Using art in psychology education

Abstract

Art psychology occupies a significant place in both theoretical and empirical research in psychology. It studies the creative process, the artist’s personality, the impact of artworks on individuals, and the factors shaping their meaning. Art has traditionally been considered as an important means of social communication that embodies moral ideals and contemporary cultural symbols. In this context, creative products serve as an effective means of personal development. Accordingly, the learning process can be purposefully designed to integrate the content, form, and expressive means of art into the study of various professional disciplines. Currently, there is a growing interest in the possibility of using art as a teaching tool in professional education. This opens up new opportunities for updating teaching methods in institutions of professional education. When incorporated into psychology education, art becomes a means for developing professional qualities of a psychologist, such as analytical thinking, self-reflection, empathy, the ability to detect deception or distress, emotional regulation, and the selection of prosocial forms of behavior. Art becomes an effective means of learning and professional development only when a student is engaged in independent creative activity, as purely theoretical study of the history or theory of art does not yield high developmental results. This article proposes a description of art-based tasks aimed at developing professionally important qualities of a psychologist, focusing on their sequence, content, and possible assessment methods. The article considers three dimensions of studying art as a part of professional training in psychology. First, the study of art is viewed as a means of enhancing professionally important qualities that underpin a psychologist’s work. Second, it is viewed as a means of cross-cultural communication, and as the basis for developing cross-cultural competence. Third, it is viewed as a way of identifying external signs of characteristics, states, and moods of individuals, as well as relationships in groups.