Date of Award
Spring 5-16-2020
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
MA - Master of Arts
Department
Expressive Therapies
Advisor
Sarah Hamil, PhD, LCSW, RPT-S, ATR-BC
Abstract
Associations are formed in our minds based upon three elements: sensory experience, emotions, and memories. These associations, unique to each individual, dictate thoughts, beliefs, behaviors, and actions. Some are necessary and supportive, while others can be maladaptive. Established associations can be changed, and new associations can be formed, to align with a client’s goals. The literature presents a strong history of associationism, as well as a body of research that demonstrates the neurological processes of how mental associations are formed. There are also studies showing how music activates the brain. However, there is a lack of research which draws direct correlations between the regions of the brain involved in forming associations and the regions of the brain activated during music engagement, resulting in a missed opportunity to use music, especially music therapy, in the context of working with a client’s associations. The history of associationism, the neurology of associations, and the brain’s response to music introduced a strong comparison between brain regions involved in forming associations and those activated while exposed to music, supporting the idea that music therapy can be a strong tool to use in conjunction with other therapeutic models to enhance the efficacy of creating new or shifting current mental associations to support a client’s therapeutic goals.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Rose, Dianna, "Mental Associations and Music Therapy: Including the History of Associationism and the Neurology of Associations" (2020). Expressive Therapies Capstone Theses. 364.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_theses/364
Included in
Alternative and Complementary Medicine Commons, Behavioral Neurobiology Commons, Behavior and Behavior Mechanisms Commons, Cognition and Perception Commons, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Commons, Cognitive Neuroscience Commons, Cognitive Psychology Commons, Comparative Philosophy Commons, Counseling Commons, Counseling Psychology Commons, Developmental Neuroscience Commons, Developmental Psychology Commons, Movement and Mind-Body Therapies Commons, Music Therapy Commons, Other Mental and Social Health Commons, Other Philosophy Commons, Other Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, Philosophy of Mind Commons, Psychoanalysis and Psychotherapy Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Theory and Philosophy Commons
Rights
The author owns the copyright to this work.
