Understanding the Impact of Transition or Change via an Event in Emerging Adults Lives Through Art making with a Transpersonal Lens A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Drexel University by Marilyn Elizabeth Bruno in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Creative Arts in Therapy December 2007 © Copyright 2007 Marilyn Elizabeth Bruno. All Rights Reserved i Dedications I would like to dedicate this thesis to my family. My mother introduced me to the gift of creativity and imagination. My father introduced me to the gift of perseverance, hard work, and patience. I would like to thank my mother and father for their endless encouragement, patience, and support through out this long process. I love you both and could not have done this without you. I would also like to thank my sister Melissa, my brother in law Lee, and my best friend Carrie for constantly believing in me. I would also like to dedicate this thesis to persons living with mental illness. There are people out there who care and want to understand. “By believing passionately in something that still does not exist; we create it. The non-existent is whatever we have not sufficiently desired.” -Anonymous ii Acknowledgements Without the guidance, support, patience, and direction of Betty Hartzell, PhD., ATR-BC, LPC, Karen Clark-Schock, Psy. D., ATR-BC, Frances Bonds-White Ed. D, and my classmates, this thesis would not have been possible. I cannot thank you all enough. iii Table of Contents List of Tables…………………………………...…………………………………………v List of Figures……………………………...……………………………………………..vi Abstract…………………………………………………………………………………..vii 1. Introduction…………………………………...…...……………………...…………….1 2. Literature Review………………………………….………………….……………….11 2.1 Emerging Adulthood in the United States…………………………………...11 2.2 Developmental Issues…………………………………………...…………...13 2.3 Physical and Biological Changes………………………………………...…..20 2.4 Cognitive Development…………………………………………………...…21 2.5 Psychosocial Issues…………………………………………….…………….23 2.6 Understanding Meaning-Making in the Emerging Adult………………...….32 2.7 Contemporary Issues Among Emerging Adults in the United States………..36 2.8 Transpersonal Psychology…………………………………………………...43 2.9 Transpersonal Theories and Human Spirituality…………………………….46 2.10 Transpersonal Methods…………………………………………….….……51 2.11 Art Therapy………………………………………………………………....57 2.12 Advantages of Art Therapy…………………………………………………58 2.13 Application of Art Therapy with Emerging Adults………………………...63 2.14 Transpersonal Art Therapy…………………………………………………64 2.15 Art and Soul………………………………………………………………...67 2.16 Transpersonal Art Therapy with Emerging Adults……………….………...71 3. Methodology………..…………………………………………………………………72 3.1 Methodology 3.1.1 Design of Study…………………………………………………………….72 3.1.2 Location of Study…………………………………………………………..73 3.1.3 Time Period of Study………………………………………………………73 3.1.4 Enrollment Information……………………………………………………73 3.1.5 Subject Type……………………………………………………………….73 3.1.6 Subject Source……………………………………………………………..73 3.1.7 Recruitment………………………………………………………………...73 3.1.8 Subjects Inclusion Criteria…………………………………………………74 3.1.9 Subject Exclusion Criteria…………………………………………………75 3.1.10 Investigational Methods and Procedures…………………………………75 3.1.11 Informed Consent…………………………………………………………75 3.1.12 Instrumentation…………………………………………………………...76 3.1.13 Data Collection…………………………………………………………...77 3.1.14 Data Analysis……………………………………………………………..79 3.1.15 Operational Definitions and Terms………………………………………81 3.1.16 Special Precautions to Minimize Risks or Hazards………………………81 4. Results…………………………………………………………………………………83 4.1 Presentation of the Data………………………………………………………...…88 4.2 Subject #1 Significant Event Statements……………………………………….....89 iv 4.3 Subject #2 Significant Event Statements………………………..….……………..94 4.4 Delimited Horizons or Meanings…………………………………...……………..98 4.5 Invariant Qualities and Themes…………………………………….……………101 4.6 Individual Textural Description: Subject #1……………………….…………….107 4.7 Individual Textural Description: Subject #2……………………….…………….108 4.8 Composite Textural Description…………………………………………………110 4.9 Imaginative Variation: Subject #1……………………………………………….111 4.10 Imaginative Variation: Subject #2……………………………………………...113 4.11 Composite Imaginative Variation………………………………………………114 4.12 Revised Themes………………………………………………………………...117 4.13 Individual Structural Description: Subject #1…………………………………..119 4.14 Individual Structural Description: Subject #2…………………………………..122 4.15 Composite Structural Description………………………………………………125 4.16 Synthesis of Composite Textural and Composite Structural Descriptions……..126 5. Discussion…………………………………………………………………………....131 5.1 Overview…………………………………………………………………………131 5.2 Description of Major Findings, Themes, or Outcomes…………………………..131 5.3 Religious