Abstract:
This article investigates the way the methodology of process drama, and specifically
the convention of dramatised poetry, can enhance the anger-management skills of
adolescent girls. The article presents findings from a recent study that set out to teach
anger-management skills to adolescent girls using process drama conventions. The
argument explores the notion of process drama propounded by the prominent applied
drama scholar Cecily O’Neill (1995) and the applicability of this methodology for
stimulating the perception, awareness and identification of various forms of anger as
prerequisites to anger management in adolescent girls. As the adolescent girl finds
herself at the crossroads of childhood and adulthood, emotions of frustration and anger
towards parents and peer groups often surface. It is therefore beneficial for her to be
empowered with the insight and skills required to identify and manage her anger. The
fictitious world within process drama creates a safe space where sensitive issues can
be explored without uncovering personal issues. Poetry is, in many instances, loaded
with emotional content and can therefore be used as a vehicle for considering
emotional issues that would otherwise not be possible. This article therefore reports on
a multidiscipline research project, namely the dramatisation of poetry, as a convention
of the methodology of process drama, to enhance anger management, as an emotional
competence in the 14- to 15-year-old adolescent girl.
