Self and social function: Art therapy in a therapeutic community prison

This paper shows how suitability to engage in group therapeutic work can be ascertained from an analysis of the art work of inmates at a therapeutic prison. Ten pieces of artwork were rated on a scale of one to ten against seven features, and scores were totalled for each out of a maximum of 70 points. A total point score of 35 or more was thought to denote the kind of adjustment (gregariousness, awareness of how they are situated in time, emotionality, mental capacity to engage with relevant concepts) that would allow the subject to make a positive response to group work. According to this analysis, five of the ten subjects were deemed unsuitable, and five suitable, for group work. In actual fact, all five subjects whose work was deemed unsuitable and one on the borderline of suitability, left the prison within a year of the assessment. The remaining four deemed to be suitable for group work are still at the prison after three years. Since decisions about the respondents were made in isolation from the art therapeutic assessments, and since remaining at the prison is a sign of suitability for group work (the main function of the prison), the art therapeutic assessments showed high levels of validity. The extent to which a piece of graphic expression can convey the aspects of its creator is revealed by this experiment. These findings may be relevant to brand managers and creators seeking to gain analytical tools to measure the personality concepts in graphic expression, with a view to ensuring a match with the self-concept of consumers.