自分が撮影した写真を振り返ることの意義 : 芸術療法的特徴と自己への気づきに着目して

Photo therapy is one of the arts therapies advocated by Yamanaka (1976). Much of the clinical usefulness of photography has been demonstrated in case studies. In this study, I conducted two pieces of research that focused on the action of an individual reviewing her/his photographs and her/his thoughts and emotions while taking those photographs. In Research 1, I examined what type of experiences would occur while an individual reviewed her/his photographs and her/his thoughts and emotions while taking those photographs in terms of arts therapy by using the Scale of Experiencing with Regard to Arts Therapy (Kato/Imamura/Nisato, 2014). The result suggests that an individual's review of her/his photographs and her/his thoughts and emotions while taking those photographs is an opportunity for self-reflection and to form an emotional attachment to the photographs or increase her/his feelings of satisfaction associated with self-expression. In Research 2, I divided the awareness self-gained by an individual reviewing her/his photos and her/his thoughts and emotions while taking those photographs into two categories—reconfirmation and new discovery—and examined the awareness of self in terms of the number of persons who gained the awareness and its content. Results suggest that an individual who reviews her/his photographs and her/his thoughts and emotions while taking those photographs promotes the reconfirmation of her/his interest and these aspects are characteristic features rather than a new self-discovery.