| Abstract [eng] |
Title of the thesis. Perceiving self roles through myths and fairytales: the drama therapy experience of individuals with eating disorders. Research objective. Demonstrate theoretically and empirically, how the use of myths and fairytales during drama therapy sessions, can aid individuals with eating disorders, by reflecting their personality traits, feelings and experiences, while connecting it with R. Landy’s Role profiles. Research Subjects. Adults diagnosed with eating disorders who have attended drama therapy sessions at the Treatment Center. The study group consisted of five women and one non-binary person. The age of the subjects ranges from 19 to 32 years. Research methodology. Qualitative research strategy. The types of data collected were semi-structured interview, demographic data questionnaire and Role Profile Tool. Data was analyzed using Role Profiles and reflexive thematic analysis methods. Results of an empirical study. Two main themes emerged from reflexive thematic analysis: 1) Finding a balance between superficiality and the desire for deep connection and 2) The path to self-knowledge: from chaos to clarity. Both topics have two subtopics. Analysis of Role profiles revealed individual role distributions for each subject. Research findings. 1) It was discovered that in fairy tales and myths, the subjects recognized their own traits, behavior, and internal conflicts that caused difficulties for them. Characteristics: criticism and naivety. Behavior: Not expressing own personal needs. Internal conflicts: between the voice of illness and the healthy part, between the authentic part and the part they want to show to others. 2) Drama therapy with the use of myths and fairy tales helped the subjects find clarity in discovering the causes of their eating disorders, and liberate their authentic self-expression. 3) It was revealed how the role types of the research participants were reflected in the themes that emerged during the drama therapy sessions. Roles such as "Sick Person", "Child", "Outcast" and "Rich Person" emerged in the theme of "Finding a balance between fulfilling society's expectations and the desire for deep connection". The roles of "Daughter", "Coward", "Homosexual", "Critic" and "Helper" were reflected in the topic "Path to Self-Knowledge: From Chaos to Clarity". |
