The thesis provides a qualitative analysis of an autobiographical play based on journals written by a mentally challenged woman. The analysis is founded on authentic personal experience, the script of the play and a video recording of its performance. The empirical section is preceded by a theoretical introduction focused on mental disability in relation to theatre. The empirical section begins with the question: What can we learn about a mentally disabled person through theatre? The analytical process consists of three levels: a content analysis of the performance, an analysis of the author's perspective and the viewpoint of an implied spectator. The analysis shows that the story contains common autobiographical topics and the author barely reflects her disability. The creative perspective consists of the process of adapting the story into a play. Theatre also plays a therapeutic role and raises awareness. There is an imaginary window on the boundary between the stage and the audience, one that the author opens from within and the viewer from without. During the course of the play, the implied spectator becomes confronted with their prejudice and an accumulation of ambivalent feelings. This process ends in a catharsis and a genuine encounter with the actor's world and her spontaneity. KEY WORDS...

The thesis describes a demonstration of the use of drama and psychodrama approach as a method when working with a drug dependent client during the treatment in a therapeutic community. In the theoretical part I focus on clarification of terms associated with the name of thesis, especially with the concepts of dramatherapy, psychodrama, catharsis, abreaction, corrective emotional experience. Furthermore, the theoretical section contains information on individual methods and possibilities of their use. The main objective of thesis was to illustrate a specific therapeutic method by the analysis of particular work, in my case dramatherapy and psychodrama. In the practical part I analysed from available documents and observing to which extent dramatherapy and psychodrama may be beneficial for a client in the treatment in the therapeutic community and demonstrated their impact on the client. The outcome of thesis is a description of each session, which can serve as an inspiration for starting dramatherapists working with drug dependent clients. Furthermore, it is also the analysis of client's development, a progress in the treatment and a thorough analysis during and after the sessions. KEYWORDS dramatherapy, psychodrama, catharsis, abreaction, corrective emotional experience, therapeutic community...

This diploma thesis deals with risk behaviour of adolescents and possibilities of its prevention by means of prevention. The aim of the thesis is to identify and map the most common forms of risk behaviour, which occurs in the age cohort of 18-19 years, i.e. at the threshold of adulthood, among high school students (from their point of view). The thesis also deals with the possibilities of prevention of this behaviour provided within the area of preventive work (from the perspective of prevention methodologists). Using the form of multiple case studies, the thesis uses both quantitative research methods, which comprise structured questionnaires for pupils of selected secondary schools from the same urban area, as well as qualitative, which represent semi-structured interviews with prevention methodologists. The theoretical part of the thesis, based on relatively extensive literature available, characterizes the developmental period of adolescence, socialization of the child, presents a summary of the usual types of risk behaviour of adolescents and describes the system of prevention. The empirical part presents the research itself, formulates research questions, characterizes the research sample and presents the respondents' schools, then presents the results of statistical processing of collected...

Please read the abstract in the 00front of this dissertation. / Dissertation (MA)--University of Pretoria, 2011. / Psychology / unrestricted

The subject of my task deals with the work of disabled theatre performers with the aim to analyze and describe the entire process of creation of a theatre performance in an amateur assemble. Furthermore, the benefit of the dramatic production for both personal as well as social development of the disabled performers, derived from the theoretical assumptions, was evaluated. The work at first highlights the features and classification of the metal retardation degree and is trying to inform about very special expressive approaches in both therapeutics and pedagogy. Much attention is paid to the drama-related therapies, such as dramatherapy and especially teatrotherapy which will underline the outcome of the whole creation process - a performance. The dramatic production itself, set within the framework of the expressive abovementioned therapies, is influenced by the way of the dramatic education and, therefore, its fundamental principles and methods of its creation are presented as well. Through the common instruments employed in the quality research, i.e. the observations and interviews with the participants in the drama-creation scheme, the whole process of the performance creation from rehearsal to the premiere is explored. The research was conducted in a Prague research body dealing with leisure...

This thesis deals with usage of drama in psychotherapy. The introductory part refers to drama and theatre, their connection to ritual, their history and mostly to their theory. The Important terms of theatre theory in general and thoughts of chosen theatre theorists, relevant to this work are included in this part. The possibilities of drama techniques as psychotherapeutical instruments and their utilization within chosen therapeutical movements are defined in psychotherapy part. The conclusion of the theoretical part is dedicated to psychodrama and dramatherapy. There are some of important ideas concerning the usage of drama in psychotherapy summarized within the final interview with the dramatherapist.

