Improving Emotional Intelligence in Psychosis with Art Therapy

Emotional intelligence is defined as “the ability to monitor one’s own and others’ feelings and emotions, to discriminate among them and to use this information to guide one’s thinking and actions.” Self-regulation of emotional intelligence is is vital to healthy emotional interactions. Emotional intelligence is formed of interpersonal intelligence and intrapersonal intelligence. Interpersonal intelligence reflects competence in the context of social relationships, while intrapersonal intelligence reflects the ability to regulate one’s own emotions. The degree of an individual’s emotional intelligence affects the degree to which that individual can deal psychopathological conditions such as schizophrenia. Although schizophrenics may be emotionally sensitive, the interpersonal and intrapersonal spheres of emotional intelligence of these individuals are likely to be negatively impacted for several reasons. Due to the fact that schizophrenia emerges in late adolescence and early adulthood, it is likely that the Eriksonian stages of social development that correspond with this emergent pathology are negatively impacted by schizophrenia, especially the tasks of achieving independence and forming close relationships. Much of what comprises emotional intelligence relies on self-permeable boundaries related to appropriate detachment and attachment with others. In terms of successful negotiation of the Eriksonian stages, “identity versus role confusion” may allow the individual to determine appropriate detachment from others by means of differentiating the self, and “intimacy versus isolation” may allow the individual to achieve appropriate attachment within the context of a relationship with another person. Psychotic individuals have obstacles achieving this due to factors implicit to psychosis. These individuals are both socially alienated and overly involved in their mental realms, stemming partly from stigmatization that may not allow them to find what they perceive as accurate reflections of their internal states in the external world and their understanding of other people. Empathic reflection, in the tradition of Roger’s Person-Centered Therapy, is seldom understood to be available to schizophrenics, perhaps simply due to the fact that most clinicians cannot relate to the psychotic experience of a schizophrenic. In addition, auditory hallucinations — the internal or intrapersonal experience of a schizophrenic — may be represented by an amalgamation of perceptions of “self” and “other”. This experience does not necessarily allow the schizophrenic the ability to self-regulate her emotions, primarily because she does not entirely own her mental experience. Due to the representation of hallucinations in the minds of psychotic individuals as “entities”, there is also a lack of apparent privacy in the mental realm of the psychotic individual, and the type of experience implied by this perceived lack of privacy can be punitive. If people with psychosis cannot distinguish boundaries in their own mind, how can they be expected to demonstrate effective intrapersonal intelligence? If stigma causes impenetrable interpersonal boundaries between the psychotic mind and the minds of those who are not psychotic, how can psychotic individuals demonstrate effective interpersonal intelligence? So this brings us to an essential question: How can the schizophrenic individual negotiate both the intrapersonal and the interpersonal realms in a healthy way? The schizophrenic requires some means of healthy self-expression that allows for symbolic representation of the self that can be at least partly understood by others. It is suggested that artistic self-expression is a means of creating a personal stance in the social arena that will allow for healthy regulation of emotion. Art therapy could be an important avenue toward increased mental health in the psychotic individual. Engaging in art not only allows the psychotic individual to express his own emotions to others, but the canvas (whether a poem, song or literal canvas) can reflect back to him his internal state. This dialogue between the artist and his work serves an important therapeutic function. Ann Reitan, PsyD Ann Reitan, PsyD, is a clinical psychologist and well published essayist of fiction and creative nonfiction. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from University of Washington, Master of Arts in Psychology from Pepperdine University, and Doctorate of Clinical Psychology from Alliant International University. Her post-doctoral research at Washington University in St. Louis, MO, involved personality theory, idiodynamics and creativity in literature. Related Articles Cognitive Dissonance And Psychosis – Understanding Inconsistency Humanistic Theory And Therapy, Applied To The Psychotic Individual Psychosis And Psychological Theory Schizophrenia Demystified Comparing Mood Disorders Vulnerability-Stress-Coping Model For Schizophrenia Tackling Schizophrenia Using The Eriksonian Stages 4 Responses SHARRON July 16, 2013 at 1:49 pm I found the theories in this piece interesting. However I find it disturbing to read about people who experience psychosis defined as ‘a psychotic’ and people who experience schizophrenia as ‘schizophrenic’. It indicates that the writer has conflated the symptoms of the condition with the person themselves. I find it quite frightening to contemplate that professional people are still confused about this. REPLY PAUL July 16, 2013 at 6:51 pm Anything that can get a schizophrenic to get in touch with his/her emotions is good. Schizophrenics can become so fearful that they become petrified to feel because of the lack of ‘privacy’ as this post puts it. When the schizophrenic cannot ‘feel’ , they unfortunately cannot assess accurately every day emotions in other people. Delusions of control , largely manifest in this way. Robustness , wit , intellectual sparring , eccentricity , egotisim is now interpreted in a paranoid manner. REPLY PAUL July 16, 2013 at 7:08 pm And when a person becomes detached from their sense of humanity they interpret traits like egotism as manipulative, challenging and persecutory whilst oblivious to the fact that people expressing those same traits want to be confident , want to be heard , want to be expressive , etc , etc . The tragedy of schizophrenia is when people talk sh*t and they invariably do , you can’t call them out , in a jest-full , good natured way. REPLY PAUL July 18, 2013 at 12:21 pm Thanks for your posts on psychosis. Are you going to do anything on psychoeducation with a future post. I think I recall you saying in another thread or post(could be wrong) that this was something you were going to do. REPLY Leave A Reply NAME EMAIL WEBSITE NOTIFY ME OF FOLLOWUP COMMENTS VIA E-MAIL Subscribe Without Commenting