Date of Award
5-2010
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Art in Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling (MA)
Department
Creative Arts Therapies
First Advisor
Pidek, Cathy
Keywords
elderly, older persons, widowhood, bereavement, grief
Abstract
This thesis explores the clinical value to the elderly population of combining reminiscence and dance. This five month collaboration between a recently widowed elderly female and a dance/movement therapy intern culminated in a 13 minute choreographed dance performance. Themes that emerged during this art-based study were her relationship with her husband, her role as his primary caregiver and her grief after his death. Eric Erikson identifies integrity vs. despair as the struggle or crisis to be grappled with in the last stage of human development, old age. This theoretical framework has been incorporated in this study.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Gamby-Weideman, Cathy, "Reminiscence of an Elderly Woman: An Artistic Inquiry" (2010). Creative Arts Therapies Theses. 21.
https://digitalcommons.colum.edu/theses_dmt/21