Usefulness of Visualized Information on Psyche and the Application to Preventive Education

Research Topic
Usefulness of Visualized Information on Psyche and the Application to Preventive Education

Lead Researcher
Nanako Kato, Faculty of Human Life and Environment, Nara Women’s University

Center Co-Researchers
Toshio Kawai, Professor, Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University

Chihiro Hatanaka, Senior Lecturer, Kokoro Research Center, Kyoto University

In recent years, due to the rapid technological innovation of the Internet of Things (IoT), wearable devices that obtain not only the amount of activity but also detailed data (heart rate and depth of sleep) are spreading. Today, with the guidelines of the national health care campaign “Health Japan 21” as well as the mandatory stress check system, it is necessary to manage one’s own health. By using a wearable device, one’s state of health, including the psyche, can be measured at all times and visualized through familiar tools like a smartphone.

In general, the positive aspects of health, for example, the ease of being conscious of one’s health and exerting self-control, are highlighted. However, negative aspects are not discussed; a risk in translating one’s psyche into digitized information that is easily usable by a device user. In psychotherapy, the psyche is brought into consciousness and becomes an object to “see” by speaking with a therapist or specialized support person. Visualization of the psyche in psychotherapy includes the expression of images by sandplay or drawing. There, the process of “savoring” the work between a therapist (beholder) and a client (creator) is emphasized. Namely, it is necessary to consider the recipient of information, how one accepts one’s own “psyche” that was visualized.

The usefulness of visualized information can be considered by examining the behavior of users who receive information. In this study, we use the Uchida-Kraepelin Performance Test for measurement. In this test, additional work amount per minute is “visible” to the subject. In other words, this configuration can be a factor in changing the increase or decrease of work amount (Kato, 2018). A previously conducted survey that used the Uchida-Kraepelin Performance Test (Kato, 2018) in a long-term closed space pointed out that behavioral consequences, such as trying to keep one’s workload constant (overcontrol), was associated with mental disorder. This result suggests that the inappropriate perception of a single piece of information may lead to higher risk of  high-stress situations. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine factors that may be useful by examining the characteristics of individuals who receive visualized information. This study will provide fundamental insights into the support of individuals in high-stress situations. It is also expected that this study can be applied to the issue of what kind of preventive education is appropriate in various high-stress situations where psychological intervention is difficult and self-control is forced, for example, outer space, which is a long-term closed environment.

2020/05/29