as most children imagined and perceived themselves as the protagonists in this dramatic situation. However, first graders relied on physical appearances to perceive dissimilarities, while older children compared characters' thematic, emotional dispositions, interpersonal relationships, and moral traits. More girls than boys began with higher empathetic and dramatic predispositions which correlated significantly. However, there were no significant relationships between these predispositions and empathy or distancing attributions for emotional responses. The majority of children, more girls than boys, sympathized or felt compassion for protagonists within the fictiveworld far more than they empathized by attributing same or different emot'onal responses to cognitive reasons different from characters across six situations. They tended to feel emotional contagion in happy situations and personal distress in sad situations, and they projected their anger at the antagonist and iii happiness for the protagonist's victory. Dramatic role-taking ("If I were the character") was used infrequently as a tool to understand characters' emotions in situations. Likewise, in keeping with Brechtian theory, the majority distanced themselves outside the fictive world by feeling different emotions and by perceiving situations subjectively rather than from characters' perspectives. Here, more boys than girls judged characters' actions with personal likings and societal moral norms, and they evaluated pleasurable, theatrical elements (e.g., stilts) with personal expectations and associations. Moreover, they tended not to imagine themselves as the female protagonists, as a few boys imagined themselves as the male antagonist. In contrast, over half of the children, more girls than boys, empathized with the protagonists by feeling their identical emotions, especially sad, and by thinking their identical reasons. They perceived themselves most like the playful, helpful heroine, because she expressed her emotions freely and they also liked to help others express themselves. They used more emotion labels to recall the play's obstacle (not to cry) and theme about uninhibited emotional expression. They relied on the protagonist's emotional behaviors to apply the theme that "It's OK to cry and express emotions freely," and on situational cues and characters' thoughts told explicitly in dialogue to identify characters' emotions. For these cognitive developmental reasons, fifth grade girls empathized most, while first grade 4 iv boys distanced themselves most, especially by finding surprising or happy actions "funny." Third graders marked the developmental shift in these gender and age differences, as first grade girls empathized nearly as often as fifth grade boys. These differences arose most likely because girls are socialized to express and report their (sad) emotions more than boys, and because younger children may have found the play's theme less salient because they may be allowed to cry more than older children. Contrary to the assumptions of many theatre producers, these findings demonstrate that children sympathize and distance themselves objectively rather than empathize with characters in presentational plays which employ direct address. While children care deeply for characters, distancing effects are triggered when expectations about dramatic situations and theatrical elements are met or thwarted, and few children make moral prescriptions. For young children who rely on visual, expressive behaviors and physical appearances, they focus on and associate characters' actions with personal pleasures subjectively rather than focusing on characters' cognitive perspect!Lves, even when a given performance text which provides characters' thoughts explicitly in dialogue. Because older children are better able to recall a play's central scenes, to infer characters' thoughts from situations, and to apply themes to self and society, they empathize more than younger children and so derive deeper emotional and memorable experiences when attending theatre. 5 Acknowledgments A project such as this involves many people working in collaboration to create "emotional truth" through the art of theatre. Le Theatre de la Marmaille (now Les Deux Mondes), the Montreal collective which originally created Crying to Laugh, has been my primary inspiration for what theatre for young audiences ought to be. Monique Rioux, Daniel Meilleur, France Mercille, Michel Robidoux, and Daniel Castonguay have nurtured my artistic soul over the years with their unique visions of what it means to feel little in a big world. For adapting this work to our U.S. stage, special thanks is extended to the entire production team, especially: Cinnamon Schultz (Mea), Elizabeth D'Amato (Seluf), Jared Khan (Yua), Amy Wrenick (assistant director), Angela Snead (stage manager), Chad Frey (scenic designer), Michael Head (lighting designer), Yosa Addiss (costume designer), and Dave Hosek (music composer) for making this production an emotionally rewarding theatrical experience for young audiences; Tim Rebman, theatre photographer; John Gronbeck-Tedesco, chair of the Department of Theatre & Film for his academic support and encouragement of this research; and, to Helene Beauchamp, theatre professor at the University of Quebec at Montreal for being there--always. Gratitude is extended to the research staff from both the Departments of Theatre & Film and Human Development (CRITC): interviewers D.D. Peitchinsky (children's theatre assistant), Roberta Wroblewski, Lisa Reboy, Kim Murphy, Jocelyn Freeman, Seanna Donley, Dan O'Connell, Steve Grossman, Jerome Christilles, Laurie VanderPol-Hosek; independent raters Lilian Casey and Kate Godman; Brent Noel; and to Aletha Huston for her mentorship and grantmanship, and Marguerite Fitch, my unwavering
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