The Experience of Social Rejection: Developmental Transformations and a Multimodal Art Response Model as Applied to Art-based Research

Article Information

Creative Arts Educ Ther (2022) 8(2):185–199 DOI: 10.15212/CAET/2022/8/3

The Experience of Social Rejection: Developmental Transformations and a Multimodal Art Response Model as Applied to Art-based Research

Abstract

In this preliminary study, we propose an expressive and interactive research method using a developmental transformations (DvT) model and a multimodal art response as applied to an art-based research (ABR) design, specifically relating to the experience of social rejection. We explored three research questions: Can the experience of social rejection be understood through playful interactions in DvT play? How does playing with the experience of rejection vary in solo play, play with an object, and play with a partner—i.e., otherness? How do researchers’ responses to participants enrich this understanding? This study delineates subjective and expressive ways of understanding the lived experience of social rejection through a multimodal approach, the DvT theory, and practice in an ABR design. Four DvT practitioners participated in a three-session pilot study, exploring rejection on their own and in pairs, then shared their experiences in a group discussion. Between sessions, the researchers shared their response films and visual response art with the participants. The outcomes of the study suggest that the experience of social rejection impacts both individual and partnered play, although its intensity seems to increase in pair interaction, and that response art supports participants’ exploration of this experience. Our research outcomes emphasized the need for expressive and interactive research methods, such as the application of DvT in ABR, in the study of complex and intersubjective social phenomena such as the experience of social rejection.

Keywords: social rejection, developmental transformations, art-based research, response art, GoPro in research

摘要

在这项初步研究中，我们使用发展性转化 (DvT) 模型和多元艺术回应模型，提出并采用了一种表达性与互动性的研究方法，应用于基于艺术之研究(ABR)设计，特别涉及社会拒绝的经验。我们要探索的三个研究问题如下：社会拒绝的经验能否通过 DvT 玩耍，在玩耍性互动的情境下被理解？把个人的经验投射到一个客体上，独自与被拒绝的经验玩耍与和一个伙伴玩耍被拒绝的经验有什么不同--即差异性？研究人员给予参与者回应的回应性取向是如何丰富这种理解的？这项试点研究通过多元模式取向、发展性转化 (DvT) 理论和实践基于艺术之研究 (ABR) 设计，阐明了以主观性和表达性的方式理解社会拒绝的生活经验。四位发展性转化 (DvT) 的实践者参加了一个三节的试点研究。他们最初自己探索被拒绝的经验，随后两人一组，最后在小组讨论中分享他们的经验。在几节之间，研究人员与参与者分享了他们的回应影片和视觉回应艺术。研究结果表明，社会拒绝的经验对独自玩耍和双人玩耍都产生影响，尽管其强度似乎在双人互动中有所增加；参与者在探索社会拒绝时分享了孤立、孤独、安全和缺乏安全、攻击和失望的强烈情绪，而回应艺术似乎支持了参与者对这些经验的探索。我们的研究结果强调，在研究复杂的、主体间的社会现象如社会拒绝的经验时，需要表达性和互动性的研究方法，如发展性转化 (DvT) 在基于艺术之研究 (ABR) 中的应用。

关键词：社会拒绝, 发展性转化, 基于艺术之研究, 回应艺术, 研究中的运动相机 (GoPro)