Thesis Title
Graduation Date
2023
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Project Type
Mixed Methods
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Marriage and Family Therapy
Program
Art Therapy
Program Director
Richard Carolan, PhD, ATR-BC
First Reader
Erin Partridge, PhD, ATR-BC
Second Reader
Sarah Kremer, PhD, ATR-BC
Abstract
The study’s objective was to observe the benefits of creating meme imagery around the participant’s stressors and how it affected the participants’ mood. This mixed-method study also looked into the meme’s ability to communicate their experience of their stressor to others to test whether it would be useful in a therapeutic setting. In order to measure affect change, the researcher utilized the PANAS (Positive and Negative Affect Schedule) before and after the meme creation process. The researcher tested communication through utilization of inter-raters to observe the created meme and respond upon what they believed the participant was going through. This system will allow more validity as more unique people with converging interpretations such as similar descriptions of what they believe the participant is trying to express are more reliable than one singular opinion. There were 26 participants who volunteered to participate and create memes. It was found that meme creation lowered negative affect and that communication worked well for those who create memes around topics that are relatable or descriptive.
IRB Number
11061