The purpose of this study is to examine the short-term drama therapy case
for a depressed woman by the self psychology of Heinz Kohut, and to
validate the therapeutic properties of drama therapy. First of all, this study
examines briefly the basic concepts of self psychology. Second, it looks at the
whole processes of short-term drama therapy for a depressed woman in
relation to mirror transference. We find a similarity between three drama
therapeutic methods-physical movement, projection, dramatic play- and the
three types of mirror transference.
We can understand especially the effect of empathy and archaic merger
through physical movement, identification of self-object in twinship
transference through dramatic projection, expansion of grandiose self to
transfer to idealizing transference in second mirror transference. The
transmuting internalization of mirror transference is very similar to the
process of drama therapy where the clients can get the positive, amy and
powerful self image, so does the depressed woman in this case. She can finally
get the self-confidence to shrink aside her depression.
Drama as art can reflect the real life itself and drama therapy uses the
drama as medium. Its advantage is that we can confirm the therapeutic
methods and effects as a direct physical collision between clients and
therapists. But we need to validate its effect and to explain its whole
processes more scientifically for the power of drama therapy. For this,
psychology is very useful, because it conceptualizes the system and inner
workings of human mind. Above all, self psychology shows how we can
construct the healthy self structure through self-object transference based
upon the empathy of therapists.