Enactive account of pretend play and its application to therapy.

Zuzanna Rucinska,Ellen Reijmers

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2015.00175

Abstract

This paper informs therapeutic practices that use play, by providing a non-standard philosophical account of pretense: the enactive account of pretend play (EAPP). The EAPP holds that pretend play activity need not invoke mental representational mechanisms; instead, it focuses on interaction and the role of affordances in shaping pretend play activity. One advantage of this re-characterization of pretense is that it may help us better understand the role of shared meanings and interacting in systemic therapies, which use playing to enhance dialog in therapy rather than to uncover hidden meanings. We conclude with bringing together findings from therapeutic practice and philosophical considerations.

Highlights

This paper explores one relationship between philosophical understanding of pretend play and therapies that include symbolic play with objects in their repertoire.In traditional therapies, play has been used to “uncover” problems of clients to allow therapists to “analyze” them
In this article we have suggested a different function for playing in therapy: one of creating a dialog, instead of being a mirror of reality
As an embodied activity, adds and reinforces the narratives, allowing new meanings to be created through object use and interaction with the therapist

Summary

Enactive account of pretend play and its application to therapy

Reviewed by: Frank Röhricht, University of Essex, UK Alemka Tomicic, Universidad Diego Portales, Chile Maria E. This paper informs therapeutic practices that use play, by providing a non-standard philosophical account of pretense: the enactive account of pretend play (EAPP). The EAPP holds that pretend play activity need not invoke mental representational mechanisms; instead, it focuses on interaction and the role of affordances in shaping pretend play activity. One advantage of this re-characterization of pretense is that it may help us better understand the role of shared meanings and interacting in systemic therapies, which use playing to enhance dialog in therapy rather than to uncover hidden meanings. We conclude with bringing together findings from therapeutic practice and philosophical considerations

INTRODUCTION

Rucinska and Reijmers

CONCLUSION