Improving Social Skills through Collaborative Artwork and Group Activity

In this chapter, we introduce the framework and practice of collaborative artwork and group activity. In particular, we focus on the collaborative block creation method and show its psychological evidence. The first section introduces the theoretical background underlying collaborative work and overviews recent studies concerning social skills, especially from psychological perspective. The second section introduces this study, in which we demonstrated the effectiveness of collaborative LEGO® block creation work as a medium of communication in group therapy and investigated the effects of fostering communication, especially for developing social skills and trust. The third section focuses on interpersonal relations. We examined the psychological effect of collaborative block creation from the perspective of Ibasho, a Japanese term for one’s whereabouts or a place of our own. Next, we show a case study of collaborative LEGO block creation for Japanese adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Finally, we introduce a new type of group approach in the area of student counseling

Personality Traits and the Expression Area of Synthetic House-Tree-Person Drawings in Early Adolescent Japanese

This study surveyed the expression areas of the Synthetic House-Tree-Person drawing test (S-HTP test, Mikami, 1995) for Japanese early adolescents. The S-HTP test is a projective method in which subjects are asked to draw a house, tree, and person. The expression area is defined as the area of each drawn item, such as the house, tree or person. The participants consisted of 186 Japanese junior high school students and their S-HTP drawings were analyzed using path analysis. The relationships between the expression areas of each item in the test and the students’ personality traits were examined. The personality traits were measured using the Five-Factor Personality Inventory for Children (FFPC, Soga, 1999). The results show that personality traits of high conscientiousness were associated with larger houses (p < .10) and trees (p < .10). In addition, higher scores on openness to experience (p < .01) and on agreeableness (p < .05) correlate with bigger person figures as their size, whereas higher scores on neuroticism correlate with smaller figures as their size (p < .01). The findings also indicate that the total fitness of the model was sufficient (CFI = .984, RMSEA = .021). These findings may aid the development of useful criteria for future psychological assessments

Application of the Scale for Total Impression of Drawings for the Tree-drawing Test

The purpose of this study is to investigate the application of the Scale for Total Impression of Drawings (STID) in the assessment of the tree-drawing test. Forty-three tree-drawing tests were evaluated by three raters using the STID. The validity of the factor structure was examined using confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). A three-factor model of “vitality” (? = 0.90), “gentleness” (? = 0.89), and “reality” (? = 0.89) was confirmed and the fit indexes were adequate (CFI =.984, RMSEA =.076)

The Effects of Collaborative Block Creation on the Sense of Rolefulness

This study investigated the effects of collaborative LEGO® block creation on the sense of rolefulness; that is, the continuous sense of role satisfaction in an individual’s daily life. For this purpose, 59 Japanese female university students were divided into groups of three or four members and asked to collaboratively express themselves by using LEGO® blocks, figures, and base plates. Then, their scores on the rolefulness scale were compared before and after the collaborative block activity. The results showed that both social and internal rolefulness significantly increased through the activity. The implication of the findings is that collaborative block creation can facilitate the role-taking of participants and improve their sense of rolefulness

Developing a Scale to Measure Sense of Resistance to Azatoi Behavior

The main purpose of the present study is to develop a scale measuring the sense of resistance to azatoi behavior in female Japanese university students. The participants in this study were 114 Japanese female university students and 18 items were rated. First, the factor structure of the Azatoi Behavior Resistance Scale (ABRS) was investigated using exploratory factor analysis. Then, the validity of the structure was examined using confirmatory factor analysis. The result of the analysis showed that the fit indices indicated the best fit for the four-factor model, and the four factors were gesture, physical contact, adjustment, and typical behavior

Developing a Rolefulness Worksheet and its Effect on Increasing Rolefulness

This study investigated the effects of a worksheet on rolefulness, which refers to an individual’s continuous sense of role satisfaction in their daily life. To this end, 25 female university students from Japan were asked to accomplish the worksheet. Furthermore, their scores on the Rolefulness Scale were compared before and after the work. The results showed that the worksheet contributed to a substantial increase in the participants’ social rolefulness. The results indicate that the worksheet can improve an individual’s social rolefulness and can be applied in several areas such as education and career development

The Eating Attitudes and Mental Health in Japanese Female University Students

First, the relationship between eating attitudes and anxiety in Japanese female university students was examined. The results of the analysis show that especially trait anxiety significantly relates with eating disorder tendency. Following this, the interrelationship of eating attitudes, body-checking behavior cognition, and depression was examined. The results show that the obsessive thoughts body image score increases as the eating disorder tendency score also increases, indicating that inappropriate eating attitudes have a strong impact on obsessive thoughts. Finally, the relationship between eating attitudes, trust, and isolation was examined. The results of the analysis show that inappropriate eating behavior significantly correlates with distrust and isolation

Rolefulness and Interpersonal Relationships

We developed the new psychological concept of Rolefulness and it is a defined as “the continuous sense of role satisfaction we have in our daily lives.” Rolefulness includes 2 sub factors of “social rolefulness” and “internal rolefulness.” Social rolefulness is role satisfaction based on social experiences such as interpersonal relationships. Internal rolefulness is a role satisfaction that is formed by internalizing social rolefulness and it includes identity and confidence. First, we introduce the theoretical background and developmental process of rolefulness. Second, the statistical study of relationship between rolefulness and maladjustment is shown. Then, the example of application in the area of education and art therapy is introduced. Finally, the future application of rolefulness for our social lives and social science studies is discussed