The main topic of the presented thesis is to make the reader acquainted with the basic terminology of the free-time issues and to make clear the forms, methods and techniques of the literature-drama education and their possible usage in practice at the leisure education. The first chapter of the thesis deals with the issues of leisure time and with science disciplines that consider free time. In the second chapter the following terms are mentioned: the interest, the game and the leisure activities. These terms are divided with specialization in aesthetic-educational leisure activities. The principal part of the thesis is the third chapter which describes the application of literature and drama education in leisure time. The project method and project types are described in the fourth chapter. The planning, the realization and the evaluation of the project make another part of this chapter. The Appendix I contains the project photo- documentation. The application form of The parents´ permission to publication of children´s photographs is presented in the Appendix II.

The thesis "Basic Therapy in the Direct Care of Gerontological Client" was focused on the description of basic therapies in the direct care of gerontological client with the aim to describe, analyze, and suggest the most optimal approaches in social care that can be realized within basic types of therapy. The text of the work was divided into four chapters which present expert opinions of various authors. The theoretical part consists of three chapters. The first chapter is devoted to the description of the preferred therapy, the second chapter analyzes the social - health aspects of the old age, and the third chapter gives the insight into the representation of the basic legislation in the care of the seniors. Principal fourth chapter interprets data obtained by qualitative survey that was realized with the help of the cooperation of several methodological procedures, available interviews, the observation in the particular institutional facility implementing a mixed group of six elderly people, who in the course of approximately one year were involved to assemble the case studies and take part in different types of therapies and activities. The obtained data was segmented and analyzed in details, the emphasis was put on ethical, dignified approach and cooperation with social workers. I evaluate the...

In hierdie studie is psigoterapeutiese uitkoms navorsing gedoen (Lindegger, 1999). Die navorser het as intern opvoedkundige sielkundige ‘n groepgebaseerde gestalt-dramaterapie program van 12 sessies ontwikkel ten einde selfagting-ontwikkeling by die kind met leerhindernisse aan te spreek. Gebrekkige motivering, ongunstige selfagting, sowel as problematiese sosiale vaardighede word geassosieer met leerhindernisse (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). Die Self-Esteem Index (SEI) is as meetinstrument gebruik en met aanvang en terminering van die intervensie afgeneem. Sekere strategieë is toegepas ten einde leerhindernisse te akkommodeer tydens die afneem van die meetinstrument. Na afloop van die intervensie, wat hoofsaaklik bestaan het uit dramatisering en rollespelle in kleingroep-verband, is die versamelde data statisties geanaliseer ten einde te bepaal of die intervensie moontlik tot die ontwikkeling van gunstige selfagting by die betrokke leerdergroep bygedra het. Die steekproef (n=17) is vanuit die SEI-vraelysdata van die Afrikaanssprekende Graad 4-leerders (tussen die ouderdomme van 10 tot 12 jaar) verbonde aan die betrokke remediërende skool, wie aan die LOD-program deelgeneem het, op sistematiese wyse getrek. Gepaarde t-toetse is gedoen ten einde te bepaal of daar enige statisties betekenisvolle verskille tussen die voortoets-/natoets-data bestaan. Die terapeutiese proses waartydens die data gegenereer is vir hierdie studie, was soortgelyk aan die pre-eksperimentele een groep voortoets-/natoets ontwerp. Die navorsingsresultate het aangedui dat die nulhipotese nie verwerp kan word nie. Die alternatiewe hipotese moet dus verder ondersoek word en vele moontlikhede vir toekomstige navorsing het vanuit die studie ontwikkel. ENGLISH : In this study psychotherapy outcome research was conducted (Lindegger, 1999). The researcher developed a group based gestalt drama therapy program during her internship as educational psychologist in a remedial school. The main therapeutic aim was to develop the self-esteem of the child with barriers to learning. Demoralization, low self-esteem, and deficits in social skills may be associated with barriers to learning (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). The intervention was facilitated over 12 sessions and all the Grade 4 pupils of the specific school participated in the intervention. The Self-Esteem Index (SEI) was administered during the beginning and at the end of the intervention. Certain strategies were used to accommodate barriers to learning during the administration of the SEI. After termination of the intervention the data were statistically analysed. The pretest/posttest results were compared in order to determine if the intervention contributed to self-esteem development of the participants. A data-sample (n=17) was systematically drawn from the Afrikaans speaking Grade 4 learner participants’ (between the ages of 10 to 12 years) SEI questionnaires. The therapeutic process during which the data was generated resembled a pre-experimental one group pretest/posttest design. Paired t-tests were used and the research results indicated no statistical significance which means that the null hypothesis could not be rejected. This resulted in the formulation of further hypothesis. The aim of this study therefore was to explore the possible effect of the intervention on the self-esteem development of the child with barriers to learning. Possibilities for further research emerged from this research study. Copyright / Dissertation (MEd)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Educational Psychology / unrestricted