Psychological effects of method acting - Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaPage 1 of 5 Psychological effects of method acting From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Contents 1 Basis of Method Acting 2 Psychological Effects 3 Managing Psychological Effects 3.1 Correlation between Acting and Physiology 4 Famous Actors who use Method Acting 5 Citations 6 References Basis of Method Acting Method acting is employed by actors to evoke realistic emotions into their performance by drawing on personal experiences. Raymond Hamden, doctor of Clinical and Forensic Psychology, defines the purpose of method acting as “compartmentalizing their own feelings while playing another character [so] they could bring the emotions of that personal feeling to cry if they needed to with that character.” [1] However, when these emotions are not compartmentalized, they can encroach on other facets of life, often seeming to disrupt the actor’s psyche. This occurs as the actor delves into previous emotional experiences, be they joyful or traumatic.[2] The psychological effects, like emotional fatigue, comes, however when suppressed or unresolved raw emotions are unburied to add to the character.[3] not just from the employing personal emotions in performance. The question becomes whether the actor calls up resolved or unresolved emotions in their acting. Psychological Effects The psychological effects of method acting vary in intensity from individual to individual. Some common effects include; Fatigue Fear Anxiety Shame Sleep deprivation Personality changes Psychotic disorders. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_effects_of_method_acting 10-Apr-13 [7] The problem seen in method acting comes from the inability of actors to compartmentalize the emotions of the character from their own in daily life. Surface acting is statistically “positively associated with a negative mood and this explains some of the association of surface acting with increased emotional exhaustion. is mainly deep acting. Psychopaths and those who have dissociative identity disorder “can’t recognize that the role isn’t theirs” and. [and] acting gives [them] the opportunity to be someone else.Psychological effects of method acting .[8] Dissociative identity disorder is a chemically based disorder that results from “high stress and trauma. It is only a minority of people. Generally the actors who suffer personality changes and psychotic disorders already have some psychotic tendencies or are emotionally unstable.”. or changing thoughts as well as actions. they have psychotic disorders that sometimes take months to identify. Hamden notes that “many actors have had a traumatic life. anxiety. most companies have a psychoanalyst that consults on films to give analysis and characteristics for characters. comes mainly when actors “create dissonance between their actions and their actual feelings. fear or shame. Their responsibility lies in aiding actors in understanding how the character would act. Sleep deprivation alone can lead to impaired function. may result in a sleep deprivation and the cyclical nature of the ensuing side effects.” or only changing one’s actions without altering the deeper thought processes.” Sleep deprivation initiates chemical changes in the brain that can lead to behavior similar to psychotic individuals. In cases where raw emotion that has not been resolved. or emotional fatigue. proven to generally avoid excessive fatigue.” [5] This negative mood that is created leads to fear. or traumas have been evoked before closure has been reached by the individual. Method acting. the emotion can result in greater emotional instability and increased sense of anxiety. about 32%.wikipedia. Raw emotion or unresolved emotions conjured up for acting. feelings of shame and sleep deprivation.Wikipedia. that will have extreme traumatic experiences.[11] Managing Psychological Effects In the professional acting field. when employed correctly. Dr.” What these individuals experience psychologically can further detriment their chemical and physiological makeup.[9] One factor that is rarely discussed when observing the emotional effects of method acting is that the individuals that practice method acting may already be emotionally unstable.org/wiki/Psychological_effects_of_method_acting 10-Apr-13 . the free encyclopedia Page 2 of 5 Fatigue. These professionals help when http://en.” [10] These individuals are already emotionally unstable and so the effects of method acting are more severe for them.[6]> These episodes can lead to more lasting psychological damage.[4] This mode of acting is referred to as “surface acting. even though these individuals appear normal. causing some individuals to “acute episodes of psychosis. Famous Actors who use Method Acting http://en. anxiety or shame.Wikipedia. The instructor would then be incapable of meeting the psychological needs of each individual in the class. excitement. The harmful situations in method acting arise when there is no professional supervising the process.org/wiki/Psychological_effects_of_method_acting 10-Apr-13 .” This occurs “because the [psychological] risks are in fact greater than anticipated. actions or activation going along with aroused emotion that takes precedence over other planned or half executed thoughts.Psychological effects of method acting .