Experience………………………………………………………...132 5.4 Relational Experience………………………………………………………..133 5.5 Period of Doubt………………………………………………………………135 5.6 Impact/Meaning……………………………………………………………...136 5.7 Description of Feelings and Thoughts……………………………………….139 5.8 Personal Transformation and Growth………………………………………..143 5.9 Reference to Familial and Cultural Standards……………………………….144 5.10 Anticipated Course of Events………………………………………………146 5.11 Looking at Artwork Through a Transpersonal Lens……………………………147 5.12 Clinical Applications…………………………………………………………...153 5.13 Anxiety Disorders…………………………………………………………...155 5.14 Mood Disorders……………………………………………………………..157 5.15 Substance Abuse…………………………………………………………….158 5.16 Eating Disorders……………………………………………………………..159 5.17 Researchers Final Thoughts…………………………………………………….161 5.18 Limitations of the Study………………………………………………………...162 5.19 Implications for Future Research……………………………………………….163 6. Summary and Conclusions…………………………………………………………..165 7. References……………………………………………………………………………168 8. Appendix A: Consent Form………………………………………………………….175 Appendix B: Recruitment Flyer……………………………………………………...179 Appendix C: Interview Guide………………………………………………………..180 v List of Tables 1 Table 1A: Subject #1 Identified themes.………………………………………..101 2 Table 2A: Subject #2 Identified themes…………………….…………………..104 3 Table 1B: Subject #1 Experience of making artwork……………………….….119 4 Table 2B: Subject #2 Experience of making artwork…………………………..122 vi List of Figures 1 Flaming Angel (Participant #1 artwork)……………………………………..86 2 Turning the Corner (Participant #2 artwork)………………………….……..87 vii ABSTRACT Understanding the Impact of Transition or Change via an Event in Emerging Adults Lives Through Art making with a Transpersonal Lens Marilyn Elizabeth Bruno BFA Betty Hartzell Ph.D., ATR-BC, LPC The challenges of the developmental period of emerging adulthood, ages 18-25 may be the lack of meaning and purpose, possibly resulting in depression and or lack of direction in their lives. A phenomenological design was used in order to understand how healthy emerging adults found meaning and purpose in their lives from a significant event(s) that led to transition or change, and what impact this event had. The subjects were asked to draw their significant event(s) and attempted to understand the event through a transpersonal lens. The researcher attempted to answer the following research questions: In what way did the significant event(s) have an impact on the subjects’ lives? Did the artwork help the subjects’ to understand the meaning behind the event? The objectives of this phenomenological study were to explore the subject’s lived experience of transition or change through a significant event and what this event meant in their lives through artwork. This study included two participants. Participant one was an Asian-American male age 24, and participant two was a Caucasian female also age 24. The subjects’ were asked to draw about a significant event that led to transition or change. The subjects’ artwork represented religious and or relational significant events. Both of viii the subjects went through a period of anxiety, doubt, and fear in their lives before their significant event took place. It appeared natural for the subjects to assign meaning to their chosen events in order to make sense of the change. The results implied that creating artwork helped the subject’s to remember the event easier, tell the story of the event by referring back to the picture, and the artwork brought forth unconscious elements around the event as well. The findings may suggest that emerging adults may benefit from discussing how they make meaning in their lives because they are at the age where they are laying their life’s foundation and making important decisions for adulthood. Based on the identified limitations of the study, the small number of subjects, the limited age range, and lack of Native American, African American or Hispanic subjects could be addressed in a future study. Recruiting a more diverse group of subjects may provide additional support for the major themes in this study. A study that possibly focuses on more research involving psychopathology between 18-25 years of age may be beneficial in understanding important issues and what direction to take therapy. Another study could focus on how male and female subjects differ when creating meaning in their life. What aspects of life do males find meaningful and what aspects of life do females find meaningful. A study that compares the two sexes may be beneficial. 1 CHAPTER I. INTRODUCTION The purpose of this phenomenological study is to understand how healthy emerging adults found meaning or purpose in their lives from a significant event (s) that led to transition or change, and what impact this