Lj. IN Karlyi Johnson Hank ( II f I I I I I Ic I.', II I II III( III 1,11,1 II'\ I .1 1 I •I III II C:) MUSIC, IMAGERY AND AFFECT: A CROSS-CULTURAL EXPLORATION OF RESPONSES TO CHINESE AND WESTERN CLASSICAL MUSIC A dissertation submitted to the Institute for Clinical Social Work in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Social Work by KARLYN JOHNSON HANKS June 26, 1988 Copyright 1988 by KARLYN JOHNSON HANKS ALL RIGHTS RESERVED THE CALIFORNIA INSTITUTE FOR CLINICAL SOCIAL WORK We hereby approve the dissertation MUSIC, IMAGERY AND AFFECT: A CROSS-CULTURAL EXPLORATION OF RESPONSES TO CHINESE AND WESTERN CLASSICAL MUSIC by Karlyn Johnson Hanks candidate for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Social Work Doctoral Committee Gareth S. Hill Ph.D. _ Chair Date Judith Schiller D.S.W. 33' Committee Member Date Lindy Li Mark Ph.D. Z_ External Member óat# MUSIC, IMAGERY AND AFFECT: A CROSS-CULTURAL EXPLORATION OF RESPONSES TO CHINESE AND WESTERN CLASSICAL MUSIC by Karlyn Johnson Hanks Abstract This is a cross-cultural phenomenological study of imagery and affect produced by subjects listening to Western and Chinese classical music while in a deeply relaxed state. The purpose was to explore the essential structure of the subjects' responses to selected music with especial reference to the discovery of responses which would transcend the personal and cultural level and thus be representative of the archetypal level. The tape of music developed for the study consists of eleven carefully selected and programmed selections of Chinese and Western classical music. Music was the most constant element in the study. In Taiwan and the United States volunteer subjects were tested individually, using a form of the Jungian method of active imagination, with music, in a method developed by Bonny. All subjects in both cultures entered the altered state of consciousness and produced affective imagery and follow-up drawing(s). 2 Responses were subjected to an analysis using the method of Giorgi against the background of Jungian and Kohutian theory. The major finding is that the psyche has a propensity for acting according to patterns in response to music. Archetypal content, often personally and culturally differ- entiated, is common to many or all responses, even across widely disparate cultures and music, and even when a trans- lator is required. Both groups of subjects produced remark- ably similar responses to both kinds of music. The findings are discussed with reference to Jungian archetypal theory, Kohutian theory of music and psychology, and cross-cultural theory. Among the clinical implications: this method is effec- tive for cross-cultural use, work with unconscious material, and potentially as a diagnostic tool. Scrupulous ethical care is demanded because of its potential to bypass personal and cultural defenses and inhibitions and provide relatively ready access to sensitive unconscious material. The meaning of my existence is that life has addressed a question to me. --C. G. Jung Memories, Dreams, Reflections 1 To my Mother Bernita Kroll Johnson who introduced me to music and fostered my love of it and To may Daughter Amy Kathryn Hanks whose deep relatedness to the Chinese culture made this study possible ii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS Many people along the way have provided help, nurturing, support and grist. Here are a few: Gareth S. Hill, Ph.D.--who provided the spark that ignited the fire and then tended it with great care Judith Schiller, D.S.W.--whose provocative feedback always provided grist Lindy Li Mark, Ph.D.--whose understanding of Chinese culture and music always was shared graciously, and whose help and sup- port were equalled by her openness to new ideas Wayne K. Detloff, M.D.--with profound appreciation and thanks for helping me to find The Tao Helen Bonny, Ph.D.--whose innovative work with music sparked my own interest, and who encouraged and inspired me to take her work and go in my own direction Liang Tsai-ping--for his formidable work in inspiring a renaissance of Chinese classical music, and willingness to share his story and his music Liang Ming-yue--for his help and encouragement, and for his brilliant work with the ch'in and its meaning The subjects--who gave so willingly and freely of their inner experience of the music, especially the Chinese subjects, who were also my teachers The other members of my family-- David, my son, who provided perspective at unexpected and fortuitous moments Jay, my husband, whose help and commitment have been constant A. Lowry Johnson, my father, who provided a start toward this project, and had the satisfaction of knowing I was on the way iii On Music Thunder comes resounding out of the earth: The image of enthusiasm. Thus the ancient kings made music In order to honor merit, And offered it with splendor To the Supreme Deity, Inviting their ancestors to be present. --I Ching Hexagram 16 Music is . the essence of order and leads to all that is good, just and beautiful, of which it is the invisible, but nevertheless, dazzling, passionate and eternal form. --Plato The man that