[14] This would be evident in weekend courses where the instructor promises to instruct method acting to a large public class. impulses. method acting proves safe and effective. similar to psychiatrist Jacob L. a professional aids in keeping the individual in alignment while they achieve closure for traumatic emotional damage.”. feelings. Correlation between Acting and Physiology It is commonly believed that there is a strong correlation between acting and the physiological reaction to acting. or because unanticipated obstacles or hurdles arise.[15] The acting situation then becomes threatening and results in the unpleasant feelings of fear.” .wikipedia. Moreno’s psychodrama.[19] “Control precedence” by emotions is the “feelings.[18] The danger comes when control precedence “manifests itself by sudden interruptions of behavior.”. This difficulty of returning to one’s own behavior is the common concern linked with method acting. [and] the balance [shifts] to the negative. Many actors find the practice of method acting cathartic. Harmful psychological effects arise “when control of necessary skill falls short. studies have been done that show that the correlation between emotions and physical reactions are moderately weak. urging them to follow impulses that would be foreign to their own personal nature.” . the free encyclopedia Page 3 of 5 actors cannot relate. In this technique. It proves a challenge for actors to come out of character after employing method acting techniques.” . thoughts. In particular. changes in behavior or by persistence of [character’s] behavior. excited physical reactions were expected to co-exist with task-emotions such as tension. sometimes altering their behavior. etc. sometimes as many as one hundred people. and challenge.[12] Under professional supervision. “the positive emotions of the actor should be coupled with a specific physiological activation.[17] However. .[20] Control precedence is the main concern for method acting.[16] The emotion-task theory proposes that “the ‘action tendencies’ in characters occupy a special lace and differ somewhat from [the] impulses in general behavior. impulses. Their responsibility is to draw connections and pull raw emotions from the actor to connect with the character. such as in “cult-like” weekend courses[13] provided by unqualified individuals that cannot monitor the individuals and keep them in alignment psychologically. According to the task-emotion theory. “Clinical and Forensic Psychology. Experience-sampling Study. ^ Hamden.org/wiki/Psychological_effects_of_method_acting 10-Apr-13 . ^ Konin.Psychological effects of method acting . Raymond.” 4. Alicia A.” 15.” 14. Raymond.wikipedia. “Acting Emotions: Shaping Emotions on Stage. Radio.’: Surface Acting As Determinants of http://en. Dubia Today. “Acting Emotions: Shaping Emotions on Stage. Elly A. “Clinical and Forensic Psychology. Raymond. Elly A.” 6. Dubai. ^ Konin. “Acting Emotions: Shaping Emotions on Stage. ^ Hamden. the free encyclopedia Page 4 of 5 Daniel Day-Lewis Johnny Depp Marlon Brando Robert De Niro Al Pacino Jack Nicholson Edward Norton Christian Bale Forest Whitaker Adrian Brody Heath Ledger [21] Citations 1.” 17. “Clinical and Forensic Psychology. “Clinical and Forensic Psychology”. 14 April 2010.” 11. “10 Best Method Actors.” 16. ^ Hamden. Raymond.” 20.” 10. Arabian Radio Network. “Clinical and Forensic Psychology.” 21. Elly A. Raymond. 2000. “Acting Emotions: Shaping Emotions on Stage. “Acting Emotions: Shaping Emotions on Stage. Elly A. Grandley. “Clinical and Forensic Psychology. ^ Hamden. Alicia A. “When ‘The Show Must Go On. ^ Konin. “When ‘The Show Must Go On’: Surface Acting As Determinants of Emotional Exhaustion and Peer-Rated Service Delivery.” 13. Raymond.” References Hamden. “Acting Emotions: Shaping Emotions on Stage. ^ Lealos. Konin. ^ Hamden. “Is Emotional Labor More Difficult for Some than for Others? A Multilevel. ^ Hamden. ^ Hamden.” 5. Raymond. “Clinical and Forensic Psychology. Timothy A.Wikipedia. ^ Judge. Raymond. “Clinical and Forensic Psychology. ^ Konin. “Acting Emotions: Shaping Emotions on Stage.” 8. Elly A. ^ Konin. ^ Grandley. Shawn. “Clinical and Forensic Psychology. Raymond. “Clinical and Forensic Psychology. ^ Grandley.” 9. 89-102.” 7. “When ‘The Show Must Go On’: Surface Acting As Determinants of Emotional Exhaustion and Peer-Rated Service Delivery.” 2.” 3. “Clinical and Forensic Psychology. Raymond.” 12. ^ Konin. ^ Hamden. “Acting Emotions: Shaping Emotions on Stage.” 18. Elly A.” Amsterdam University Press. Raymond. ^ Hamden. ^ Konin. Elly A.” 19. ^ Hamden. Interview. Judge. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation. http://en. Charlice. a nonprofit organization. “10 Best Method Actors.Psychological effects of method acting . the free encyclopedia Page 5 of 5 Emotional Exhaustion and Peer-Rated Service Delivery.” Break Media.. Timothy A.wikipedia. Inc. Erin Fluegge. Woolf.Wikipedia. Experience-sampling Study. 2010.” Personnel Psychology. you agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psychological_effects_of_method_acting 10-Apr-13 . 2001. additional terms may apply.p. 46:1. “Is Emotional Labor More Difficult for Some than for Others? A Multi-level. 2009.php? title=Psychological_effects_of_method_acting&oldid=534589710" Categories: Drama This page was last modified on 24 January 2013 at 02:02.org/w/index.” Academy of Management Journal. Lealos. Hurst.. By using this site. Web. Retrieved from "http://en. N.