Personality Disorder and Art Therapy: Selected Personality

Abstract

This study on personality disorder and therapy takes a look at the possibilities where art (painting) can affect the minds of personality disordered individuals as a form of effective psycho-therapy. The Display and Psychological Response (DPR) is considered apt for the investigation carried out on three categories of personality disorders, ordered on the plane of warm and cool colour scheme paintings involving six (6) patients, two each on the three levels of personality disordered examined. This therapy was used to help patients recognize the non-verbal symbols and metaphors that are communicated in the paintings. The findings revealed that the paintings in the warm colour category were quite un-nerving while the paintings with cool colours proved to be more soothing and preferred. The paper concludes that art therapy anaesthetizes emotional therapy. Art as therapy enables us to share someone else’s pains as it communicates joy and happiness as exemplified in the application of cool colour paintings, whereas the warm colour paintings communicates pain and suffering. The paper recommends that a synergistic relationship could be established between the artists and psychiatrist as well as psychologists for an effective therapy for patients with emotionally unstable conditions