hath no music in himself, Nor is not moved with concord of sweet sounds, Is fit for treasons, stratagems and spoils... Let no such man be trusted. --Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice Without music life would be a mistake. --Nietzsche It is the musician's role . to help us express genuine emotions. When music takes on that responsibility, it draws upon the best kind of human effort and is deeply therapeutic, harmonizing the physical and spiritual, the intellectual and emotional, joining body and soul. --Yehudi Menuhin The Music of Man Today it is possible to approach music on the one hand with the apparatus of modern atomic science and on the other through the perceptions of depth psychology. It is the responsibility of . music . to bring back into the limelight the original function of music--its links with the deepest in human experience. --Peter Michael Hamel Through Music to the Self iv A Note on Chinese Words and Names Chinese words may appear with different forms or spellings throughout this dissertation, due to two factors: There is a difference in Romanization of the characters, depending on historical preference or preference of a particular author. For example, Liang uses the older form, ch'in, in his 1969 work, and the newer pinyin form, in his 1985 work. Sometimes a specific person has Anglicized his name differently in different works. For example, Liang Minyue's name appears in that form in his 1985 book, but in earlier works he refers to himself as David Ming-yueh Liang. Rather than use the pinyin form, introduced in recent years by the People's Republic of China, I have elected to use the older Romanization throughout. It is less confusing and more closely approximates the sound of the pronounced words. There are two exceptions to this general plan: When a quoted word is in pinyin in the original I will use the original and translate into the old Roman- ization for consistency and clarity. I will use names in the form in which they appear in the quoted source. V On Quoting the Subiects Certain difficulties are encountered in attempting to include verbatim excerpts from transcripts made of the subjects' responses to a study such as this. Responses are frequently punctuated by periods of silence. In addition, subjects often repeat, re-phrase, qualify and clarify. Often they speak in phrases and incomplete sentences. There are errors in grammar and syntax. I have edited the quoted transcript sections just enough to make the essences and meanings easily readable and immediately accessible to the reader. A notation of " ... " indicates that the subject paused, while "( )" indicates editing for the sake of clarity or brevity. For the sake of confidentiality, I have dis- guised any identifying information that appeared in the subjects' responses. vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Dedication .................... Acknowledgements ............ii On Music ..................... iii A Note on Chinese Words and Names ....... iv On Quoting the Subjects . ........... v Chapter I STATEMENT OF THE QUESTION .........1 Introduction i The Central Question 2 Potential Value of the Data 2 II BACKGROUND FOR THIS STUDY . 5 Imagery and Its Associated Affect 5 The Psychological Power of Music io Imagery and Music Together 15 Chinese Music 21 Cross-Cultural Considerations 23 III LITERATURE REVIEW . .......... 25 Introduction 25 Imagery, Affect and Archetypes 26 Music and Psychological Theory 36 Cross-Cultural Exploration 45 Imagery, Affect and Music in Chinese Culture 47 Chinese Music 50 IV METHODOLOGY . .......... 56 Introduction 56 Design of This Study 61 Selection of the Music 69 Ethical Considerations 69 V SELECTION OF THE MUSIC ...........72 General Comments 72 The Western Classical Music 77 General Comments 77 Dowland 77 Bach 79 Mozart 80 Brahms 82 Stravinsky 84 vii The Chinese Classical Music 86 General Comments 86 A Fair Lady and a Cowherd 88 Pinshalouvan, "Wild Geese Descending on a Sandy Beach" 89 Mei-hua san-nun, "Three Variations on Plum Blossom" 90 High Mountains and Running Water 92 Flying Kites 93 Flower Ball Dance 94 VI CROSS-CULTURAL CONTEXT ...........95 Introduction 95 Comments on Taiwan 95 The Test Sites: Taipei and Bay Area 103 Taipei Site 103 Bay Area Site 105 The Subjects 106 Taipei 106 Bay Area 108 The Translators 109 VII PRESENTATION OF THE FINDINGS . ....... 111 Introduction ill Research with Chinese Subjects Research in Taiwan The Role of the Translator 112 Methodology 113 Data Analysis 115 Trial Sessions 115 Findings in Process 115 Penetrating the Data 118 The Categories 120 Findings for Each Musical Selection 125 Introduction 125 WM 1 Dowland 125 CM 1 "A Fair Lady and a Cowherd" 133 CM 1 and WM 1 Compared 137 CM 2 Pinshalouyan, "Wild Geese Descending on a Sandy Beach" 139 CM 3 Mei-hua san-nun, "Three Varia- tions on Plum Blossom" 143 CM 4 "High Mountains and Running Water" 154 CM 5 "Flying Kites" 160 CM 6 "Flower Ball Dance" 163 WM 2 Bach 168 WM 3 Mozart 173 WM 4 Brahms 178 WM 5 Stravinsky 182 viii After the Music 189 The Drawings 190 Individual Themes and Patterns of Response 193 Chinese Subjects 194 U.S.